‘A tumour the size of a football saved my life’

A mum-of-three who was diagnosed with a rare cancer has urged other women not to dismiss their symptoms.

When Lisa Carroll, 47, from Coventry, returned from a family holiday in August 2021, she thought she was suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a kidney infection or something minor.

Instead, she was told it was mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC), one of the rarest forms of ovarian cancer in the UK.

“I thought I had possibly a bit of IBS or a kidney problem or something like that. I was in quite a lot of pain,” she said.

After calling NHS 111, Carroll was sent to hospital in Coventry where medics discovered a 12cm cyst on her right ovary.

She was told it did not appear particularly sinister and was placed on a waiting list for surgery.

“Within a month, a cyst the size of a fist had grown to the point that I could feel it like a football in my stomach. Pain and discomfort got worse and I felt shattered emotionally and physically”, she said.

By December, scans revealed the tumour had grown to 20cm and was beginning to rupture, so three days later she underwent an emergency procedure to remove the tumour, a fallopian tube, her appendix and surrounding tissue.

Two weeks later, doctors gave her the diagnosis.

The cancer is exceptionally rare, with only around 200 cases diagnosed annually in the UK, said Ovacome, an ovarian cancer charity.

“Some ovarian cancers are really sneaky, hang around for years and you’ve got no sign of any symptoms at all”, said Carroll, who works as the CEO of Lifespace Trust, a Warwickshire-based charity for young people.

“The fact that mine grew so quickly was what alerted them as early as they did.”

Yet despite losing her hair and enduring months of treatment, she says the biggest challenge was something she had not been prepared for.

“I got chucked into early menopause and that was the bit I massively struggled with. I didn’t know what was depression and what was menopause.”

“I didn’t know what was a cancer symptom and what was a menopause symptom. I couldn’t open the washing machine, the dishwasher or the oven. I couldn’t cook anything on the hob because I’d just have this awful hot flush. I was forgetting words. I was incredibly emotional.”

Today, Carroll is cancer-free and approaching the five-year milestone that will see her formally discharged from oncology care.

“I do not underestimate how fortunate I am that my long-term outlook is a lot brighter than for many,” she said. “That brings with it a kind of survivor’s guilt.”

She has since became involved with Ovacome, which connected her with others facing the same fears.

“They became my safe space,” she said. “They helped me to connect with other people who understood what I was going through. They made an incredibly scary and isolating time feel far more manageable.”

Now preparing to take part in the charity’s annual fundraising walk, Carroll hopes sharing her story will encourage others to trust their instincts and seek help when something feels wrong.

The fundraising walk takes place at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham on Saturday.

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