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Faith that future can beat ovarian cancer
OVARIAN cancer kills 12 women every day in the UK - more than the number of people who die in road accidents.
Each year, 6.800 women are diagnosed with the disease and if not caught early, many of those will not survive.
Yet there is no national screening in place. March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and one High Peak woman who has been fighting the disease for four years is keen to raise awareness of the disease and the symptoms to look for.
FAITH Gunter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer four years ago. Naturally, it was a devastating blow to the 62-year-old from Chinley and her family.
But Faith is keen to use her experiences to help other people and is passionate about raising awareness of the symptoms of the disease to try and prevent other women from having to go through the same dreadful ordeal.
She explained: "I went to the doctor because my stomach was swollen. He said he it could have been Irritable Bowel Syndrome but I just had the feeling it wasn't. Later on, I did have one of the other symptoms which was feeling full very quickly. Then I felt progressively more tired and went back to see a female doctor. She said it could be bowel cancer but I felt the problem was more gynaecological. I was then sent for a scan. Five days later I was rushed into Stepping Hill Hospital where I was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer."
After being diagnosed, Faith underwent chemotherapy and was put into remission, but the cancer has returned a number of times.
She added: "I've been battling it now for four years. The chemo is not pleasant but when I am not on treatment I just try to live life to the full.
"I think you've got to be proactive. I'll just keep fighting it in the hope one day that there will be a cure.
"I'm passionate about making people aware. It is not just middle aged women who are affected. Younger women can get it too. My advice would be if you have any of the symptoms and they are persistent, go and see your doctor and get it checked out as soon as possible. There may well be nothing wrong and I don't want to panic anyone but being forewarned is forearmed.
"There is no national screening for ovarian cancer so awareness is vital. There is a blood test called the CA125 which can detect ovarian cancer but it is not foolproof. If the blood marker is raised you can then have a scan to see if the disease is present. If caught early enough, something can be done about it and save so many lives.
"I feel passionately that routine CA125 tests should be as available as mammograms and cervical smear tests. It would save the NHS so much money in the end.
"It has been an amazing journey for me because I have met so many incredible people and we have been stunned by the love and support we have had from family and friends from all over the world and the church community of Chinley, Buxworth and Hayfield.
"A special commendation must go to Blythe House Hospice in Chapel-en-le-Frith which has been a real lifeline and celebrates its 21st birthday this year. We give grateful thanks to them all.
"Living with this cancer has been a rollercoaster of a ride but I have not given up hope."
To find out more about Ovarian Cancer, visit www.targetovarian.org.uk.
Fact file
*6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK each year
*Tragically, 12 women die every day from Ovarian cancer - more than the number of people who die in road accidents.
*Ovarian cancer is more common than cervical cancer with double the number of cases diagnosed in the Uk every year
*There is no national screening for ovarian cancer so awareness is vital. Cervical screening tests do not detect ovarian cancer.
* Survival can be 90 per cent for women diagnosed with early ovarian cancer
* Symptoms are similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Symptoms
Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer are frequent - they happen on most days; persistent - they don't go away and new - they are not normal for you and may have started in the last 12 months. Common symptoms are:
*Persistent pelvic or abdominal pain
*Increased abdominal size
*Persistent bloating
*Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
Other symptoms can include:
*Urinary symptoms- needing to pass water more often or more urgently
* Changes in bowel habit
*Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
* Back pain.
If you regularly experience any of these symptoms, you should get yourself checked out by your GP.
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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