"I had very few symptoms initially, I was feeling unwell and tired all of the time"
I had put on some weight, and I could only eat small amounts as I got full very quickly.
I was back and forth with my GP for several months and was told that my symptoms could be menopause related, IBS polyps or endometriosis.
I could not get a face-to-face appointment and was only offered online consultations or telephone. In these appointments I felt my symptoms were dismissed without investigation.
By Christmas 2021, my symptoms were getting worse, and my tummy looked like I was 6 months pregnant. At this point I felt like I was making a mountain out of a molehill as the doctors are the experts and I did not want to waste their time.
That was until I had a routine appointment with my dermatologist who urged me to get a face-to-face appointment and have my tummy checked out as it was severely distended.
"I went back to the GP and insisted he investigate further."
I insisted on blood tests and scans, and this is where my cancer markers came back raised and they started to take me seriously.
In my head I assumed it was probably endometriosis or similar. Something that was not scary and was easily treatable.
The ultrasound showed growths on both of my ovaries, and I was immediately referred for a CT scan and an MRI scan.
From here onwards things moved quickly. In my oncology appointment the doctor very casually said they suspected stage 3c ovarian cancer, ‘here’s a box tissues, this is your clinical specialist nurse and she'll explain more’.
“The day you receive your diagnosis is the most heart-breaking point of your journey.”
I went through the information about the medical side of things and my clinical nurse specialists were amazing! Often, the doctors and registrars were often very clinical in their approach, but the nurses understood the emotional nuances that were required at the right time.
I was given Macmillan booklets to read. When I got home, I flicked through them and the first thing I noticed was the absence of anyone that looked like me! I saw few South Asian faces.
“I decided to have surgery to get the damn thing out.”
I had my surgery in April 2022. It was unsuccessful as the cancer had spread to other vital organs. I was distraught.
I also reacted badly to the anaesthetic and painkillers so was not lucid when doctors tried to explain what had happened. I was devasted and just wanted to go home. I eventually came home exhausted physically and mentally. I kept looking at my stiches and thinking what has just happened to me.
Next steps were chemotherapy, I had a PICC line fitted, and it started in June 2022 with six rounds planned. The surgeons wanted to shrink the tumours before they went back in to operate.
