A young mother in the U.K. is sharing her heartbreaking story to raise awareness after being misdiagnosed with a stomach infection and told she was too young for ovarian cancer—only to later be diagnosed with stage 4. Now, she urges women not to ignore symptoms like bloating, which she initially mistook for a sign of her period.
The 28-year-old mother from Leeds, Sophie Casey started experiencing severe bloating in September which made her look like she was nine months pregnant. “The doctor said it was an infection in my stomach. The antibiotics didn’t agree with me and I was vomiting. I’d never had that before,” Casey said, as reported by Yorkshire Live.
After countless visits to the emergency department, Casey’s health continued to worsen, but it wasn’t until a month later that she received the devastating news. Doctors discovered a mass in her ovary from stage 4B ovarian cancer. Now, as Casey undergoes chemotherapy, she waits for answers, with her life expectancy to be determined after her final session on December 27.
Casey has had 16 liters of fluid drained from her stomach due to the buildup caused by the cancer. The mass in her ovary has been pressing against her bowel, putting her at risk of a bowel obstruction. As a result, doctors have placed her on high alert for possible surgery, which could include the need for a stoma bag, a device that helps with waste elimination if the bowel cannot function properly.
Meanwhile, Casey is determined to raise awareness about often-overlooked symptoms and the misconception that young women can’t develop ovarian cancer.
“You have to know your body and know your cycle,” she said. “If you do have symptoms, don’t be scared to ask for a CA125 marker, blood tests, and checks. As scary as it is, the sooner you do it, the better. Don’t let doctors dismiss you by saying you’re too young.”
Signs of ovarian cancer can include abdominal bloating, feeling full quickly when eating, weight loss, pelvic discomfort, fatigue, back pain, changes in bowel habits (like constipation), and a frequent need to urinate.
“I just want to get awareness out there to younger people who don’t know about these things. Ovarian cancer is linked with breast cancer and if you go and ask about that as a young woman it’s not taken seriously…My doctor said to me that it’s ‘not common in women your age’ and I said, ‘That’s the problem, that’s what I want to change,” Casey added.
