Lump made me embarrassed to see doc.. it nearly cost me my life
Mum-of-two Fiona Bathgate put off getting her private parts checked out for six months before GP rushed her to surgery
FIONA Bathgate was in the shower when she first felt a strange lump in her genitals.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. Docs said they couldn’t give a reason why I had cancer
Although the young mum was concerned, she thought it was nothing more than a fatty lump – and she admits she felt too embarrassed to go to the doctors to have it checked out.
But when the lump was still there six months later, Fiona realised she needed to take action.
And her decision almost certainly saved her life as she was diagnosed with cancer of the vulva.
She’s now been given the all-clear after undergoing two operations.
The mum of two said: “Because of where my lump was, I felt embarrassed and didn’t want people to know.
“It’s silly, because I hadn’t done anything wrong – doctors said they couldn’t give a reason as to why I’d developed cancer.
“It’s no one’s fault and there’s no need to be embarrassed. I know that now. If anyone else in a similar position feels a lump, I’d urge them to get it checked out.
“You’ll get over your embarrassment. If you don’t, it could kill you – it’s that simple.”
Vulval cancer is rare in women under 50. Only about 1200 cases are diagnosed in the UK each year – and only 15 per cent are women under 50.
Fiona, from Clydebank, was only 26 when she found the lump.
Now 28, she was days away from heading off to Newcastle to celebrate her hen weekend in August 2015 when she was diagnosed with cancer.
Her excitement about marrying Shawn turned to fear that she might not survive to walk down the aisle.
And she worried she might not get to see their sons Lloyd, now four, and Connor, three, grow up.
Fiona said: “I was in the cinema watching Minions with my husband Shawn and our boys when I got a call from a doctor.
“She said she had the results of the biopsy and it wasn’t good news. I didn’t even know a biopsy was being carried out.
“I said it wasn’t a good time, so she said she’d call me back. She phoned me back three hours later and said I had cancer – I was distraught.”
Despite the devastating news, Fiona decided the best thing to do was to go ahead with her hen weekend. But she insisted
those who did know the news should not discuss it over the weekend.
She said: “It was in the back of my mind but, because of all the questions I had, such as whether I’d still be here, it made me make sure I had a good time.
“But I really didn’t want to talk about it and I think it was quite hard for everybody else who knew as well.”
Fiona and labourer Shawn, 28, had planned their wedding for March 2016 – and she admits she worried about whether it would still go ahead.
She said: “I was panicking but I didn’t want my friends or family to know.
“All I could think was, ‘We’ll need to cancel the wedding’, ‘What if I die?’, ‘How will my boys cope without me?’
“You can think some pretty dark thoughts when you’re diagnosed with cancer. It was absolutely awful.
“On the outside, though, I tried to be as positive as possible. I didn’t want my friends and family to know how I was really feeling.”
After having an operation to remove the lump, Fiona was initially given the all-clear.
But there was more bad news to come.
She said: “A week later, I was told they had made a mistake and I had to have another operation as the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes.
The mum was back in hospital on her 27th birthday for a second operation.
Thankfully, that was a success – and before Christmas 2015 she was told she was clear of cancer, which was a massive relief.
Fiona recalled: “It was literally like the weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
“I felt like the luckiest woman alive.
“I know I’d been incredibly unlucky to get cancer in my 20s but to get the all-clear was like getting a second chance at life.
“Shawn and I felt like we could go ahead with the wedding without this awful black cloud hanging over us.”
The couple exchanged vows at St Stephen’s Church in Clydebank on March 5 last year.
Having been through a health scare, Fiona is enjoying time with he family more than ever before.
Right now, she’s excited about seeing Lloyd start school in August.
She said: “It’s all the little things that are important.” The one downside is that Fiona has been left with lymphoedema, which means she suffers from swelling in one of her legs.
It meant she couldn’t wear the high heels Shawn had bought her for their big day – but she’s taken it in her stride.
Fiona said: “I wore glittery trainers but it was OK. Trainers are my thing anyway.” “Yes, I can’t wear heels and
‘I can’t wear heels and I have two scars but I feel as though I was one of the lucky ones’