Friday, 28 February 2025
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Kerri Kidd Patient Story
While holidaying in Ireland in mid 2023 I had an episode of sudden onset right flank pain and some lower back pain. Being a professional cleaner for many years, I was no stranger to musculoskeletal aches and pains; particularly back pain. I dismissed this as a garden variety musculoskeletal issue and continued my holiday. Over the coming weeks and months the symptoms seemed manageable and I continued to work, all the while attributing the back discomfort to the manual nature of my job.
In November 2023, shortly before my 57th birthday, I noticed a discomfort in my right lower abdomen/pelvic region. I felt around the area and discovered a palpable prominence in the region of discomfort. At the time I was on the phone to my daughter who is a sonographer in a town approximately four hours drive from where I live in Burrum Heads.
I will be forever grateful for having a sonographer daughter who advocated for me and was honest from the start with the findings.
I mentioned the prominent ‘lump’ and told her I had been experiencing some intermittent flank pain on the same side. My daughter advised that I should speak to my GP and request a CT abdo scan and pelvic ultrasound. My GP agreed that the symptoms warranted these scans and I was booked for the CT scan within a few days. The regional clinic was experiencing hefty delays with ultrasound, due to a shortage of sonographers, and so the ultrasound was booked for the following fortnight.
The day after my CT, my GP called for an urgent appointment. At this appointment I was told the CT had shown an approximately 1kg right pelvic solid mass requiring an urgent ultrasound, with a moderate volume of free fluid in my abdomen. It was also noted that the mass was causing compression of my right ureter, causing fluid accumulation in my right kidney. This explained the right flank pain. My GP called the Radiology clinic, and I was triaged as an urgent patient and received my ultrasound within two days.
The sonographer was lovely and explained to me that I did have a pelvic mass and she would try to ascertain whether it was ovarian or uterine in origin. The report went back to my GP the same day. At the follow-up appointment I was told my blood cancer markers were approximately 10 times the normal range and the mass was concerning for ovarian cancer. I had no family history of any cancer. I had never been sick.
I was referred to a gynaecologist and awaited an appointment. I was told that due to regional specialist staff shortages the next available appointment was in February - nearly a two month wait!
I’m grateful for having a sonographer daughter. She was honest and told me that based on the reports of the CT and ultrasound it was likely ovarian cancer but would need to be confirmed with histology. She asked a radiologist at her workplace for advice, and she agreed that February seemed absurd. She recommended a brilliant gynaecologist/oncologist in Brisbane and I called my GP to forward a referral.
The clinic was brilliant. The staff called the same day and informed me that the doctor had received my referral and he needed me to drive the four hours to Brisbane for an urgent appointment the following day. The ball was rolling!
The doctor was incredible. I was booked for exploratory surgery three days later. Following this surgery, it was decided the best course of action was a radical hysterectomy including removal of ovaries and tubes, omentectomy (removal of the fatty layer around organs), appendectomy (appendix removal), excision of several abdominal lymph nodes and drainage of the abdominal fluid. I was booked for the second surgery five days after the first.
Recovery went as well as it could, and I was officially diagnosed with endometrioid type ovarian cancer the day before my 57th birthday. Prognosis was uncertain. The birthday and Christmas sucked. I underwent six rounds of chemotherapy over the following four months. The birth of my first grandchild gave me motivation to maintain a positive mindset and look after myself through treatment. In May 2024 I was told that the treatment had been successful. Cancer free, but with close long term monitoring.
My six month follow up appointment went well, and my 58th birthday was a much happier one. Christmas with family and a clean bill of health signalled a new beginning. I will be forever grateful for having a sonographer daughter who advocated for me and was honest from the start with the findings. She was able to mentally prepare me prior to the appointments, without worrying me unnecessarily.
I am so grateful to the medical team and doctors for their professional handling of my case. I encourage everyone to advocate for themselves. If something isn’t right, seek medical investigation. If there are long waits, seek a second opinion or an appointment at a different clinic. Drive four hours. Do what you need to do to advocate for your health and your life. We only get one.