A DOCTOR was given a devastating terminal cancer diagnosis after her symptoms were mistaken for a bladder infection.
Dr Nadia Chaudhri, a neuroscientist in Canada, is urging others not to “dismiss their pain” or put off seeing their GP.
She herself had assumed her extreme tiredness was just a result of the Covid pandemic, despite also suffering bloating and pain in her stomach.
But the mum-of-one, 43, would soon receive a devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
One of the five gynaecological cancers, ovarian cancer is more typically seen in women over 50 years old.
Its main symptoms – often confused for conditions like IBS – are bloating, a swollen tummy, feeling full quickly, needing to wee more often and discomfort in the tummy or pelvic area.
Dr Chaudhri has been documenting her journey through the disease on Twitter, gaining more than 100,000 followers moved by her story.
In a viral tweet published Monday, the brave doctor explained how the warning signs of her cancer had been missed.
She wrote: “In January 2020 I started feeling unwell. I was tired, had vague abdominal pain, severe lower back pain & a mild increase in frequency to urinate.
“I was treated with antibiotics for a UTI even though I did not have classic UTI symptoms (high bacterial load, burning pee, big increase in urge to pee).”
Dr Chaudhri had an ultrasound that showed fluid in her abdomen, and possibly a ruptured ovary.
But medics decided to follow-up three months later.
Dr Chaudhri’s symptoms persisted and doctors prescribed antibiotics twice more.
By March, she said “my abdomen was bloated and I was in moderate pain” and “my bowel movements had changed too so I kept taking stool softeners”.
“I couldn’t see my doctor because of the pandemic,” Dr Chaudhri said.
“I was incredibly tired but I chalked it up to the pandemic… I thought it was the antibiotics.”
In May, Dr Chaudhri had another ultrasound showing her ovaries were enlarged and had moved, which was assumed to be caused by endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a condition where womb tissue grows in other parts of the body, and in advanced stages, can cause bands of scar tissue that can join organs together.
Looking for answers
But concerned, Dr Chaudhri showed her scan results to her uncle, a gynaecologist, who told her to get a blood test to rule out cancer.
The test looked for cancer markers, including CA 125.
Dr Chaudhri said: “My CA 125 came back at 925. The normal level is 0-35.”
After turning to a specialist, Dr Chaudhri had another ultrasound, CT scan and a laparotomy (a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity), which revealed advanced ovarian cancer.
