Had a really busy week this week , got a few calls asking me if i'd be interested in doing some media coverage regarding misdiagnosis and late diagnosis of Ovarian cancer and how this is in turn detrimental to the outcome .... so i done 3 interviews for Scottish newspapers that were all in yesterday , but the biggy was an interview with STV news , talk about nervous , i hate seeing myself on camera let alone video lol but the message is far greater than my embarrassment ... so it aired last night and was actually quite proud off it .. but what really surprised me was i was reading messages all night on facebook from women saying , " this is the reason u have to go for ur checks ladies " ... Gobsmacked wasn't the word .. women out there are still under the impression that a smear test can tell u if ur clear or not so i had a load of really shocked women when i told them other wise .... so i will carry on spreading the word so that all women out there get the information that they need to keep themselves clear of this killer ...
Awareness: Had a really busy week this week , got... - My Ovacome
Awareness
Dear Sharon, it's brilliant you did the interview. I was wondering about Scottish media on the current interest in Ovarian Cancer. Can you post URLs to any news clips and int interview. I's be interested in the light that theScottish Government have not agreed to your having Avastin there.
Wee done you for conquering your nerves for the sake of the wider OC group. Xxxx love Annie
Hi Sharon,
Just to say well done, love x G x 
Hi Annie ,
I like u , was getting frustrated about all the attempts at awareness south of the border and felt that we weren't getting enough exposure in Scotland , so decided to do something about it .... which really surprises me cos i've never had the guts to speak out like this before , but just feel that there are so many women out there who just don't know the signs ... Here are a few of the story's out yesterday ..
youtube.com/watch?v=OI_9ZOE... it starts from 5:55
scotsman.com/news/health/un...
heraldscotland.com/news/hea...
Keep spreading the word
Sharon x
Hello Sharon like you been misdiagnosed not once but twice, so I feel really passionate about the awareness of this disease. Only this week I was talking to a young girl, and she asked me had my two girls had the HPV jab I said why do u ask that so as to prevent OC. Needless to say she was shocked when I explained. As you might be aware Michelle and I are doing a charity night in march to raise awareness for Ovacome. I met Michelle on this sight and am so grateful for this as we have been there all the time for one another.we are also going to give a talk to a company in march as they sadly lost one of their employees to this OC x
I am always so sad when i hear women that don't know the true facts about this horrible disease .. but as i keep telling everyone the only way to banish these views is to get the truth out there ... That's brilliant about the talk cos the other female employees need to know the truth ... , wish i was closer i'd be able to go to ur charity night .. gd luck with it and i hope it raises loads for this great cause x
Hello Sharon,
well done for being brave enough to get the message out there. I have posted the following on facebook today, hoping others will share it. part of it is from the newspaper report and part of it is "me". I hope it is okay. If I have made any glaring errors please tell me and I can remove or correct:
PLEASE READ THIS, IT IS SO IMPORTANT AND COULD SAVE LIVES:
THE lives of women with ovarian cancer in Scotland are being cut short because of delays diagnosing the condition, a charity has warned.
A study warns some women are not starting treatment until their cancer is advanced because they do not know what symptoms to look out for and because GPs are failing to spot the disease.
When the cancer is caught early women have a 92% chance of survival, but in Scotland the survival rate is 33.5% – among the worst in Europe.
Target Ovarian Cancer's pathfinder research, which involved 100 women north of the Border, found just 1% were very confident they knew symptoms of ovarian cancer compared to 3% across the UK. Less than one-quarter recognised bloating as a crucial warning sign.
Mis-conceptions about Ovarian Cancer are that the HPV injections your daughter receives in her teens will protect her against Ovarian Cancer - NO, it's for cervical cancer the two are very different - and that PAP smears also check for Ovarian cancer - AGAIN, NO, that's for cervical cancer. There are no routine checks for Ovarian Cancer in place.
If you are concerned about any of these symptoms - bloating, feeling uncomfortable after a meal, much more tired than normal, changes in bowel habits, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, pain, please type BEAT symptom Tracker into google, this will take you to a website which gives you information and a guide to symptoms which will help you to know whether you need to see your GP for tests. Please be insistent about how you feel and even if a scan is not offered, ask for a simple blood test known as a CA-125 which is a pretty good indicator of whether you have Ovarian Cancer. BE AWARE. Symptoms can be subtle and Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer. It is often not diagnosed until a late stage when it has already spread to other parts of the body.
