Rachel What cancer were you diagnosed with? ovarian cancer What age were you diagnosed? 19 Rachel's Story I was diagnosed at the end of my first year of uni after doctors mistakenly suggested I was stressed, had pulled a muscle or had an STI after my stomach bloated so much that I looked 8 months pregnant. After spending the summer recovering from pretty major abdominal surgery to remove my ovaries and fallopian tubes, I returned to university thinking I was cured. However, after noticing that something was again growing on what remained of my left ovary, my doctors decided to operate again in December 2015 and this time found that cancer had spread to my diaphragm, bowel, lymph nodes and peritoneum. They removed as much as possible but could not clear it out completely. They diagnosed me with low-grade ovarian cancer, which is a slower growing form of the disease but one which doesn't respond to traditional chemotherapy particularly well. So as it stands, I have a big decision to make about it and how I manage my cancer. Manage Cookie Preferences