Faye Louise had always experienced heavy periods before the shock diagnosis (Picture:Jam Press)
A woman who thought she was simply experiencing extreme menstrual pain actually turned out to have a rare form of cancer.
Faye Louise, 39, had always experienced heavy periods and painful menstrual cramps, but became concerned when the pain extended a week before and after her period at the start of this year.
After going for an ultrasound and CT scan in March 2023, Faye Louise, from West Sussex, found out she had a 17cm cyst on her left ovary that was growing into her stomach and a swollen appendix.
While the cyst turned out to be benign, while she was on the operating table, doctors discovered second cancerous tumour in the appendix.
‘There was no indication of any cancer at all before the operation,’ Faye Louise, a flight dispatcher and model, who shares her ongoing journey with her 30,000 followers on Instagram, said.
‘[When they told me after surgery], felt like my world came crashing down.
‘I lost my mum to bowel cancer two years ago, so my initial thought was this is it for me – history is repeating itself.
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‘I had panic attacks frequently. It was honestly the worst days and weeks of my life.
‘I was looking at funeral plans and telling my partner Will I wouldn’t live to see 45 or 50.’
She was convinced she wouldn’t make it to 50 (Picture: Jam Press/faye.louiseuk)
At first doctors decided to leave the mass, because the cancer was contained, and there was a risk that the cancer would break through her appendix wall and spread, become an extremely rare and malignant cancer known as pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).
Unfortunately, the tumour ruptured anyway, spreading low-grade mucinous neoplasm around her body, causing the cancer to become a potentially fatal PMP.
‘My consultant showed me my scans and told me the cancer had spread around the peritoneal area (the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity),’ said Faye Louise, who was referred to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital in September 2023.
‘He told me the proposed treatment was a very extensive operation and said they would have to remove multiple organs.
‘Heated chemotherapy would then be applied directly into the abdomen. It’s the magic potion that kills off any cancer the surgeons can’t see.’
What is pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP)?
According to the Cancer Research website, pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a very rare type of cancer that usually begins as a growth in the appendix but can also start in the bowels, ovaries or bladder.
This growth may then spread through the wall of the appendix (or other organs), spreading cancerous cells to the abdominal cavity lining.
Symptoms include:
abdominal or pelvic pain
not being able to become pregnant
abdominal swelling and bloating
changes in bowel habits
hernia (a bulge in the tummy wall or groin)
loss of appetite
feeling of fullness
The operation, which took place in November, saw Louise have eight organs removed, including her gallbladder, spleen, appendix, small bowel (which was rejoined to her colon), ovaries, uterus, and part of her liver, plus her peritoneal abdominal cavity.
Faye ended up having eight organs removed in total (Picture: Jam Press/faye.louiseuk)
Thankfully, the operation worked and Faye Louise is now cancer-free — but she is now in early menopause and will spend the next three to six months recovering from her operation.
‘I just want to look forward,’ she said. ‘I’m excited to spend Christmas with my family and I want to cherish every moment in my life.
‘I feel like I have stared death in the face. I had cancer for four to five years before I was diagnosed and had no idea, with no symptoms.
‘Some days I just can’t believe I’ve been through this and it all started with a cyst.’
Faye is now recovering with the support of her partner, Will (Picture: Jam Press/faye.louiseuk)
Now she wants to raise awareness, both about her specific type of cancer and for the work taking place at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, which specialises in PMP.
‘The team at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital are amazing,’ she said.
‘I can’t possibly thank them enough. They made me cancer free which is something that felt impossible when I first got diagnosed.
‘I’m home now but I think mentally it will take me some time to recover from this ordeal.’
‘It still feels too good to be true that I’m cancer-free.’
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‘I started planning my funeral.’