Reese Barcelon
- A Facebook user named Christine Ching shared her story in her private account.
- She revealed that she had experienced various health conditions such as constipation, stomach and back pain.
Usually, when someone experiences minor discomforts such as constipation or stomach pain, they tend to disregard its possible causes and self-medicate instead. No one is to blame for this matter, as nobody ever suspects such discomforts as signs of something worse than expected.
Most of the time, self-medication and rest work for some, but there are also a few instances when certain pain doesn’t easily go away and results into a serious condition.
A Facebook user named Christine Ching who went through these symptoms decided to share her story on social media to spread awareness and to encourage everyone to have themselves checked regularly.
“Hello everyone! I just want to share something with you most especially sa mga ladies mapa bata man or matanda. May asawa ka man or wala. (mejo mahaba po ito) Please take time to read.
2 years ago today i had an operation where they removed my left ovary, left fallopian tube and a 20.9 cm tumor inside my stomach. I was inside the operating room for 4 hours.”
Ching began her post through remembering the operation she had two years ago. But what was the reason why she went through a surgery?
“Flash back muna tayo. 1st week ng April of 2015, i started experiencing constipation, pain in my stomach and lower back pain. Hinayaan ko lang yon.. hindi ako nagpacheck up kase takot tlga ako. Haha. And then after a few days.. i noticed na lumalaki yung puson ko and i kept thinking na kaya lumalaki ang tyan ko kase hirap ako magpoop (haha) so hinayaan ko pa din kahit na pinagsasabihan ako na magpacheck up na.. (Tigas ng ulo ko noh?) Haha.
April 25 2015.. may nakapag convince sakin na magpacheck up kase nga malaki na yung tyan ko at hindi pa din nawawala yung mga pain na nararamdaman ko. So pumunta kmi sa hospital. Sa internal medicine doctor ako nagpacheck up kc ang irereklamo ko lang tlga is yung constipation ko. When it was my turn, napansin agad ng dr na malaki puson ko at parang may nakapa syang bukol so she immediately reffered me sa obgyne. Nung nasa ob na kmi, the dr checked me and she told me na may nakakapa syang malaking bukol.”
She was taken aback by how things escalated quickly. Her simple pain became the indicated of the sudden enlarging of her lower stomach, and after the doctor’s diagnosis, she was put through numerous tests.
“Nagpa ultrasound ako that same day to confirm kung may bukol ba tlga or wala and then boom. There it was! 19 cm na yung size ng tumor ko. Bumalik kami sa ob, gave her the result and she told me na kelangan ko maoperahan agad. She also told me that there was a 50% chance na malignant ang bukol ko. When the dr told us that i might have cancer dun nako umiyak. Habang nageexplain yung dr sa mga procedures and tests na kelangan gawin ako tulala lang. That time ayaw ko maniwala na baka nga may cancer ako.
After that day. Everything changed. I resigned from my job to focus on my health. Palipat lipat kmi ng ospital.. asking for 2nd 3rd 4th opinion. Pero lahat ng ospital na puntahan namin pareho lang ang sinasabe. Kelangan matanggal yung bukol para ma biopsy at malaman kung malignant or benign.”
After the doctor told her that she probably have cancer, Ching was in disbelief. How could she have such illness?
The doctor’s diagnosis changed her life. She resigned from her job, and went to different doctors to ask for other opinions – hoping that cancer wasn’t her illness. But to her dismay, each one of them said the same thing, that’s when she was convinced to undergo a surgery.
“May 19 2015. (Operation day ko) Tinanggal nila yung left ovary and fallopian tube ko, some lymph nodes, my omentum and yung tumor. The tumor was indeed malignant. i was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at the age of 22.
We needed to wait for a week para malaman kung kelangan ko pa magchemo or hindi na. When the final results came.( parang exam lang ah) haha. My doctor told me na kelangan ko magchemo kase aggressive type yung cancer ko so ako si Miss iyakin.. edi hagulgol naman.
I had 4 cycles of chemo. ( July 2015 – Nov. 2015) Hindi ko na kwento yung sa chemo ko ha. Baka maging MMK na toh. Haha! Basta ang 1 cycle ko is equivalent to 13 chemo meds.. i think alam nyo na po ang side effects ng chemo.”
Unfortunately, her tumor – which was a germ cell tumor, is malignant. Ching confirmed then that she had Ovarian Cancer at the early age of 22.
However, the surgery wasn’t enough to completely treat her condition. She needed a few cycles of chemotherapy, and of course, bore the depressing side effects of the treatment.
“So balik tayo sa present day. Haha i’ve been wanting to share this a loooong time agoooo.. haha kaso everytime na naiisip ko yung mga pinagdaanan ko, ng family ko eh nagiging emotional ako. Nalulungkot..nadedepress but now… I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER! Magaling na po ako.”
Because of Ching’s determination to kick cancer’s butt, she was able to survive and function like how she did back when she wasn’t diagnosed just yet.
“I’m sharing this because i want you girls to be aware about Ovarian Cancer. Know the signs and symptoms. To all the girls out there (pati na din boys) please please please.. it is very important to have your general check up atleast every 6 months. Even if you feel that you’re healthy and strong.. Health is Wealth guys. Wag nyo ako gayahin.. i knew na may mali sa body ko pero i kept thinking na im ok and i’m healthy kaya hindi agad ako nagpacheck up. Ladies listen to your body. See your doctor!
Thank you for reading this. God is Good. God Bless You All.”
The netizens were shocked about how her usual discomfort resulted into something life-threatening as cancer.
Just like what Christine Ching said, it is advisable to have yourself checked every now and then, regardless of whether a patient feels something or not. Illnesses such as cancer can be treated, especially when it is detected early before it even spreads to other body parts.
Always remember, health is wealth.
