Silent no more
Friday 03 February, 2012 | Sharon Sebastian
DID you know approximately 40% of women believe ovarian cancer is silent and has no symptoms? This is not true. There is no detection test but there are symptoms and we should know it.
Sadly, more than 1200 Australian women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and for about 800 women it will be too late.
Ovarian Cancer Australia chair Paula Benson is a survivor and took the time to talk to SuperLiving and discuss her personal experience with the disease and the road to recovery.
“I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 [at the age of 34-years-old],” she said.
Benson experienced symptoms associated with ovarian cancer, which included pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often and feeling full quickly, unexplained weight loss and changes to bowel habits. Symptoms other individuals might experience could be indigestion, nausea, pain on intercourse and vaginal bleeding between periods or menopause.
“I went to see my general practitioner, as my clothes were tight and I started putting on weight. I am tall and slim, eat sensibly and exercise regularly so there was no real explanation,” she said.
After her visit to her GP, Benson found herself getting an internal ultrasound done.
“The ultrasound revealed that I had a cyst on my ovary and [the medical professionals] told me that there was something inside the cyst that needed to be looked at. That very day they booked me in to see the genealogical oncologist who specialises with this type of cancer,” Benson said.
With no family history of breast or ovarian cancer, Benson did not fit any particular profile and it was assumed the tumour would be benign.
“The genealogical oncologist booked me in for surgery the following week to remove one of the ovaries and the cyst,” she said.
“When I awoke from the surgery they told me that it was cancer and they had to undertake a radical hysterectomy. Even though the cyst was on one ovary it is very common that the cancer will appear in the other, plus they also found a number of not very nice looking fibroids in my uterus and felt that it needed to be removed.”
The news of a cancer diagnosis and losing her fertility before having any children was devastating.
“It’s one of those things when it happens to you it is completely shocking ... but on the other hand I was incredibly fortunate. Even though I had a very large cyst, the cancer was still at stage 1A [an early stage], which is the best possible cancer diagnosis ... I was incredibly lucky,” she said.
On her road to recovery, one of the best things Benson found helped was talking to other individuals who were in the same situation.
“It was key to me to meet others who had been through the cancer and were recovering from the shock of it all. Also meeting this one person who was a few years ahead of me in her recovery helped, as when it happens to you, you feel vulnerable and uncertain about the future and seeing someone do well after the cancer was important to me.”
During this time, Benson’s family and friends were also supportive. “You can’t put everything on them though. They are also struggling and it is a difficult time for them as well,” she said.
“A support group environment would have to be one of the best things I ever did. We [the group] had a laugh, we had a cry and I found comfort with others who understood exactly what I was going through.”
From her experience, Benson’s advice to other women would be to know their bodies and stay vigilant. “The symptoms of ovarian cancer can be confused with other conditions but if women experience symptoms persistently for two weeks or more, they should consult a doctor.”
February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and its ambassador is Nova radio and television personality Meshel Laurie.
“One Australian woman will lose [the] battle with ovarian cancer every 11 hours,” she said.
“That’s why I’m an ambassador because I want to help get the message out there.”
Afternoon Teal is a key fundraising initiative during Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. As its ambassador, Laurie is encouraging us to host an event to raise vital funds for ovarian cancer research, as well as support programs for women with ovarian cancer and their families.
“Aussies love a good cuppa and considering almost half of us drink two to three cups of tea or coffee every day, it’s very easy for people to make their cuppa count this February,” Laurie said.
“This Ovarian Cancer Awareness month I’m urging people to get involved by hosting an Afternoon Teal at home or work to play a central role in getting the message out to women in the community about the importance of being able to recognise the most common symptoms.”
Benson will also be hosting an Afternoon Teal and is hoping to beat her record of $3000, which she raised last year.
Also showing her support for the cause is former Masterchef contestant Dani Venn. Venn has created Afternoon Teal recipes that are sure to tantalise our tastebuds.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Teal Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
Cupcakes
150g unsalted butter, room temperaturePreheat oven to 180 degrees. Prepare cupcake/muffin tin by placing cupcake patty pans into individual moulds.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Place butter in an electric mixer and mix on low-medium speed to soften slightly for about 1 minute.
Add sugar to the butter mix and continue mixing for about 1 minute or until fluffy and creamy.
Continue mixing on low-medium speed and add one egg at a time, until combined.
On low speed, add half the amount of sifted flour mix into the butter mix, then add half the amount of milk until just combined. Repeat process. It is very important not to mix the flour for too long as it will result in a tough cupcake.
Using an ice cream scoop or dessert spoon, carefully place mixture two-thirds of the way full into prepared patty pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back or if skewer is inserted it will come out clean.
Remove cupcakes from cupcake/muffin tin and allow to cool on wire rack. Do not ice cupcakes until completely cool.
To make the icing, place cream cheese in electric mixer and mix on low-medium speed to soften slightly for about 1 minute.
Continue mixing and add maple syrup and one tablespoon of icing sugar at a time until combined, then repeat process until all icing sugar has gone. Add food colouring, adjust measurements if required to achieve a teal colour.
Once cupcakes have cooled, pipe or spread icing mixture over individual cupcakes and serve.
For more information about hosting an Afternoon Teal or other events in February, visit the website.
Teal Ribbon Day is on Wednesday, February 29 and we would like to encourage everyone to show their support for the cause.
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