 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Rebecca, welcome to OCF! So sorry to hear of your sisters OC diagnosis! She is so young to be going thru this, but her age is also an asset and will make this easier.
You have found the best place to get info and learn about your disease and how its treated. Educate yourself so you know what to expect and how to advocate for yourself. There is so much to do to prepare for treatments.
Check out the main OCF pages too. There you will find all the info you are asking about. There are sections for treatment, radiation, etc. Of course we are here to help you along.
Right now you need to focus on your sister's intake. She should be eating everything she likes and not worry about gaining weight as she will lose some during treatments. She should get a hearing test, full bloodwork including thyroid. Line up helpers. Nobody gets thru this alone so anyone who offers to help, write down their name and contact info. Tell them when the time comes you will call on them. Call the American Cancer Society, ask for a driver to take you to rads, and either $300 towards travel expenses or in the form of a pharmacy voucher (its ok to use for co-pays).
Two important things to remember thru all of this are everybody is different and will respond in their own unique way and the only thing you can control is the daily intake. Every single day your sister needs a minimum of 2500 calories and 48 oz of water.... NO SKIMPING! If she skimps one day and thinks its ok she can make it up the next, she is wrong and will quickly fall into a cycle which can lead to dehydration and malnutrition. On chemo days and the few days afterwards push her to take in extra water to flush the poison from the kidneys.
When treatments begin, have her pay very close attention to her hearing. If she notices even the slightest change inform the doc immediately. Cisplatin (very common chemo for OC patients) is known to cause high frequency hearing loss which is permanent.
Those are just a few things to start with. We will be here to help you get thru everything. Lean on us and we will support you both.
Good luck!
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive  | 
