Lives in Margate Age 39
Social Prescriber for the NHS
On the beach with her dog
With her dog in the park where they walk
I was in severe pain, things weren’t how they were supposed to be, and I went to the GP and felt ignored. I was ringing every month about the same problem. My first appointment was in February, and by July I only ended up inA& E because I rang the hospital in London, and the nurse there said ‘You need to go toA& E’. Eventually I was diagnosed and treated for stage 3 terminal cancer.
The radio therapy and the chemo have caused me to go into premature ovarian failure. I was told it would happen, but I wasn’t told that it would happen instantly. I found that really hard – trying to recover from all the treatment, and experiencing the symptoms such as hot flushes, insomnia, and extreme night sweats. I panicked, thinking it was a fever, and I was sick. I didn’t want to go back to the hospital. We were trying to get pregnant just before the diagnosis, and now I won’t be able to have children naturally. I still thought I had plenty of time. I’ve been offered to discuss options eg HRT, but I’m worried about the potential cancer risks, I don’t want to go through that experience again.
Now I know what I’m going through, I don’t have it to come later on, and the not having to worry about my period, because I don’t have them anymore. When I had the tumour periods were extremely painful. Because I’m going through it first, I’ll be able to help my social group of friends when they go through. I’m looking into alternative therapies – like diet, cold water swimming, reflexology, and acupuncture.