When I was 30, I was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer. These are the symptoms that people have overlooked

It has long been known as a silent cancer killer. Ovarian cancer, which affects more than 21,000 American women each year, is known for its cluster of vague, subtle symptoms such as bloating that are often overlooked.

For this reason, 80 percent of cases are not diagnosed until the disease has spread, and half do not survive for more than five years.

Now a young former patient has detailed the two puzzling signs of her tumour, which was already the size of a football when it was discovered.

TikTok influencer Dr. Amy shared her shock cancer story with her 45,000 followers to warn others about the little-known signs.

In a video posted in October, aged 30, she spoke about her confusion about the diagnosis because she had no risk factors.

“I did everything right to prevent cancer,” said Amy, who worked at a local cancer center.

“Eat well, exercise, or so I thought.” This is exactly what I will show you in this video what my symptoms were. These are things that most people miss. Sharing my story could save your life.”

When Amy was diagnosed in 2017, she was leading a “pretty average life”. She recently bought her first house with her fiance and got married three months later.

But shortly after returning from a two-week honeymoon in Italy and Greece, the first symptoms appeared.

“After two weeks of overindulging, I’ve obviously put on some weight,” says Amy, who regularly posts health tips on her popular channel.

“Nothing big, maybe five pounds or so.” I chipped it off a bit, but even weeks later it didn’t seem to go away.

“I knew my body very well,” she adds. “I eat well, I exercise.” But I didn’t lose weight. At least I arrived.’

But then came “symptom number one,” which “set alarm bells ringing.”

“I had constant heartburn,” she says. “I had constant heartburn. This has never happened to me before. I had to keep Tums in my desk drawer at the hospital because I just couldn’t survive a day without them. “My inner voice said something was wrong.”

Finally, Amy visited her family doctor, who among other things ran tests for stomach ulcers, all of which were negative. Then the doctor sent her to the hospital for an ultrasound scan.

“It was 5pm on a Friday afternoon when my doctor’s name appeared on my phone. I stood frozen at my kitchen counter,” she says. “She said, ‘You have a tumor on your ovary.’ It is 21 x 10 cm in size. I’m sorry, you have cancer.’

Amy’s symptoms of ovarian cancer first appeared weeks after she returned from a European honeymoon.

Amy was diagnosed with stage three disease, which means the cancer has spread beyond the ovary. Less than 40 percent of women diagnosed at this stage survive more than five years.

Later in the video, the doctor explains why ovarian cancer is linked to heartburn.

“The size of the tumor put pressure on my intestines and stomach,” she says. “It gave me acid reflux.” “My stomach got out of the room.”

Shortly after her diagnosis, Amy began grueling treatment. First she had to undergo a major operation to remove the tumor and her stomach was closed with 33 surgical staples.

“The operation was the easy part. Next came chemotherapy. The side effects scared me. That’s right.’ The treatment left Amy “so exhausted, nauseous” and “depressed”, but it destroyed the cancer cells.

Now, six years later, she is still cancer free. “Even with just one ovary, my husband and I were able to expand our family,” she says, talking about her two “miracle children”.

“I’m living proof that you really can put everything on one card.”

Why ovarian cancer is called the “silent killer”.

About 80 percent of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease.

By the time of diagnosis, 60 percent of ovarian cancer cases have already spread to other parts of the body, dropping the five-year survival rate to 30 percent, compared to 90 percent in the earliest stages.

She was diagnosed so late because of her location in the pelvis, Dr. Ronny Drapkin, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania who has researched the disease for more than two decades.

“The pelvis is like a bowl, so a tumor there can get quite large before it becomes really visible,” Drapkin told MailOnline.

The first symptoms that occur with ovarian cancer are gastrointestinal in nature, as tumors can spread upwards.

When a patient complains of gastrointestinal symptoms, doctors are more likely to focus on dietary changes and other causes than on early detection of ovarian cancer.

Drapkin said a patient usually only undergoes screening to detect the cancer once he or she has developed persistent digestive symptoms.

“Ovarian cancer is often said to be a silent killer because it doesn’t have early symptoms, when in fact it has symptoms that are very common and can be caused by other things,” he said.

“One of the things I tell women is that no one knows your body like you do. If you feel like something is wrong, there probably is something wrong.”