‘I put my symptoms down to THE MENOPAUSE’
Unaware of ovarian cancer, Marie Foord, 50, was shocked upon hearing her diagnosis.
‘Before my diagnosis, I wasn’t aware of ovarian cancer or its symptoms. I felt bloated and was experiencing bowel changes (I wasn’t getting the usual urge to go to the toilet), but I just blamed it on my change in diet – my daughter was home from university and we were overloading on carbs. I was also urinating frequently and experienced a red/brown discharge, but as it was a one-off, I put that down to the menopause††.
My friend’s husband’s bowel cancer diagnosis prompted me to book a GP appointment. I felt silly hassling my doctor with something I thought wasn’t urgent. I’m so glad I did. Based on my symptoms, my GP requested a faecal test and blood sample the following day. The same day my bloods were taken,
I received a text telling me to book a doctor’s appointment. I thought it was a bowel issue so, if anything, I expected bowel cancer, not ovarian. Hearing my diagnosis, I was shocked and devastated.
I started treatment within a month – four chemotherapy cycles, followed by a full hysterectomy, then more chemo.
Five months of treatment was tough. I’m currently on medication and have a monthly blood test to check my cancer markers, which are normal for now.
I wished I’d known about ovarian cancer symptoms. I would have acted sooner and it would have been caught earlier. By the time I was diagnosed, I had stage III advanced ovarian cancer, which means it can reoccur.
There has to be more awareness, especially for menopausal women, as symptoms are so similar.’
‘I wasn’t aware of ovarian cancer – I blamed it on my diet’