A MUM was shocked to be diagnosed with a rare cancer after suffering from extreme fatigue.
Rachael Misfud, 38, started feeling very tired and bloated in 2023.
Rachael Misfud and her doctors thought her tiredness and bloating might be down to ovarian cysts[/caption]
But an ultrasound revealed a mass on her ovary[/caption]
By the time Rachael had surgery it was revealed the lump was ovarian cancer[/caption]
They were the same symptoms she had experienced a couple years prior when doctors found and removed multiple cysts from her ovary – so she returned to the GP.
An ultrasound revealed that Rachael, from Denham, Buckinghamshire had a “mass” on her ovary – but doctors thought it was another cyst and placed her on a waiting list for surgery through the NHS.
However, by the time Rachael had surgery several months later, it was revealed that the lump was actually mucinous ovarian cancer – a rare disease diagnosed in around 200 people a year in Britain, according to information online.
Now, Rachael, a teacher, is on a mission to make more people aware of the signs and symptoms of this rare type of ovarian cancer – stressing that “catching it early is the key for survival”.
The mum-of-four is also looking to raise money via GoFundMe for a family trip to Disneyland – which she hopes they can enjoy once her treatment is over.
Rachael said: “There isn’t any screening that can pick this type of cancer up so we really need to generate more awareness.
“The scan I had in 2023 didn’t show anything cancerous so the doctors did nothing wrong.
“But by the time I had the lump removed in 2024 it was cancerous – so it’s likely it mutated while I was on a waiting list.
“Maybe we need to be doing more scans while people are on waiting lists. Especially as catching it early is the key for survival.
“It’s also worth saying that the assumption was I had a cyst. Maybe the assumption should be cancer until we’re sure it’s not.”
Ovarian cancer is often referred to as a silent killer because symptoms can be vague or mistaken for other conditions.
A swollen tummy or feeling bloated, pain and tenderness in the tummy, no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating, and an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often are common symptoms of the disease.
Rachael’s first sign that something was wrong was when she started suffering from fatigue.
Feeling tired all the time is another symptoms associated with ovarian cancer, according to the NHS.
She said: “I have four kids and a full-time job. It’s normal to be tired.
“But the fatigue I had – I felt like I was 70 years old. I had to sleep when I got home from work just to get through the evening.”
I have four kids and a full-time job. It’s normal to be tired. But the fatigue I had – I felt like I was 70 years old
Rachael Misfud
Rachael, who also had bloating, told her GP about her symptoms and was referred to hospital for an internal ultrasound.
“The hospital found a mass on my ovary but said that if it was a tumour – they would see ‘activity’,” Rachael said.
“They showed me the scan and I saw what they were talking about – there was no activity.
“So I just got put on a waiting list for it to be removed, like a cyst would be.”
However, Rachael didn’t get booked in for her removal surgery until nine months later in July 2024.
She said: “The date they gave me actually fell when we were meant to be on a family holiday in Belgium.
“So I thought, ‘It’s just a cyst. I’ll ask if I can get it done when I’m back.’ “But my husband convinced me to just get it done when they were offering. Thank God I did. Imagine what could have happened if I didn’t?”
‘Not a good sign’
Rachael’s surgery went well and her lump was sent away for a biopsy.
She carried on with her life thinking everything was fine. But on the day she returned to work at Denham Green E-ACT Primary Academy, she received a call from the hospital.
Rachael said: “They told me I needed to come in for an appointment the next day.
“I tried to re-arrange, saying I had my first few days back at school. But they insisted.
“I just got that sinking feeling. I could tell from their urgency. I went home and said to my husband, ‘This isn’t a good sign.’”
Rachael and her husband Anthony, 38, went to the appointment and were told the lump had come back as cancerous.
Rachael said: “I shut down. I was in complete shock. You just never think it’s going to be you. But then I had to focus on next steps.
I shut down. I was in complete shock. You just never think it’s going to be you
Rachael Misfud
“The consultant said to me: ‘You’re young. You’re a mum. We want to give you the best chance. ‘We’re going to act quickly.’
“He said they were going to do another surgery to make sure everything cancerous was gone – and then do chemotherapy. It was lucky I was Stage 1 as surgery isn’t effective at Stage 2.
“So again, I keep thinking what would have happened if there had been any more delays.”
Rachael was referred to a hospital in London and in October 2024 underwent a “major” surgery where her ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, and cervix were all removed.
“It was prevention as well as treatment,” Rachel said. “They wanted to make sure there was nowhere the cancer could return to.
“But when I woke up – I felt like I had been hit by a train. It was the most painful thing I’d ever felt. It was worse than labour.
“The first time I stood up I felt like all my organs were going to drop out – because so many things had been removed. I couldn’t speak for five days.”
No more cancer
The surgery went well with no more cancer detected – and Rachael is now undergoing chemotherapy to ensure there are no cancerous cells in her blood.
She said: “I have a couple sessions left to do. Chemo isn’t as scary as you think – the nurses are lovely and make it the best they can for you. You get tea, coffee, biscuits, bananas.
“But I’ve lost all my hair now. And I’m not going to lie – as a woman, it’s awful. It’s such a big part of you so it’s really hard to accept.
“I cried so much when I realised I had to shave it all off. But my husband Anthony came with me and shaved his too. That was nice – to inject a bit of humour into it all for the kids.
“But my youngest took it the hardest. I think that was the moment he realised I really had cancer.
“It took him a while to be able to look at me. It’s not his fault at all – it’s hard. But that did break my heart.”
Rachael’s ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, and cervix were all removed[/caption]
She and her husband Anthony are now fundraising to go to Disneyland with their kids when her treatment finishes[/caption]
Rachael’s last chemotherapy appointment is in sight and so she and Anthony are fundraising to go to Disneyland with their kids Paige, 18, Lexie, 15, Medina, nine, and AJ, eight.
Rachael said: “Before, that would be something we could have achieved through saving.
“But the cancer has been hard on us financially as I’ve been off work and Anthony had to stop working to run the house and look after the kids.
“My boss has been amazing and I’ve received such great support but of course it only lasts so long.
“And Anthony, who’s a courier, is self-employed – so he doesn’t get any benefits.
“Someone at Macmillan suggested we fundraise and I just thought, ‘I’m going to do it.’ “I want to do something as a family once my treatment is over. Hopefully we can get there.
“And also, by speaking out about my story, maybe one woman will get those symptoms checked.
“That would be worth it.”
To donate to Rachael’s GoFundMe, click here, or to find out more about her cancer journey follow her Instagram.
What are the signs of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancers affects the ovaries – the organs that store the eggs needed to make babies.
It mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can sometimes run in families, according to the NHS.
Symptoms of the cancer can be vague, particularly in its early stages, Cancer Research UK SAYS.
The charity advises you speak to a GP if you have the following symptoms:
- Feeling full quickly
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in your abdomen or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away
- Bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen
- Needing to wee more often
- Tiredness that is unexplained
- Weight loss that is unexplained
- Changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50
The NHS added that bleeding from the vagina after the menopause could be another possible symptom of ovarian cancer.
