It's been a trying 3 years, but 2017 is my year to give back to a charity that I wished I had heard of back in 2013. My aim is to not just raise money, but also awareness on how silent this cancer is. I am Extremely lucky and blessed to tell my story and walk in my own name and others. Here's my story.........

Back in June 2013, me and and my 4 year old son were flying out to spend some quality time with my mum in Turkey. I had been suffering quite bad pain in my right side, I had took myself to A&E a week before jetting off, to be told I had pulled a muscle. My gp referred me for a non urgent scan on my gall bladder upon my return from holiday. 2weeks into my holiday I awoke with the worse pain. I was admitted to a private hospital in Turkey, I was scanned and immediately told I had an infection of my gall bladder and stones. I was also told I had, in the Turkish sonographers words "gynaecology problems? You have cysts, 10 days get back to England". I brushed it off and focused on getting rid of the gall bladder infection. Little did i know, he knew what he was seeing. 

I flew home 4 days later, I didn't feel right. My left leg had swollen 10 times it's size and I knew I was in trouble. My husband took me to the gp who was worried I had a DVT. I was up the hospital within an hour, and home an hour after that. I was told it was probably just from flying. Later that evening I had a call to say my clotting level was high and I needed a scan, they would scan me for a clot and also check the gall bladder the next day. It was a Friday, I was taken for an ultra sound, brilliant, no clot! Double whammy, gall bladder looked ok, just stones....... major blow, what was this? A "complex mass". 

I still didn't think in a million years I would have cancer. I was only 26, no family history of ovarian cancer, and no breast cancer. Things like this don't happen to me. Monday morning see me back at the gp surgery, I had to get my insurance form signed, still not thinking about this so called "complex mass" it was a cyst right? Every woman gets cysts when she's due on?. This is a scene that stands out so vividly in my mind, I can almost picture I'm there again. Sid was rolling a bright green car along the edge of the doctors desk, im watching him worried he is going to knock over her photos..... and bang! "The hospital have rang me, they think you got cancer". Next thing I'm on the bed in the gps office and she's pressing my stomach, showing me where this "mass" is.

The weeks were a blur, and constant appointments, MRIs, bloods, sympathetic Macmillan nurses, and very professional oncologists. Ca125 test was at 3,500, this is a tumour marker for the abdomen, it isn't 100% accurate, in "normal" women it should be between 20-25, this added to my anxiety. I was to have fertility saving treatment. I had an 11cm tumour on my right ovary, and a 9cm tumour on my left, they were gonna totally remove my right ovary and quarterize my left. I begged them to take it all. I didn't want anymore children, I knew this before my diagnoses. But the quote they always use "the ovaries keep your heart young" in their eyes I was to young to go through the menopause. So surgery was done in the September, it was a success, the 11cm tumour had attached to part of my bowel, but not invaded it, and 4 out of 7 lymph nodes contained the disease. It was high graded at 3c.The best news........ it was "borderline serous"..... now if your gonna have any form of ovarian cancer this is the best one to have. It doesn't respond to chemo or radio, treatment is just removal. The bad news about this type, there isn't enough research being done about it, and information is minimal. 

So I'm told to go live my life, I have to have 3month check ups first, then 6month check ups, then yearly, then every 5 years. But........ there is a 30% chance of reoccurrence. So they gave me 2years to complete my family....... and I did within 4 months of surgery. We brought our frank, the French bulldog. Family completed. Healthy handsome son. Amazing husband. I didn't need no more. 

Every 3month check up was torture, every scan showed a cyst, and they would question if it was a cyst or reoccurrence. I never got to yearly appointments due to these "cysts". 

May 2015, 6month check up, I'm told there's a hemorraghic cyst. They want to keep a close eye on it. January 2016 it's still there, it hasn't grown much, but it's the same one. May 2016, the same "cyst" is still there, but is now showing "solid particles" I'm told to have key hole surgery to remove it as they "think" it's a cyst. If it looks suspicious upon surgery they will not remove it. So May 23rd this year I was took in to have it removed, and remove it they did, they were very confident it was a cyst.

2weeks later, confirmed it wasn't. It was infact reoccurrence. Panic started, a gynaecology surgeon had performed keyhole surgery removed this "tumour" and now i felt I was a ticking time bomb. When you have keyhole surgery, what ever they remove has to be removed by "piece meal" this basically means they had cut up the tumour to remove it from the small incision in my abdomen. My fear now was it was spreading as any tumour should not be "cut up" and it should be removed by an oncologist. This was gonna kill me. 

Within a week I was referred back to oncology and told I would have to have a full hysterectomy. FINALLY! So August 8th this year I underwent a full hysterectomy. Surgery went very well and showed no sign that disease had spread. 

Menopause has kicked in, periods have stopped (bravo!) and I am forever trying to remember to change my little hrt patch so I don't hot flush, and take regular calcium tablets so I reduce the risk of oesteoperosis in later life. This is my life.

Signs of ovarian cancer, bloating? I'd put on weight, I'd become content after getting married 6months before. Weeing more? I was mum to a young son, I focused more on how many times he went to the toilet rather then myself. Abdominal pain, backache? I was working 2 jobs, I had loads of aches and pains. Missed periods? One month, I was stressed, I'd just moved house and was getting married....... see we put Symptoms down to everyday strains. Get checked, Nag your doctor if you have to. Know your body. Your not a hypochondriac, your concerned. 

So that's my story, my risk of reoccurrence is literally nil (says Mr lane!) my mental health is better knowing everything it could latch ontonhas gone. My life has been overshadowed the last 3 years, not no more. It's time to start living again, give back and mainly raise awareness. 

Thank you all for taking the time to read. 

Even more for supporting me. 

Lauren x

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