She first noticed a sharp pain in her lower abdomen but didn’t think anything of it. She and her husband then went on holiday and on coming back she suffered from a persistent nagging pain in her abdomen for about a month. Her colleague suggested that she should do something about it so she decided to mention it to the practice nurse when at a tetanus injection appointment. The nurse insisted that she make an appointment with a GP. Her locum GP referred her to see a consultant after noticing an abnormality during an internal examination. She met with the consultant and was put on a waiting list for exploratory surgery which later confirmed she had ovarian cancer. She was then referred to the oncology department.

She then underwent chemotherapy where she had 6 treatments of carboplatin. She decided that she wanted to lead a completely normal life, so she carried on with work in-between treatments. At the end of the treatment her consultant informed her that it looked like she was going to be alright. She found that she did have to take some time off from work when she started to experience side effects from the treatment. She later started to have small bleeds and realised that her consultant had spoken too soon as she had developed a small growth. She wished that her consultant had been more straight-talking and honest about her condition throughout her experience, so that she could have known exactly what she was facing. She felt angry that he hadn’t had the courage to explain to her in more detail the severity of what she had been through. She spoke to another consultant about an experimental treatment but had felt unsatisfied with his explanations. She explained that she had a dependent daughter at home and was concerned that the treatment was not likely to be as effective the second time round as suggested by statistics. She eventually tried another experimental treatment [cisplatin and cyclophosphamide mixture] after speaking to her GP. She found this treatment was more aggressive but that it left her feeling groggy, confused and that eating during the first few treatments was difficult. She found chemotherapy affected her feelings of femininity. She explained that she had found losing her hair more upsetting than she had expected, and decided to start wearing a wig. She eventually felt more like herself again as the treatment continued. Six months after a clear CT scan she experienced more bleeding and was sent for further tests and a laparoscopy. They found that her bowel had been perforated. She felt devastated and that it was something that could have been avoided.

She then started 7 weeks of radiotherapy. She found radiotherapy much more bearable than chemotherapy. The radiotherapy also affected her appetite. She was in remission for 3 years. Despite nothing turning up on her scans she eventually started to experience vaginal bleeding. They later found a growth but the biopsy came back negative. She felt that as the test results were negative that there was no point in putting herself through the stress of chemotherapy. Unfortunately her consultant eventually recommended her for further chemotherapy where she developed a severe allergic reaction. She then started on a Taxol treatment. The tumour shrank, which she found encouraging, and the treatment had been bearable, but it did affect her concentration. So that she could attend her son’s wedding the doctors agreed to a two-part treatment. She felt happy that she had not only been able to go to her son’s wedding but that she was also able to enjoy herself. She and her husband also felt it was important to take some time to travel between her treatments and had a wonderful time building memories, travelling when they could. After chemotherapy and radiotherapy she found that her treatment eventually interfered with her sex life but that it has not affected her relationship with her husband.

She found her husband’s support invaluable throughout the whole experience. She has also had great support from friends but found that people didn’t always know how to treat her. She explained that some of her colleagues had been unsupportive, which she found difficult and upsetting. Despite this she has met some fantastic people at the day centre in her local hospice. She also found great comfort from hospital staff and her Macmillan nurse. Since her experience of ovarian cancer she has had a number of health problems and had suffered from a series of bowel blockages which have caused her great discomfort. She eventually underwent a bowel bypass operation. She explained that it was a long road to recovery and she initially had difficulty with her eating habits but after a shock and steroid treatment her appetite has returned to normal. She had found it difficult not being able to enjoy food over the course of her illness. Since, she has seen a dietician and made positive changes to her diet. She explained that’s she has never quite gained her full strength back and retired as her condition deteriorated. She had always been an active person but has found enjoyment in more relaxed activities such as reading and watching films. She feels that she has been lucky. She explained that you find the energy to hold up and keep going. She believes it is important to maintain a fighting spirit and take each day as it comes.