‘I felt so ill and was so sick but women tend to just keep going and say we’re grand’

A Gormanston mother-of-three who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was just 45 says many women do not know the symptoms of the disease and is highlighting how it can often be misdiagnosed as something else.

Ingrid Halligan Dunne is taking part in an awareness campaign by the Irish Network for Gynaecological Oncology (INGO) which aims to highlight the symptoms of ovarian cancer through their 'BEAT' message and she is one of three women who feature on their video campaign.

BEAT stands for bloating that is persistent and doesn’t come and go; eating less and feeling full more quickly; abdominal and pelvic pain you feel most days; and toilet changes in urination or bowel habits.

Ingrid is urging women to be aware of the symptoms and that if they are feeling unwell and experiencing any of the symptoms to make sure they go and get checked out. She also said that many women think it only affects older women but that she was just 45 when she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.

"I felt so ill and was so sick but women tend to keep going and say we're grand. This is the problem, it keeps going and I don't know any woman who was diagnosed at stage 1 or 2.

"If there is some woman running to school or at work not feeling right, please go and do something about it.

“Ladies, especially in Ireland, are so resilient and think they can get on with it and say I'll be grand. We need to get them in a little earlier. If i could stand up and shout this I would," said Ingrid.

Originally from Balscadden, Ingrid is married to Noel Dunne with the couple soon to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. They have three children Neala (13), Nisha (12) and Charlie (6).

Ingrid outlined how it can be difficult to diagnose ovarian cancer and because of this it is usually late stage before it is picked up. She also highlighted that a smear test does not pick it up and this is also a misconception that many women have.

"There is no one test that picks it up. If you have the symptoms go to the doctor and push for a scan and a CA125 blood test can also help indicate it."

Ingrid recalled that her symptoms began in January 2019. "I was at the doctor and was told it was irritable bowel syndrome. I was back in the doctor in March again with bloating and thought it was probably stress and put it down to being a busy mammy with three children. The youngest was just three at the time.

"I was 45. There is a misconception that ovarian cancer only affects older women, this isn't necessarily the case. In May 2019 I had a scan, and then an MRI in July and then there was a big panic in August when they realised it was ovarian cancer."

By that stage Ingrid said she was feeling very unwell.

"I had a lot of bloating and was feeling full a lot of the time. I had terrible back pain as well. And was quite breathless."

By the time she got her diagnosis, Ingrid says she knew something was up.

"I was getting worse and was still running around with the children and put it down to busy mammy syndrome. It is something I would say to every mammy in every playground. If you feel off and that something is up, please get checked out."

Ingrid had major surgery in August 2019, spending two weeks in hospital, followed by a course of chemotherapy.

She explained that the cancer had spread to organs around her ovaries and that she needed cytoreductive surgery. Ingrid had her ovaries, womb and fallopian tubes removed as well as her appendix and it had spread to the lining of her abdomen.

"The main point I want to get across is that people aren't aware of the symptoms and it is often misdiagnosed a something else. When it is picked up, it tends to be at a later stage and then a larger surgery is needed. If it was got at stage one or two, I might have just had to have my ovaries removed."

Ingrid features on a video campaign to highlight the symptoms and said two other women in the video with her were all diagnosed in their forties and had similar surgery.

She said the treatment was tough but you just keep going toward the goal- to get to the end of treatment.

She is keeping well and initially had scans every three months but this has recently been pushed out to every six months.

"In the middle of diagnosis and then surgery and chemo, the end goal is in sight and you need to get there. When that is finished you haven't the same energy and all of a sudden you have to fit yourself back into the world but you are not the person you were. You don't have the same energy and you have to mind yourself."

Speaking to other women who have had the surgery, Ingrid said they all say the same thing, that they don't feel able to work full time.

"I am a self-employed accountant, I still work but don't do as much as I was."

She said her husband Noel, family and friends had all been hugely supportive and she can't thank people in the local community enough for all they did for her.

World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day took place on Sunday with a 10 buildings around Ireland lit up in the campaign colour teal as part of the awareness campaign.

Around 400 cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in Ireland each year. The Irish Network for Gynaecological Oncology (INGO) campaign aims to communicate the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer to a larger audience and highlight the lack of awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the misperception that a cervical screening detects ovarian cancer.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer can often be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, but the INGO says this rarely presents for the first time in a woman over 50.

As part of the BEAT campaign, Irish artist and fashion designer, Helen Steele, has designed a tote bag spelling out BEAT to increase awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Poet Laureate for Wexford, Sasha Terfous has written and performed a spoken word piece, spelling out the symptoms of ovarian cancer.