My GP.

A mother “felt that they had shot him” when the results of the private scanns that cost £ 1,500 revealed the true cause of his “SII.”

Natalie Pearce, 52, teacher of LEEDSInitially I was not too worried when you noticed some swelling That made their pants “feel tight.”

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She was young, in a healthy form, and her husband David, 56, who works in the medical profession, was reassuring.

“It was 2012, and I had just turned 40,” Natalie recalls.

“I began to have strange swelling symptoms. My pants would feel tight one day, and the next day it wouldn’t be so bad.

“I also started not feeling hungry, and Feel full after eating Something small.

“It was a strange symptom because I had never had it before and I hadn’t changed my diet, but initially it didn’t scare me.”

When the strange sensations continued after a few weeks, Natalie looked for her symptoms on Google and began to worry.

She had also noticed new pain in your stomach When she slept from side.

Natalie and her husband decided that they would go to the header but would not find answers.

“I knew that my symptoms were a bit vague, but I was convinced that something was not right,” he explains.

A place in his practice of GP dismissed Natalie, saying that “he had probably had SII“And that some changes in your diet should make.

However, Natalie begged her to send her for a scan, saying that she could feel that something was wrong, and reluctantly agreed, although she wrote “null symptoms” in the reference.

“I was so upset,” Natalie recalls. “I thought, ‘I know that my symptoms are vague, but they are nothing.'”

At this point, convinced that something was terribly bad, Natalie could not stand waiting for months for a scan, so he retired from £ 1,500 to have private tests, including a magnetic resonance, a computerized tomography and some biopsies.

It was then that it was told to Natalie that in fact he had stage 3c ovarian cancer.

We all take too much with our lives and we don’t get first. It is so important to trust your instincts

Natalie Pearce

“When the doctor said: ‘I’m very sorry to tell you that it’s ovarian cancer,’ I felt that they had shot me,” says Natalie.

“I had convinced myself that ovarian cancer It was something that older people obtained.

“My children were only 10 and 12 years old and I was terrified of not seeing them grow.

“He had no family history of cancer. I have always been thin, healthy and not smoker. I was in complete shock.

“I had convinced me that it was going to be some harmless cysts.

“My heart stopped. I couldn’t believe this was so serious, after these symptomsThey were annoying and uncomfortable, but they didn’t seem so sinister. “

Ovarian cancer In general, it affects older women, with 28 percent of women diagnosed in the United Kingdom 75 years or more.

But Natalie was one of the 700 women per year diagnosed at age 40.

In total, there are more than 7,500 cases per year.

Important OPS to eliminate the uterus and breasts

“I look back and think: ‘If I had waited a month or so for that first scan, I don’t know if I would still be here because I had those tests so fast that they made a difference,” says Natalie.

“Most people know nothing about ovarian cancer: it is not in their radar.

“We all know the Breast cancer symptoms And to verify our breasts, but we can pass so many of the symptoms of ovarian cancer blaming the SII or our diets. “

Natalie’s doctor encouraged her to perform genetic tests, and it was soon discovered that she, along with other members of her family, had the BRCA1 mutationwhich increases the possibility of certain cancers, including mother and ovarian cancer.

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As Jewish Ashkenazi, Natalie is more likely to carry the mutation of the BRC gene that increases the risk of ovarian cancer of a person.

Natalie says: “In a strange way, it was a great relief to find out about the BRCA gene, because I had thought:” Why have I had cancer? It is so unfair. ‘

“But in reality, having that defective gene made a lot of sense and explained why he had achieved it at such an early age.”

Natalie had a great mass in each ovary and cancer had spread to her abdomen.

After chemotherapyShe had a complete hysterectomy To remove the uterus or matrix, which brought early menopause.

He then participated in a clinical trial during the last three rounds of chemotherapy.

Natalie says that it is naturally an anxious concern, but adds: “After that diagnosis, I thought: ‘I have to deal with this. I need to be the type of person who fights this and puts a brave face.’

“A positive attitude is very important. It wasn’t the original self, but it really helped. “

‘Psychological torture’

Even after treatment and surgery ended, and Natalie was declared cancer-It was in April 2013, difficult times were not over.

She had a preventive double mastectomy And breast reconstruction in October 2014 because its risk of breast cancer is greater, due to its genes.

Both breasts were removed, followed by surgery to create a new breast tissue (either using implants or other body tissue).

Natalie says: “When I faced my defective gene, I thought it was incredible.

“Knowledge is power and allows it to take preventive measures, and Try the rest of your family.

“Finishing the treatment was actually one of the most difficult moments, because you are so relieved that you have finished, but it is very scary to think:” What follows? “

“You are absolutely terrified to return. The possibility of a recurrence is so high.

“It was like psychological torture.”

They spent only years after being diagnosed that Natalie realized that her chances of surviving beyond five years were quite scarce. 12 years have passed since their diagnosis.

In their stage, 3C, 30 percent will survive their cancer for five years or more after they are diagnosed, according to United Kingdom Cancer Research.

Then Natalie recommends that others take their symptoms seriously.

“We all take too much with our lives and we don’t get first,” she says. “It is very important to trust their instincts.

“I couldn’t believe how serious it was after just a couple of months of symptoms.

“Your mind can make you tricks and convince you that you are making a scandal for nothing.

“We try to convince ourselves that things are not serious, which is human nature. But if you have an unusual symptom, keep a newspaper.

“We know our own bodies: you know if something is different and not normal.

“Do the tests and do not take for an answer because it can quickly become very serious.

“If you catch early cancer, you have many more chances of being treatable.”

For more information about the history of Natalie and the work of the Cancer Research InstituteClick here.

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