I THOUGHT I WAS JUST BLOATED

Sara Foster blamed the changes to her body on her morning toast. If only she had known the warning signs sooner…

As a mom of three, I firmly believe that women are in tune with their own bodies. From that first pang of period pains, to the shift and change of pregnancy, we’re always learning to interpret what every twinge means. But sometimes the signs aren’t so easy to read, as I should know. It was the beginning of May 2017 when I began to feel bloated and uncomfortable. Glimpsing my reflection in the mirror, I didn’t look noticeably bloated, but something just didn’t feel right. I’d tried bypassing bread in the morning and grabbing an apple instead. Ever since my eldest daughter Lauren, then 22, and my son Zac, 20, had moved out, I’d returned to work part-time as a dental nurse. I loved my job, but with my 15-year-old daughter Emily still at home, I always tried to get back to make dinner for us. Recently, though, I’d been plagued by an exhaustion so consuming that by the end of the day I was almost too tired to cook. Collapsing on the couch, I could’ve fallen asleep, which wasn’t like me at all.

Finally, by June 2017, I decided to book an appointment with my GP. After examining my stomach, the doctor said she would refer me for a blood test that afternoon. I went back to work afterwards and carried on as normal. Only the next morning, the GP called. ‘Sara, your blood tests have returned and I’d like to refer you for an ultrasound,’ she said. Immediately, I felt a flicker of panic.

DEVASTATING NEWS