‘You know your body better than anyone else – speak up if you are worried’

A mum whose back pain and bloating was initially dismissed as a pelvic prolapse was stunned to discover she had ovarian cancer.

Michelle Owens thought she had injured her back running, and decided to seek advice after the pain didn’t ease for several days and she noticed bloating in her stomach.

She was told it was a prolapse, and advised to do pelvic floor exercises, and to stop running, but decided to seek a second opinion.

Michelle, 64, who lives in Wingham Well, near Canterbury, said: “I was upset at the thought of not being able to run, but actually the diagnosis I came away with was much worse.

“I had a 14cm mass in my abdomen, which after scans and biopsies was confirmed as ovarian cancer.

“It was classified as stage 1a, which was good news, but it was an aggressive cancer so I needed chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove it.

“I feel very lucky to have caught it in time, but it was terrifying to be given the news it was cancer. I wasn’t expecting it at all.”

The mum of three, who also has three stepchildren, had surgery in November and started chemotherapy in February. She has so far had three rounds, with three more to go.

She said: “It is not as awful as I thought it was going to be; I do feel quite nauseous but there are breaks in between.

“It has been a dreadful chapter in our lives but I am praying everything will go smoothly as my daughter in Australia is expecting her first baby this summer and I am determined to get over there as soon as I can.

“I have had great care from the hospital teams at QEQM and K&C, and I don’t think I would fault anything since I got into the system.

“The gynaecological unit in Birchington ward at QEQM was like a lifeline to me, and I feel very looked after by the team on the Cathedral Day Unit at K&C and my medical team Dr Waters and Miss Kokka.”

Michelle is sharing her story for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and wants to encourage others to be aware of the symptoms and speak up if something doesn’t feel right.

She said: “Many women are diagnosed at a much later stage, and if I had waited, I am not quite sure what would have happened.

“You know your body better than anyone else, and if it doesn’t feel right then you need to say so – it is your life that is at risk.

“The symptoms might be subtle but if you know there is something wrong then act on it.”

You can read more about the symptoms of ovarian cancer at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cancer/