Nurse’s ‘stitch’ was an incurable cancer

DON'T IGNORE SYMPTOMS, SAYS MUM AFTER DISEASE FOUND TO HAVE SPREAD

- KATIE PEARSON

A MUM initially brushed off her side pain as a mere “stitch” only to be diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer.

Nikki Farrington, 46, began experiencing heavier periods and a “sharp pain” in her side and stomach in March 2023.

The neonatal nurse at New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, initially attributed the discomfort to a “stitch” from long hours spent on her feet.

Following a scan at work, she was initially told she had a ‘chocolate cyst’ - a benign type of ovarian cyst filled with dark, old blood and endometrial-like tissue.

However, a subsequent blood test revealed “elevated” tumour markers, indicating the presence of cancer cells around the cyst.

In March 2023, Nikki was diagnosed with low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) - a rare, slow-growing type of ovarian cancer.