NATASHA’S STORY: “DEEP DOWN, I KNEW IT WASN’T JUST A CYST, BUT NO ONE BELIEVED ME.”
Natasha visited the GP once a month for a year and a half before she was officially diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Like 40% of women with ovarian cancer, her symptoms became so unbearably painful, she was forced to go to A&E for help.
During those months, doctors misdiagnosed her, repeatedly, leaving Natasha feeling frustrated and dismissed. Here Natasha talks through her ovarian cancer diagnosis and explains why age shouldn't stop women from pushing for answers.
Natasha tells us about her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
It all started with bloating that just wouldn’t go away. I’d started going up in dress sizes and couldn’t wear anything with a button because the pressure was unbearable. At first, I thought it was just my IBS or Endometriosis acting up, but this indigestion was different - constant, relentless and keeping me up at night.
I also noticed I was getting full really quickly. I’ve always loved food and cooking, but suddenly I wasn’t finishing meals and often didn’t even feel like cooking at all. Another big change was needing to pee all the time – during lectures, in the middle of the night – which was totally new for me.
And then there was the fatigue. I’d experienced tiredness before, but this was something else. It was completely crushing, to the point where I often had to lie down during the day and could barely keep up with my University work.
Throughout this, I visited the University GP practice to try to understand why these symptoms might be happening. They kept blaming my symptoms on my IBS or Endometriosis, and no further investigations were ever ordered. I found it so frustrating and felt so ignored. The year and a half before I was diagnosed, I attended the GP or had contact with medical professionals on average once a month.
Ovarian cancer was never mentioned.
Natasha suffered from persistent bloating - alongside feeling full quickly and crushingly intense fatigue.
All I could think was – surely, I’m too young for that? I’m only 22. Even my Mum thought I might be too young, but she encouraged me to trust myself and go back to the GP if I felt it was a possibility.
The night before I was diagnosed was actually my anniversary. I’d gone out for dinner with my partner, but couldn’t finish my food because I felt so full. That night, I was hit with the worst pain I’ve ever experienced - worse than breaking my wrist or even surgery. It was in my lower right abdomen, right where my ovary was. I thought it could be my appendix bursting.
My mum wanted to call an ambulance, but I didn’t want to make a fuss, so we rang 111 instead.
The callback from the GP took 7 hours, by which point I was exhausted and in tears waiting for someone to help me. They insisted it was “just a kidney infection,” but I knew it wasn’t because I’d had them as a child, and this was totally different. He told me to book a GP appointment, and I felt so frustrated that I started crying when I explained that my GP was very far away at my University. That’s when he, thankfully, told me to go to either A&E or the walk-in centre. I chose the walk-in, hoping it would be quicker, as by this point it was the next day and my birthday.
The nurse at the walk-in really listened and, concerned it could still be appendicitis, sent me straight to hospital admissions so I could skip the A&E waiting room. I’ll never forget her kindness.
I still ended up spending my whole birthday in the hospital, nil by mouth, missing my plans. And, for reasons I still don’t understand, through all of their investigations, they only scanned my right-hand side.
By the evening, they told me they’d found a mass - likely a cyst - and transferred me to the gynaecology unit in another hospital. Even then, after meeting a doctor I trusted, I was told it was “definitely a cyst.” I was discharged and told surgery would be scheduled.
Deep down, I knew it wasn’t just a cyst, but no one believed me
Two weeks later, after living with symptoms and being dismissed, I got a call while I was in the shower. The gynaecologist simply said I was being referred to gynae-oncology, then hung up.
I had to be the one to tell my parents and partner, with limited information. I genuinely consider my whole diagnosis experience incredibly traumatic, and I’ve since had therapy to help process the whole experience.
I was officially diagnosed with Stage 1a Germ Cell Ovarian Cancer, an extremely rare form of Ovarian Cancer which mostly affects young people. At the time of diagnosis, my tumour was 20cm, and it weighed 2kg.
My tumour was so large that if, at any point, my GP had physically examined me, they would have felt it. This is so frustrating to think back on.
Finally having the diagnosis was both shocking and a relief. A relief that I was going to get answers, see doctors and nurses with expertise in my symptoms, and get the support I needed.
It did mean I had to leave my University – including my lovely housemates - which was devastating. Thankfully, I was able to finish my course remotely, and I’m incredibly proud to say I did so and received a 2:1 in my degree.
I ended up having surgery, a right oophorectomy, as well as having the fallopian tube removed, biopsies and cyst drainage. Through this, they then subsequently found a 13cm cyst on my left ovary, which has since been removed. This secondary surgery also resulted in me losing my left ovary, another oophorectomy as the cyst and ovary was covered in extensive scar tissue and doctors were concerned with the appearance of the ovary (funnily enough, this time I felt calm, I was confident the cancer had not returned as none of my symptoms had - I was correct, the ovary had extensive fibroids.)
The support I received from the gynae oncology team was amazing, I felt so listened to and understood. The support I have received post-diagnosis and post-op from family, friends and charities has been more than I ever could have hoped for.
Natasha with her partner of 7 years
Now, I’m happy and healthy. I’ve just bought my first home with my partner after celebrating 7 years together, and I feel very blessed. I genuinely thought my life was over when I became ill and had to leave everything behind, but now that feels very far away.
I’m sharing my story to remind people that although ovarian cancer mostly happens to older women, all of us need to be aware of the symptoms and know when to act.
I want whoever reads this to be confident in knowing their body, to understand themselves and to have the confidence to advocate for themselves - we live in our bodies, we know them and love them, and we often know when something is deeply wrong. I want someone who’s suffering what I did to find their cancer before it reaches 22cm - that’s my hope.
Natasha travelling
Natasha’s ovarian cancer story reminds us that you know your body better than anyone else. If something doesn’t feel right, you can always push for more answers.
We’re sharing tips on how to advocate for yourself and what to do if you’re experiencing ovarian cancer symptoms to make sure all women feel empowered to get the answers they deserve.
