When you are experiencing subtle symptoms, it can be difficult to assess them as something important enough to tell your doctor.
Although it may be silly to complain about minor discomforts, the 44-year-old neuroscientist Dr. Nadia Chaudhri, which is currently battling terminal ovarian cancer, urges everyone, but especially women, to trust their bodies and not to reject what he is “trying to tell them”.
Ovarian cancer: Fatigue, abdominal pain, back pain and increased urination may be early symptoms
In a lengthy Twitter post on September 13, Dr Chaudhri wanted to use social media to raise awareness among women about the early signs of ovarian cancer. She revealed that she started feeling unwell in January 2020. “I was tired, had vague abdominal pain, severe back pain and a mild increase in urination frequency”, wrote Dr. Chaudhri. These were finally the first signs of ovarian cancer, but she didn't know it yet.
«Pay attention to fatigue and changes in bowel or urinary tract movements. Make sure you understand all the words in the results of a medical test. Don't dismiss your pain, or sickness, as something of no value. Find the doctors» specialists".
Dr. Chaudri says you need to know your body and support yourself
Doctors speculated that Dr. Chaudhri's symptoms were related to urinary tract infection, so she was given antibiotics. An ultrasound showed fluid in her abdomen, which doctors thought might be related to rupture of the ovarian cyst at that moment.
Her symptoms returned in February and she was given different antibiotics. In March, her belly was distended and she felt moderate pain and extreme fatigue. However, he could not see a doctor because the COVID-19 pandemic had just started in the US. In April, he followed up with another round of antibiotics.
Finally, in May, another ultrasound showed that her ovaries were enlarged and displaced towards the middle of her belly. The radiologist said this could be due to endometriosis, a condition where tissue that is usually inside the uterus grows outside it. 44-year-old Dr. Chaudhri was not convinced.
After the blood tests were completed, it was clear that she had cancer. Six months after Dr. Chaudhri started showing symptoms, she was finally diagnosed with ovarian cancer.…
Dr. Chaudhri now urges everyone defend themselves and know their own body. She pointed out that there needs to be more awareness of the early symptoms of ovarian cancer, because «early diagnosis dramatically improves prognosis».
Dr. Jason Wright, chief of gynecologic oncology at Columbia University, said that because the warning signs are «very vague.», women should judge for themselves when it is worth talking to their doctor. If you notice symptoms that persist or worsen, discuss the possibility of ovarian cancer with your doctor, she said.
Ovarian cancer: Other warning signs are nausea, weight loss and feeling full
Apart from the abdominal pain, back pain, increased urination, bloating and fatigue that Dr. Chaudhri mentioned, there are some other warning signs of ovarian cancer that you should watch out for. According to Dr. Wright these include:
- gastrointestinal discomfort
- nausea
- vomiting
- feeling of completeness (as you get full very easily)
- inability to complete meals
- burning during urination
- pelvic pain
- weight loss
According to Dr. Wright, women often don't tell their doctor about these symptoms, so «in the majority of women ovarian cancer has already spread outside the ovaries by the time of diagnosis».
