A 26-year-old woman who had been complaining for several months of severe pelvic pain without being listened to by her doctors, finally discovered that she had ovarian cancer.
- Keesha Walden began experiencing shooting pains on her left side in early 2023, at the age of 26.
- Her doctor assured her that she did not have any serious illness. He then recommended that she pay attention to her diet and exercise.
- In reality, she had a rare ovarian cancer, quite advanced. She had to have a total hysterectomy and do chemotherapy.
British woman Keesha Walden was diagnosed with ovarian cancer despite being told by her doctors that her pelvic pain was “part of being a woman”. She opened up about her difficult medical journey in the pages of Daily Mail.
Pelvic pain and cancer: “I was told to watch what I eat”
For Keesha, 26, it all started in early 2023 with stabbing pains on her left side. They gradually spread throughout her lower abdomen. Faced with this excruciating pain and irregular periods, she decided to consult her GP in March.
“I was told all my tests were good and I was healthy, even though the GP never saw me face to face. I was told to watch what I eat and exercise, as my BMI was perfect, but the waistline was very large”the young woman confided to the British daily.
Concerned about her symptoms, the patient raised the possibility of cancer. “I was told I was ‘too young’ to have a serious illness, especially when it was ovarian cancer”she remembers. “My concerns were brushed aside and I was reassured that my symptoms were probably nothing to worry about because of my age. This assumption led to a significant delay.”
It was only last September, when her symptoms worsened, that the British woman was sent to an emergency gynaecologist. A cyst was discovered on one of her ovaries. An operation was scheduled a month later to remove the mass. The tumour was then 26 cm, the size of a rugby ball. But above all… the tests revealed that the lump was cancerous.
Mucinous adenocarcinoma: “A hysterectomy was my only option for survival”
During a follow-up exam in February 2024, doctors discovered that her malignant tumor, specifically mucinous adenocarcinoma (a rare ovarian cancer), had spread. Additionally, a new mass was found in her pelvis and abnormal tissue on her lung. “Due to the delay in diagnosis, I was informed that a hysterectomy was my only option for survival and that they suspected the cancer was actually stage three or even stage four.”Keesha remembers.
During the operation, doctors removed both ovaries, both fallopian tubes, the uterus, the cervix, as well as 26 lymph nodes, the appendix and the omentum (fold of the peritoneum, which floats in front of the small intestine).
The young woman is currently undergoing chemotherapy, the last cycle of which she hopes will be on September 6. She also admits that she has a lot of difficulty projecting herself. “At 27, most people are focused on building their lives, buying a house, settling down and starting a family. Unfortunately, all of that has been taken away from me. My new reality is finding peace with the unknown.”
“The physical changes that came with the treatment, the hair loss, the weight fluctuations, the visible consequences on my body and the large scars were difficult to accept”she acknowledges.
Delayed diagnosis: we must not give up on getting answers
In addition to the late diagnosis, Keesha Walden deplores the attitude of doctors towards her situation. “One of the most discouraging instances of gaslighting I have experienced was when I asked my doctor what the five-year survival rate was. She condescendingly replied, ‘They’re just numbers,’ as if my concerns were irrelevant or stupid.”
“When I pressed for more information, she vaguely assured me that she was “pretty confident” that I would be released in five years, but offered no further details. Her inability to provide a concrete answer, combined with her dismissive attitude, made me feel stupid for even asking the question.”
If the young woman is speaking out in the press today, it is to encourage people to seek answers from doctors and not to give up on getting a diagnosis if they have symptoms that worry them.
Woman, 27, told pelvic pain was just ‘part of being a woman’…in fact it was a giant ovarian cancer that’s spread to her lungs https://t.co/4NPCKl94HG pic.twitter.com/tnPOl092Rf
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 27, 2024