A yoga enthusiast who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer has told of her horror after mistakenly believing her agonising back pain was caused by tight hips.
Alex Macgillivray, from Wrexham, Wales, took up the flexible hobby in January in an attempt to relieve pressure on his back.
But by June it had intensified and she began experiencing constant bloating and constipation that made her “look pregnant.”
It was only after visiting her GP, who referred her to hospital thinking it was appendicitis, that tests showed she had two ovarian tumours measuring 12cm and 8cm – about the size of grapefruits.
But by June it had intensified and she began experiencing constant bloating and constipation that made her “look pregnant.”
Now the 26-year-old bride-to-be is undergoing gruelling chemotherapy to remove the tumours in the hope of preserving her ovaries and fertility.
Recalling her ordeal, Ms Macgillivray said: ‘I always knew I had tight hips and that’s why my lower back hurt.
‘I had a pain in my lower back, and then all of a sudden I had a sharp pain in my lower groin on my right side.
‘When I got to June I started to feel severe bloating, which is very unusual for me. My stomach was distended and I looked and felt pregnant.
‘Everyone was like, ‘Oh, I have bloating, it could be irritable bowel syndrome,’ but I was like, ‘No, it’s really weird.’
‘I was also constipated, which never happens to me.
It was only after visiting her GP, who referred her to hospital thinking it was appendicitis, that tests showed she had two ovarian tumours measuring 12cm and 8cm – about the size of grapefruits. Pictured: Alex with her fiancé James Ingleby-Jones
Ovarian cancer is a rare form of the disease that develops in the ovaries, the female organs that produce eggs. It is often called the “silent killer” because symptoms do not appear until the later stages of the disease.
‘I hadn’t changed anything about what I normally eat, including Sunday dinners at the pub, so on the second day of being constipated I went to the doctor.’
Tests, including CT scans and ultrasound scans, carried out at Wrexham Maelor Hospital subsequently discovered two giant ovarian germ cell tumours, measuring 12cm x 13cm and 7cm x 8cm.
Germ cell tumors, a rare type of ovarian cancer, are most common among women under age 30.
They develop from germ cells, which create human eggs. Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the UK.
The disease kills about 11 women every day in Britain, on average, or 4,000 a year.
It also kills three times as many women in the United States each year, figures show.
The disease is often diagnosed late because symptoms are vague and may include indigestion, pelvic or abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation and the need to urinate more frequently.
Alex Macgillivray, from Wrexham in Wales, took up the flexible hobby in January in an attempt to relieve pressure on his back.
About 93 percent of women diagnosed live five years or more if detected at the earliest stage, compared with just 13 percent diagnosed at stage four.
About one-fifth of women with cancer are also diagnosed in emergency rooms, often when it is too late for any treatment.
Before starting chemotherapy treatment, Ms Macgillivray, who is engaged to 27-year-old recruiter James Ingleby-Jones, shaved her head last month. The Robin Cancer Trust.
She donated 14 inches of her blonde locks to the Little Princess Trust.
She said: ‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, from the joy of getting engaged to the heartbreak of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
‘Fair enough for them (hospital staff), they did all the tests and found it, they didn’t just send me home with laxatives.
‘James proposed to me after my exploratory surgery, I had it all planned out before I got sick, I had no idea it would happen.
‘It’s been something I’m really looking forward to and a light at the end of the tunnel.
Now, Ms Macgillivray is urging anyone experiencing unusual symptoms to get them checked out immediately.
‘The hope is that chemotherapy will remove it without the need for surgery.
“The type of cancer I have is extremely rare in women, it’s more common in men with testicular cancer. If you’re going to get it, you usually get it before you’re 30.”
Now, Ms Macgillivray is urging anyone experiencing unusual symptoms to get them checked out immediately.
She added: ‘Bloating and changes in toilet habits could be related to monthly cycles, but I would tell anyone who has anything unusual to get checked out.
‘I’ve been lucky, I have the ‘best’ ovarian cancer you can have, as it is usually silent and people are not diagnosed until later.
“But I would insist that as soon as you experience any unusual symptoms, you get checked out.”
