A WOMAN was shocked to discover she had vulva cancer after thinking she just had a nasty case of thrush.
Caroline Powell, 51, had been experiencing bouts of thrush – a common yeast infection that causes itching around the vagina – for a few years.
She first saw a doctor in February 2019, when the rash changed colour and became lumpy, and her concerned doctor immediately sent her for tests.
In March 2019 she was told she had stage three vulval cancer – which is particularly rare in pre-menopausal women.
The cancer’s main symptoms are a persistent itch, pain or soreness in the vulva, lumps or changed skin in the area and burning when weeing.
Caroline, of Rugby, Warwickshire, was completely blindsided by her diagnosis, especially as she otherwise felt fit and well.
Before her diagnosis, Caroline enjoyed an energetic social life – meeting her boyfriend-of-six-years, Adam, 48. a bookkeeper, at one of her regular modern jive nights.
Speaking of her diagnosis, Caroline said: “It was devastating.
“Vulval cancer usually affects women in their 60s. I was barely 50, so it was a real shock. Doctors explained the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and pelvis.
“I just kept thinking, ‘That can’t be good’.
“In a way, it didn’t really sink in.”
In June 2019, Caroline was given an intensive 26-day course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy spread over six weeks.
She said: “I was going to hospital five days a week for six weeks. I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the same time, so I would even have two treatments on one day.
“I was in a weird kind of bubble. As I was doing something every day, I didn’t have time to dwell on it, I just had to stay positive.
“My treatment was intense, but the doctors were concerned at how aggressive my cancer was.”
While her treatment ended in August 2019, her ordeal was far from over, as doctors found cancerous cells still present in her lymph nodes.
She said: “The radiotherapy had completely burnt my skin.
“I didn’t lose my hair, but my skin burnt in a bad way and left me very sore. I still have to use steroid cream on it now.
“I also needed three monthly scans to monitor my cells, to see if the cancer was growing.
“I was so relieved to have survived but knowing that it could return left me fearing for my future.”
Caroline had a scare in July of this year, when a doctor noticed her skin had become red and thick from the radiotherapy.
She said: “I had this moment where I thought the cancer was going to come back. It was incredibly scary.”
Luckily for Caroline, it was a false alarm – which was swiftly followed by the excellent news that she is in remission.
“I’m still being monitored, but I’m in remission,” she said.
