A YOUNG woman told by doctors to simply stretch better at the gym is now facing stage 4 cancer.
Sophie Pugh, 27, now knows she had all the signs of cancer, but was dismissed as she sought help.
She had agonising period pain, a sore lower back and upper leg, abdominal pain, bloating and trouble going to the loo.
A three cm growth on her left ovary had been found just eight months before the life-changing diagnosis.
The keen weightlifter is now battling ovarian cancer, which has spread to both her lungs.
Usually this type of diagnosis would be terminal, but Sophie said she is lucky as her cancer is reacting well to chemo.
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She told Daily Mail Australia: “It also has a much higher cure rate, if I had been diagnosed with normal ovarian cancer I would be a complete mess because it would likely mean I would be terminal.”
The young woman had suffered with agonising pain and diarrhoea after being told she had polycystic ovaries, and then a growth.
Then her back began to hurt, but she assumed she had hurt herself in the gym with a heavy weight.
When her left quad began to be painful she went back to the doctor.
She said: “He told me I wasn’t stretching after the gym properly, which I knew I was because I stretch for 20 minutes before and after each session, we now know it was a symptom of the cancer.”
The young woman decided to try and forget about it, even when the pain increased.
But she noticed she had pain when she tried to go to the loo and was struggling to urinate.
Then one day, when her cat jumped on her stomach and she cried out in agony, her partner insisted she go back to the doctor.
Her GP thought she had appendicitis and rushed her to hospital, but four days later she was discharged with a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Since being diagnosed to when doctors surgically removed the cancer, it out it had gone from ten to 15 centimetres and spread to her lungs.
She is set to begin five round of chemo soon, with fears it could take up to six months of treatment to shrink the cancer.
The gym fanatic is taking every chance she has to still be able to have kids in the future.
She is having treatment that will “put the right ovary to sleep”, before chemo.
Being self employed, her medical bills and lack of work have been a struggle.
KNOW THE SIGNS
Her pals have set up a Go Fund Me to help her cover costs.
She said: “I am trying to keep busy, even though I am starting to feel tired.
‘I am starting to feel it in my lungs now and get puffed going around the block.”
Ovarian cancer affects the ovaries, which are a small pair of organs located in the female pelvic cavity.
They are an important part of the female reproductive system as they connect to the womb and store eggs.
If you have ovarian cancer, cells in or around your ovaries start to grow abnormally which can lead to tumours.
Many symptoms of ovarian cancer are hard to recognise as they are similar to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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Others have mistakenly thought the swelling is a result of pregnancy.
Things to look out for include:
- A swollen stomach
- Feeling bloated constantly
- Needing to urinate frequently
- Discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area
- Feeling full quickly when eating
