When I convert my pdf to Word I get a document full of nothing but OOOOOs Any ideas how to fix this?

There's probably not much that can be done about it. The export function does its best to convert the file, but if it was created incorrectly (or just badly) then the output will be similar (Garbage In, Garbage Out-principle).

When you open the file in Reader and copy the text from it, does it come out legible when you paste it in another application?