A CANCER therapist is raising awareness of the early signs of ovarian cancer after battling the condition for almost a year.

Dany Brown lives in the Lyth Valley and works as an aromatherapist for the charity CancerCare which provides free professional support for people affected by cancer and bereavement across North Lancashire and South Cumbria.

In August last year, Mrs Brown discovered she had ovarian cancer - a condition that kills 11 women in the UK every day.

“A couple of months before my diagnosis I had been noticing a bit of discomfort in my back and was feeling the need to sit down a lot more,” she said.

“I was also often feeling tired and bloated which are the classic signs of ovarian cancer. I went for the tests and within a week had a call from the doctor and everything happened really quickly from then on.”

According to her colleagues, Mrs Brown continued to work right up until the day before her hysterectomy operation, providing massages for Cancer Care clients in a similar situation to herself.

After her operation, Mrs Brown has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment alongside other forms of therapy and group support.

“Aromatherapy really works for me. I feel the benefits way beyond the appointment and it really helps me relax and sleep easier which is invaluable,” she said.

Mrs Brown is now looking to raise awareness around the early signs of the condition as part of national Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Early diagnosis can be key in treating the deadly cancer.

In line with government advice on coronavirus containment, Cancer Care centres in South Cumbria will put a stop to non-essential contact with vulnerable people (and those over 70) and for people with serious underlying health conditions over the coming weeks. This includes ceasing group support and therapy sessions.

Dr Arun Thimmiah, Barrow GP and GP lead on cancer at Morecambe Bay Clinical Commissioning Group said:

“It’s important that women know ovarian cancer is not detected by a smear test, as this is sometimes a common misconception.

“The best thing you can do is to make sure you’re aware of the symptoms and if you start regularly experiencing anyone of them and this isn’t the norm for you, go to your GP.

“Your GP will be able to do some simple tests to see if you might have ovarian cancer. If you’ve already seen your GP and your symptoms continue or get worse, it’s really important that you go back to them and explain that you are still suffering with those symptoms.”

Common symptoms of ovarian cancer include: feeling constantly bloated; swollen tummy; discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area; feeling full quickly when eating; needing to pee more often than normal.

Women are advised to visit their GP if they have been feeling bloated most days for the last three weeks, have other symptoms of ovarian cancer that won’t go away or have a family history of ovarian cancer and are worried you may be at higher risk of getting it.

According to the charity, Target Ovarian Cancer, every year 7,300 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Three quarters of the women diagnosed with the cancer find that it has already spread, making treatment more difficult.

As with breast cancer, forms of ovarian cancer can be hereditary.

Dr Arun said: “Awareness is so important, as it drives forward improvements in early detection of the cancer and treatment going forward.

“Please, if you’re concerned, talk to someone, whether that be your GP, family member or friend.”