Yoga Bunny, 26, Thought Her Tight Hips Were Causing Her Back Pain…But It Was Two Grapefruit-Sized Ovarian Cancers

A yoga enthusiast who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shared how she hated the fact that her aching back pain was being caused by stiff hips.

Alex Macgillivray from Wrexham in Wales took up the flexible hobby in January to relieve pressure on her back.

But in June things got worse and she started to suffer from constant bloating and constipation, making her ‘look pregnant’.

It was only after she visited her GP, who referred her to hospital because he thought it was appendicitis, that tests revealed she had two ovarian tumours measuring 12 and 8 centimetres, about the size of a grapefruit.

Now the 26-year-old bride-to-be is undergoing intense chemotherapy to destroy the tumors, in the hopes of preserving her ovaries and fertility.

Mrs. Macgillivray recalled her terrifying ordeal, saying: ‘I always knew that my hips were stiff and that it was causing my lower back problems.

‘I had pain in my lower back, and then suddenly a stabbing pain in my lower groin on the right side.

‘When I arrived in June I started to experience severe bloating, which is really strange for me. My stomach was swollen, I looked and felt pregnant.

‘Everyone said to me, “Oh, I’m getting bloated, it could be IBS,” but I said, “No, it’s really weird.”

‘I also suffered from constipation, even though I never have that.

‘I hadn’t changed anything in my normal diet, not even my Sunday dinners in the pub. On the second day of constipation I went to the doctor.’

Tests, including CT scans and ultrasound scans, at Wrexham Maelor Hospital later revealed the two giant ovarian germ cell tumours, measuring 12cm x 13cm and 7cm x 8cm.

Germ cell tumors, a rare form of ovarian cancer, are more common in women under 30.

They develop from germ cells, which create human eggs. Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in the UK.

The disease kills an average of 11 women a day in Britain, or 4,000 a year.

Figures show the disease kills three times as many women each year in the US.

The disease is often discovered late because the symptoms are vague. Examples include indigestion, pelvic or abdominal pain, loss of appetite, constipation and increased urination.

About 93 percent of women diagnosed at the earliest possible stage live for five years or longer when diagnosed. Only 13 percent of women are diagnosed at stage four.

About one-fifth of women with cancer are also diagnosed in the emergency department, often when it is too late for treatment.

Before starting chemotherapy, Ms Macgillivray, who is engaged to 27-year-old recruiter James Ingleby-Jones, shaved her head last month. The Robin Cancer Trust.

She donated 14 inches of her blonde locks to the Little Princess Trust.

She said: ‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, from the joy of getting engaged to the heartbreaking diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

‘You’re welcome, (the hospital staff) they did all the scans and found it, they didn’t just send me home with laxatives.

‘James proposed to me after I had a laparoscopy. He had planned everything before I got sick, I had no idea it was coming.

‘It was something to really look forward to and a light at the end of the tunnel.

The hope is that the chemo will cure it, without the need for surgery.

“The type of cancer I have is extremely rare in women, it’s more common in men with testicular cancer. If you get it, you usually get it before you’re 30.”

Ms Macgillivray is now urging anyone experiencing any unusual symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.

She added: ‘Bloating and a change in toilet habits could simply be related to the monthly cycle, but I’ve told everyone to get checked out for anything unusual.

‘I was lucky, I have the “best” ovarian cancer you can have, because the disease usually develops silently and people are diagnosed later.

“But I would urge you to seek evaluation as soon as you experience any unusual symptoms.”