‘It’s vital that ovarian cancer is detected early’

A TYRONE nurse has this week warned of the vital importance of detecting ovarian cancer at the earliest opportunity.

Michelle Gallagher, a Gynae Oncology nurse specialist from Clady, was speaking out as part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, in a bid to to help raise awareness of symptoms, statistics and stories.

With only three in ten women living beyond a decade following their diagnosis, Ovarian Cancer Awareness month is vital in making progress to reach a vision of ovarian cancer being survivable for all women.

This week Michelle shared both her personal journey in the profession as well as offering essential advice to anyone who may be facing a diagnosis of ovarian cancer or who may have any concerns.

“Having worked in Altnagelvin for almost 20 years, I am also currently studying a two year specialist practice course at Queens in Belfast in Oncology,” she explained.

“Finding out you have cancer is very difficult, so it’s rewarding to be there to support patients, answer their questions and advocate for them.

“You are on the journey with them as their key worker, offering support regarding their emotional, psychological and physical needs and social well-being.”

SYMPTOMS

Symptoms can include persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, changes in urinary habits, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss or gain.

Michelle advises anyone who has experienced any of these symptoms for more than three weeks to visit their GP.

“Sometimes, symptoms aren’t easy to recognise,” she continued.

“It’s easy to mistake symptoms for something like IBS, so if anyone has any concerns I would recommend they book and appointment with their GP who can carry out blood tests and refer them for a scan if required.”

When asked what sort of message she would send to someone who may have recently been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and are perhaps feeling somewhat lost or confused, or struggling to come to terms with it, Michelle said, “You can always ask for help. There is always somebody out there.

“In this job, I just love helping people through their journey and offering them reassurance.

“People can be so grateful to have somebody to speak to who can support them through their toughest times and that is definitely one of the most rewarding aspects of the job.”

Michelle also remarked that a big part of the role is identifying any additional support that patients may require, whether it’s with benefits, counselling, money worries or concerns about their loved ones.

“Additional support involves a wide range of things,” she explained.

“It’s our role to help patients no matter how big or small their concern may be.”