A woman who was trying for a baby was diagnosed with a one-in-a-million cancer when doctors found an unusual symptom while trying to help her conceive. Naomi and her husband Matt spent years trying for a baby before visitingh doctors for help.
An ultrasound scan showed a build-up of fluid on her uterus, but doctors did not know what was causing it. After multiple tests, Naomi was diagnosed with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP), an extremely rare form of cancer, with just one in a million people being diagnosed every year.
“It just felt surreal,” Naomi told the Manchester Evening News. “You might expect to get cancer at some point, but I didn’t expect to get it at 37.
“It didn’t feel like it was really happening, but I knew it was at the same time. “I didn’t even feel sick. All I had was this side pain which kept coming and going.
“I had no symptoms to indicate something was wrong. I kind of found it by accident. When I spoke to GPs about [my side pain] in the past, they thought it might be anxiety or IBS. They weren’t concerned about it.”
PMP usually starts with a tumour in the appendix, though the tumour also can be in the bowel, bladder, or ovaries. PMP may not cause any problems until the tumour grows and bursts out of the area where it started.
Naomi says tumours have so far been found on her brain and her ovaries. There are plans to remove her gall bladder, part of her stomach, part of her bowel, her appendix and her ovaries. Depending on what doctors see, parts of the liver and the spleen may also be removed.
The surgery means she will never be able to conceive children. “The main thing is to get healthy at the moment,” Naomi said.
“There are tumours on my ovaries and on my brain, they haven’t seen anything else at the moment but they think that’s why my ovaries aren’t working properly.
“But it’s gutting. I’ve wanted kids for a long time; my sister was able to have a child through IVF and she has a beautiful daughter.
“We wanted to have our own little bundle of joy. The only way that can happen now is if we have an egg donor, but we’re not thinking about that right now. It’s something we really wanted.”
It’s predicted the surgery will trigger early menopause. Naomi will have to take at least three months off work.
Her prognosis is positive. “The specialist doctor said he was positive about the outcome and about the surgery.” Naomi said. “He doesn’t seem that concerned at the moment. We just need to get the immediate risks out the way and assess anything afterwards.”
A Gofundme appeal has been set up to help Naomi and Matt. Any money raised will help the couple with travel expenses and bills during Naomi’s recovery.
