Yes, adults can get RSV and it can be severe

Cancer Symptoms In Women: 7 Warning Symptoms Of Ovarian Cancer You Should Never Ignore

VERIFIED Cancer Symptoms In Women: 7 Warning Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer You Should Never Ignore Ovarian Cancer impacts 45 per cent of the women globally every year. This condition is often called a 'silent killer', as it comes with zero warning signs and symptoms. Scroll down to know how you can detect the onset of cancer inside your ovaries.

Ovarian cancer, often known as the 'silent killer' is a life-threatening disease for women. Early symptoms of ovarian cancer are usually difficult to detect, hence it can lead to delayed diagnosis. However, there are a few symptoms that one needs to check for an early diagnosis of the disease.

In this article, Dr. Vinodh Kumar S, MBBS, MD (Internal Medicine), Consultant Physician and Diabetologist, Connect & Heal, shares important insights into the initial signs that your body may give when your ovaries are at risk of developing a cancer cell.

Ovarian Cancer: Don't Ignore These 7 Crucial Warning Signs

If you want to keep a close check on your ovaries health, try to not miss any of these signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:

Abdominal or Pelvic Pain

Persistent pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, particularly if it is new or unusual for you, can be a sign of ovarian cancer.

Bloating

Ongoing, unexplained bloating that doesn't improve with dietary changes or time can be a symptom. This can be a subtle sign that is often overlooked.

Changes in Bowel Habits

Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation or diarrhea, that last for an extended period without an obvious cause could be associated with ovarian cancer.

Difficulty Eating

If you have a loss of appetite, feel full quickly, or experience unexplained weight loss, it may be a symptom of ovarian cancer.

Urinary Symptoms

Frequent urination, urgency, or discomfort may be experienced as the tumor presses on the bladder.

Fatigue

Extreme fatigue that doesn't improve with rest and is not related to other medical conditions can sometimes be associated with ovarian cancer.

Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding

Postmenopausal women experiencing vaginal bleeding or women with irregular menstrual cycles should consult a healthcare professional.

Bottom Line

It's essential to remember that these symptoms can be caused by various other conditions, and the presence of one or more of these symptoms does not confirm ovarian cancer. If you're concerned about these symptoms, it's important to discuss them with your gynecologist. Early detection of ovarian cancer can improve the chances of successful treatment, so any persistent or concerning symptoms should not be ignored. Additionally, routine gynecological check-ups and screenings may be recommended for individuals at higher risk for ovarian cancer, such as those with a family history of the disease.

Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a disease where cancerous cells form in the tissues of the large intestine, or colon.

Signs & Symptoms

These are signs and symptoms of colon cancer:

A change in bowel habits

Blood in the stool

Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty all the way

Stools that are narrower than usual

Frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps

Weight loss for no known reason

Feeling very tired

Vomiting

Many other health problems can also cause these signs. If you have any of these signs, see your doctor as soon as possible.

Learn more about colon cancer from the National Cancer Institute.

Spotting The Signs Of Bowel Cancer

When Rachel Bown was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer – the worst stage – she was eager to find a way to make sense of the ensuing chaos and distract herself, and so began writing lists.

Those lists, which range from a record of typical reactions to the shock of a cancer diagnosis, to one suggesting ways to tell the children, and a list of things you can and can't do when you have cancer (you can sleep when you want, watch what you want on TV and say what you want, but you can't easily get affordable travel insurance), helped Rachel so much that now, nearly three years on, they've been turned into a book, laced together with her cancer experience.

The C List has been published to coincide with April's Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, which aims to draw more attention to this form of the disease – the second-biggest killer of all cancers. Every year, more than 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK and it kills nearly 16,000.

While the majority of cases are in older people, the number of younger people getting bowel cancer is rising In 2010 there were 2,018 under-50s diagnosed with it, compared with 1,698 in 1999.

Mother-of-two Rachel, 45, was one of them, and her book details how she was referred to a specialist and diagnosed in 2011, after visiting her GP three times with symptoms including abdominal pain, a change in bowel movements, blood in her faeces, weight loss and extreme tiredness.

The symptoms were initially passed off as the very common condition irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

"I don't know how long I'd had symptoms before I went to the doctor," she says. "All I can say is that I was busy and I just pushed it to the back of my mind. I self-diagnosed and thought it was IBS.

"Yes, I could've gone to the doctor earlier, but I could've pushed them a lot more and not taken no for an answer if I'd been better educated in the symptoms and my risk. But because I didn't know those things, I accepted it, twice.

"It's embarrassing having to discuss your bowel habits, and if you get fobbed off, or reassured that it's nothing, you grab it."

The delay in her diagnosis is perhaps all the more surprising because a few years earlier her aunt had died from bowel cancer, aged 50, having been diagnosed a year before – and it's recognised that genes can be a risk factor for the disease.

Bowel Cancer UK says genetic factors contribute to up to 30 per cent of cases, affecting 8,000-12,000 people, and those with a genetic link are likely to develop the disease much younger – as Rachel and her aunt did.

By the time Rachel's cancer was detected, the tumour in her bowel had already spread to her liver and lymph nodes. She says her chances of survival were akin to the probability of "going over Niagara Falls in a barrel" and living to tell the tale.

"The cancer was so advanced, I just thought that was it, I had about six months," she says.

"It was a real shock, but it's amazing how much you can get your head around quite quickly. When you're under that amount of pressure, every hour counts. I'm unbelievably lucky to still be here."

Rachel, a marketing director, puts some of that "luck" down to the great medical treatment in her area – although she says bowel cancer treatment is a postcode lottery and the "inequality of care" worries her deeply.

"I feel massively grateful that I've had such good treatment," she says, "but I also feel so upset for those who haven't been able to have such good treatment. It just feels so wrong.

"You're living with a time bomb, and it's a horrible feeling."

But after nearly three years, five lots of major surgery, eight months of "horrendous" chemotherapy and a relapse in her liver, she's now in remission – and is looking forward to getting married to a man she met six weeks before her relapse last year.

The C List is published by Watkins, priced £10.99.

---