A DOCTOR was given a devastating terminal cancer diagnosis after her symptoms were mistaken for a bladder infection.
Dr Nadia Chaudhri, a neuroscientist in Canada, is urging others not to “dismiss their pain” or put off seeing their GP.
2
She herself had assumed her extreme tiredness was just a result of the Covid pandemic, despite also suffering bloating and pain in her stomach.
However, the 43-year old mother-of-1 would soon receive a devastating diagnosis for ovarian carcinoma.
Ovarian cancer, one of five gynaecological types of cancer, is more common in women older than 50.
Bloating, IBS-like symptoms, frequent need to urinate more frequently, and discomfort in the stomach and pelvic areas are some of the main symptoms.
Dr Chaudhri has been sharing her journey with the disease via Twitter and gained more than 100,000 followers.
In a viral tweet published Monday, the brave doctor explained how the warning signs of her cancer had been missed.
She wrote: “In January 2020 I started feeling unwell. I was tired, had vague abdominal pain, severe lower back pain & a mild increase in frequency to urinate.
“I was treated with antibiotics for a UTI even though I did not have classic UTI symptoms (high bacterial load, burning pee, big increase in urge to pee).”
Dr Chaudhri was able to see fluid in her abdomen. It could also have been a ruptured or enlarged ovary.
Three months later, doctors decided to continue the follow-up.
Dr Chaudhri was still suffering from symptoms, so doctors recommended antibiotics for her twice more.
By March, she said “my abdomen was bloated and I was in moderate pain” and “my bowel movements had changed too so I kept taking stool softeners”.
“I couldn’t see my doctor because of the pandemic,” Dr Chaudhri stated.
“I was incredibly tired but I chalked it up to the pandemic… I thought it was the antibiotics.”
Dr Chaudhri was referred to an ultrasound that showed her ovaries were growing and moving in May. It was believed she had endometriosis.
Endometriosis refers to a condition in which womb tissue can grow in other areas of the body. In advanced stages, scar tissue can form that can connect organs together.
Looking for answers
But concerned, Dr Chaudhri showed her scan results to her uncle, a gynaecologist, who told her to get a blood test to rule out cancer.
The test found cancer markers including CA 125.
Dr Chaudhri said: “My CA 125 came back at 925. The normal level is 0-35.”
After turning to a specialist, Dr Chaudhri had another ultrasound, CT scan and a laparotomy (a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity), which revealed advanced ovarian cancer.
Symptoms and facts of ovarian cancer
Target Ovarian Cancer says if you regularly experience one or more of the symptoms below, which is not normal for you, see your GP.
The main symptoms of ovarian cancer:
- Persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes
- Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
- Pelvic or abdominal pain (that’s your tummy and below)
- Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)
Occasionally there are other symptoms:
- Changes in bowel habit (eg diarrhoea or constipation)
- Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
- Unexplained weight loss
- Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP
Symptoms of ovarian cancer are new, frequent (more than 12 times in a month) and persistent.
FACTS ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER
Each year 7,400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK, and 4,182 die from the disease, making it the sixth most common cause of cancer death in women.
The risk of developing ovarian cancer is higher in women over 50. Most cases are found in women who have gone through menopause.
Around 15% of cases can be attributed to genetics.
Some risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing ovarian cancer include obesity, smoking, endometriosis, and being overweight.
If diagnosed early (stage 1) 95 percent of women will survive for at least five years.
Stage 3 and 4 will see a reduction of 25% and 15% respectively.
2
“They removed all of the visible disease in a four hour surgery [in June]”, Dr Chaudhri said, adding she started chemotherapy in December.
Over the next few months her condition worsened and Dr Chaudhri needed to be removed from the clinical trial. Other treatments that worked initially had stopped working.
In spring 2021, Dr Chaudhri learned that her cancer was terminal.
She had to tell her son, who was just a year old, that her cancer would soon end.
In a viral tweet in May 2021, she said: “Today Is the day I tell my son that I’m dying from cancer. It’s reached a point where he has to hear it from me.
“Let all my tears flow now so that I can be brave this afternoon. Let me howl with grief now so that I can comfort him.”
Dr Chaudhri now receives palliative care. From her hospital bed, she warned others: “I hope you found this thread helpful. Take care of yourself.
“Look out for changes in your bowel/urinary system movements and fatigue. You must understand every word in a medical report.
“Do not dismiss your pain or malaise. Find the expert doctors.”
She said although she has endured the “most frightening time” of her life, she has “never felt so much love”, adding: “I am not afraid.”
Dr Chaudhri is raising money for a fund to support underrepresented science students. You can donate on GoFundMe here.
We pay for your stories!
Are you a Central Recorder reporter?