When Suzie was told her stomach pain was the result of IBS, she knew the doctor was wrong. This pain felt somehow different and Suzie was determined to push for further investigation. Now, as she contemplates the prospect of remission, Suzie talks ovarian cysts, the power of friendship and why she's so glad she ended up sticking to her guns…
My friendships became so important to me during my treatment. Family were absolutely there for me but I felt too emotional around them. My friends kept me laughing and looking forward. I knew I was accepting things and moving on when I could finally talk to my family about my experience.
Different
When I was pregnant with my second child, doctors found a small cyst on my left ovary.
Following the birth, I started to experience pain on my left side. At the time, I was told it was probably my IBS – but I knew that it wasn't. The pain felt different. I mentioned to my doctor about the cyst and he sent me for another scan, which showed the cyst had grown to the size of an orange.
By the time I was taken in to have the cyst drained, it was the size of a small melon. Two weeks after this procedure the pain returned. I ended up having the cyst drained three times, but they were reluctant to remove the ovary because I was still of child bearing age. Finally, after having the cyst drained a fourth time, they opted to remove the ovary. It was at this point that they found out the cyst was cancerous. The consultant actually apologised to me and said his colleagues in oncology had told him off for not removing it earlier.
Sacrifice
Within two weeks I was back in hospital getting ready to undergo a hysterectomy.
I spent a week in hospital over the Christmas period – including Christmas day. While it wasn't a very happy time, I remember thinking; "I'll sacrifice this Christmas so I can spend many more with my beautiful kids".
Resolve
The initial diagnosis was such a shock. I cried off and on for two days and then resolved to do all I could to get well.
I'm lucky that I was aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and knew that the bloating I was experiencing was not normal. Because of that, I was able to stick to my guns and insist on further testing. My cancer was caught early, thank goodness – I haven't felt the need to delve much further than that.
Target Ovarian Cancer
I first came across Target Ovarian Cancer on Instagram. I was so glad I did because previously the only sites I had seen were American and although I love our American cousins, it was nice to read stories and experiences from here. I want women to know there are positive ovarian cancer stories. I'm not yet officially in remission but I'm almost there. I'm feeling more and more positive all the time.
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