“Tell him he’s fired.” On the other end of the phone my friend, Sean, remained stern. “Find another one… one who will listen,” she said, a typical girlfriend insisting that I just get over it, forget about him, move on and find someone better. Though the man I was about to dump wasn’t my boyfriend, he was my doctor.

I’d injured my shoulder in a bouldering competition two months earlier and was starting to think that perhaps, unknowingly, I’d been speaking in Chinese to my sports orthopedic. He couldn’t seem to grasp the magnitude of my situation: after weeks of physical therapy for an injury he insisted was just a minor strain, I was an athlete who couldn’t climb, train… or for that matter lift my arm to wash my hair. Like the star of the soccer team I dated in college, I was so mesmerized by his reputation that it didn’t occur to me to tell him to take a walk.

We depend on doctors to give the correct information, a proper diagnosis and to lead the way down the path of good health. But when it comes to your body and health, follow the same rules as training for your sport or buying new gear: Listen to your body, follow your instincts, do your own research and, most importantly, don’t settle for second best.

Women’s Intuition
In 1997, Sean Patrick, an avid climber, die-hard skier and fanatical mountain biker, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Having led a healthy lifestyle her entire life and with no history of cancer in her family the diagnosis was hard to swallow. But, unfortunately, getting diagnosed was even harder.

For months Patrick knew something wasn’t right in her body, but her doctor wrote it off as stress. As a shrewd business woman and CEO of her strategic marketing firm, she wouldn’t rest until given a reasonable explanation. She pressed harder and was told she was overworked and should pop some valium. As her condition grew worse and she was unable to climb or workout her doctor advised her to “get a hobby.”

“Oh I got a hobby alright,” says Patrick, now 53. “It’s called ovarian cancer and I became immersed in saving my life.” Diagnosed at stage III, when the chance of a five year survival is less then 25%, Patrick’s outdoor gear began to collect dust as her life became a whirlwind of clinical trials and surgeries.

In 2001, after being given 4 – 6 weeks to live, Patrick started the HERA (health, empowerment, research and advocacy) Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of ovarian cancer symptoms and to funding progressive research for early detection methods through a series of events, the Climb for Life (www.climb4life.org).

“Had my doctor taken me seriously from the start, that last eight years of my life would be a very different story,” says Patrick, who wants to see ovarian cancer testing become as standard as mammograms. “That’s why I’m so committed to raising awareness among healthy, fit women. Even though we are in tune with our bodies from years of training, far too often we’re written off as being over-trained or over-worked, when really we’re sick.”

Know the Facts
Whether it’s a persistent ache warning of a torn ACL, or the symptoms of a life-threatening disease, it’s important to listen to and understand the signals your body sends. Traveling to hospitals around the United States and talking to countless women of all ages with ovarian cancer, Patrick realized they all had one thing in common – they had symptoms but they didn’t know what those symptoms meant. Ovarian cancer was once deemed the silent killer, as doctor’s insisted there were no symptoms, but new research shows there are. As Patrick explains, “Yes, we all feel a little bloated now and again… but when its ovarian cancer, the symptoms get worse…you know something is wrong.”

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are gastrointestinal, not pelvic, which often leads to misdiagnosis or to women ignoring the signs. Recent studies show that 89% of women with early stage disease and 97% of women with later stage disease have symptoms. Ovarian cancer diagnosed early has a more than 90% survival rate.

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

• Abdominal pressure, bloating, or discomfort
• Nausea, indigestion, or gas
• Urinary frequency, constipation, or diarrhea
• Abnormal bleeding
• Unusual fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss or gain
• Shortness of breath

Research
“If you have recurring symptoms and you’re not getting answers from your doctor, then get online and start making phone calls to other doctors,” advises Patrick, noting that’s advice not just regarding ovarian cancer symptoms, but any injury or disease. Although ovarian cancer kills more women than all other gynecologic cancers combined and is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women in the U.S., 76% of the nearly 25,000 women diagnosed each year are diagnosed too late, after their cancer has spread. “60% of the women out there believe they are tested for ovarian cancer via their annual pap…but the pap tests for cervical cancer,” says Patrick. “It wasn’t until I started doing my own research that I realized what tests I needed to ask for.”

There are no recognized early detection methods for ovarian cancer, but if ovarian cancer is a concern experts recommend asking for a CA 125 blood test, trans-vaginal ultrasound and a pelvic rectal exam. If you are in a high-risk category, you should demand regular monitoring.

Women at great risk for ovarian cancer

• Have 2 or more relatives who have had ovarian cancer
• Have a family history of multiple cancers: ovarian, breast or colon cancer
• Have a personal history of breast cancer
• Have a personal history of multiple exposures to fertility drugs
• Are of Ashkenazi Jewish descent
• Have had uninterrupted ovulation (never used birth control pill or no pregnancies)
• Have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation
• Are over the age of 50

Though my torn shoulder tendon was hardly a life threatening illness, it made a huge impact on my life. After my conversation with Sean, I approached my injury as I did planning a climbing trip: I did research, talked to coaches at local universities, physical therapists and climbers, baseball pitchers, tennis players and golfers who’d had a similar injury. I not only got a new doctor and a second opinion, I got four more opinions. Unfortunately, I also got a variety pack of views on whether or not to have surgery.

Every surgery has associated risks, so I didn’t take this decision lightly. Having done substantial research on my injury, when it came time to make a decision not to have surgery and instead to do 12 weeks of physical therapy with nearly a year off the rock, I felt confident and in control. The same way I feel when I’m strong and in shape from hours dedicated to training for rock climbing.

Stephanie Forte has been climbing for over 12 years and reached the elite ranks of sport climbing by redpointing several routes of the 5.13+ grade. She was included in Rock & Ice’s History of Sport Climbing and in their recent People issue as one of America’s 10 notable female climbers as well as in Sports Illustrated for Women. A Las Vegas based public relations / marketing consultant, she’s also a freelance writer who works for Glamour and as a contributing editor to Climbing Magazine. Her writing has appeared in Rock & Ice, Her Sports, Las Vegas Magazine, Cerca Adventures and Nevada Woman.