A mother-of-two has been diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer after thinking her symptoms could have been down to pregnancy.
Cheryl Bryant, 36, took two pregnancy tests as she became bloated to the point of looking “six months pregnant” earlier this year.
However, after several trips to the GP and A&E, the nurse associate learned a grapefruit-sized tumour was behind her symptoms and was diagnosed with a form of small cell ovarian cancer.
The “dedicated” mother said she first began noticing symptoms at the beginning of the year when her period became irregular and she felt tired and achy.
By May, she had become “constantly bloated” and suffered abdominal pain.
“It’s so easy to think its IBS or something else because you wouldn’t think it was cancer,” she said.
“I thought it could’ve been my diet so I tried lots of different foods and did a food sensitivity test but it kept getting worse. I was bloated and feeling full even though I wasn’t eating.
“I looked about six months pregnant, I did two tests even thought I have the coil.”
In May, Ms Bryant went to her GP who ordered her an ultrasound. But before her appointment happened she went to A&E as her condition deteriorated.
She was sent away having been told she had a urine infection but a week later she developed sepsis and was given a CT scan.
Doctors found a mass the size of a grapefruit and after several days, Cheryl underwent surgery to remove it and her ovary on June 4.
Upon further testing, it was concluded the mass was cancerous and Cheryl was diagnosed with the hypercalcemic type of ovarian cancer (SCCOHT) on July 1.
Only 500 cases of this type of aggressive cancer have been recorded to date with only a ten to 20 per cent survival rate. In Cheryl’s case, diagnosis took longer as hypercalcemic tumours often present as abcesses.
Further tests found another tumour on her other ovary as well as other growths on the outside of her fallopian tube and on July 10, she underwent a full hysterectomy and is now receiving an intense course of chemotherapy. On her first round, she was not able to go home due to a shortage of blood donations, and she is calling for more people to donate.
“What I would say is to make sure you trust your instincts,” she told The Independent.
“I’d known something was wrong for a really long time and I wish I had fought harder to get it looked at even though they were everyday symptoms.
“To anyone experiencing them, fight to be taken seriously.”
Cheryl’s sister-in-law has now launched a fundraiser to help Cheryl enjoy her time with her husband John, 36, and their two daughters aged nine and 13.
You can donate to the fundraiser here and find more information on donating blood here.