Thank you for reading, please pass it on, it could save lives.
Hope that's okay,
Honey xxx
Dear Sharon
Brilliant! I'm so delighted you agreed to give this interview. It really does hit home hard when you see someone who has an incurable cancer and hear the disasters of misdiagnosis and ignorance amongst the medical profession.
Let's hope this improves diagnosis for the future - but I'm also hoping for improved treatment for us!
love Annie x
Hi Sharron I just watched your interview it was very good and you really did speak up for women like us. I hope any treatment you are having is working .
Love and best wishes
Babs x x
Hey babs , Thanks u so much .. Unfortunately not had anything since my last lot ended in March last year and they rediscovered it was still there only its in my lymph nodes at my spine so now , just to have chemo as and when i need it , to try and contain it .. but having lots of pain in my back now so don't think my next lot of treatment is far away , i have a scan tomorrow and my results on the 6th Feb and getting married on 16th Feb so as long as they wait until after then , they can do what they like to me lol x
Dear Sharon
I hope you have a wonderful day on 16 February. Even if you have to start chemotherapy they can hold on and give Taxol a week or so later. I organised this with my oncologist when I was first diagnosed.
Best of luck with your scan results. Mine were the same as yours. Let us know what's going on.
love Annie xx
Well done for speaking up Sharron,
and wishing you all the best with your wedding and any future treatment,
Love
Jan x
Well done, Sharon. A great ambassador! It's surprising how many women stillmthinkmthe smear test will pick up any Gynae cancer symptoms. I've met quite a few too.
All the best
Love Wendy xx
Well done! It can be daunting facing the media!
Love
Sue
Xxxx
Hi Sue , i was terrified lol but would do it all over again , if it means the message gets out there , then it's worth my 3 minutes of embarrassment x
well done sharon, i know a lot of people that think the smear will pick it up, its so hard tring to get it across to them that it dont.
love
nana flo
xxx
well done Sharon - no-one would have thought you were nervous!
Hope you have a wonderful day on 16th Feb - many congratulations.
Monique x
Aww thanks Monique , was terrifying lol but definitely feel i could do it again .. now i know what to expect lol x
Well done Sharon! we need to keep spreading the right message!
I bore the pants off everyone in supermarkets and everywhere I can spreading this message!
Margaret!
Well done Sharon, you did a great job. I couldn't believe it when I was asked if I hadn't been going for regular smears when I was diagnosed.
Very best wishes for your wedding.
Love Mary xxx
Thank u Mary , really getting excited now only 3 weeks away ... i take it u told them all yes and it doesn't tell u about any other cancer other than cervical lol .. that's one of the reasons i did it .. cos my own cousin thought that u could tell from a smear too .. so needless to say all the female members of my family have had the talk lol x
Well done Sharon. Best wishes on you wedding, have a fab day.
My smear test result came whilst I was in hospital having undergone drastic surgery for OC in 2001 - Guess what it was clear.
Thank u so much ... Thank goodness it came back clear though , that way u only had the one to contend with .... mine was the opposite of urs , i had a clear smear in Feb and was diagnosed in November .
How are u keeping now .. ? Hope u have been clear since x
I start Rotterdam Regime on Tuesday. My fourth lot of chemo. I was clear for almpst 9 years before it reared its ugly head again. I feel fine in myself maybe a bit tired from time to time but otherwise fighting fit.
Still keeping positive and 'cloggin on' as they say up here.
Sharon, well done, you spoke really well and the rest of the report was excellent.
I hope your wedding goes very well.
Love Anne xx
Thanks Ladies for all ur lovely comments ... It's crazy the amount of women out there that still think that a smear test will tell them if they are clear of OC .. most of them don't understand that there are actually 5 different cancers a woman can get in the abdominal area ... Cervical , Ovarian , Vaginal , Vulval and Womb (also known as cancer of the uterus, endometrial cancer, or uterine cancer) . so yes it's great to have ur smear tests but u are only getting a clear result from 1/5 of them .. it's scary , so it definitely pays to talk and takes people like us to do it .. Margaret J - I do the exact same but how thankful would that lady be if the information u gave her , helped her or a member of her family one day ... so keep talking ladies and we'll get the message out there x
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