Woman issues warning after ignoring pain in stomach and side

Chloe Spitlanic is no stranger to stomach pains, being lactose and fructose intolerant.

But when the Melbourne woman was just 22, having recently begun her Master’s degree, the stomach pains began to hint toward something more sinister.

While Victoria went into its first Stage 4 lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Spitlanic was dealing with her own crisis — a persistent pain in the side of her stomach.

As it grew worse, her mother and sister recommended she see a doctor, especially as it seemed to be coming from a spot near her ovaries.

What follow her 2020 doctor’s appointment was something the student could never have imagined.

Spitlanic was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

The sharp, shooting pains in her stomach had been the only warning sign.

“I instantly feared that I was dying,” Spitlanic told 7NEWS.

“I couldn’t stop crying during and after that conversation and it’s definitely taken a long time for me to fully feel comfortable about recalling that whole experience and to even admit to myself that I have cancer.”

Spitlanic received a life-changing phone call from a doctor after undergoing a series of routine tests.

“This GP started talking about the appearance of three very large cysts around my ovaries, but then she immediately followed this by saying they believe it to be cancer,” she told the publication.

As this happened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, her mom wasn’t allowed to stay with her, or even visit her, at the hospital.

“With no family, friends, flowers or any gifts allowed, I found out I had stage three ovarian cancer,” Spitlanic recounted.

She had to put her family on loudspeaker so they could hear the terrible news.

Following her surgery, Spitlanic went through nearly three months of recovery, where she had to learn to walk and stand up with the help of a physio.

Now, three years on from the ordeal, the young woman appears to have fully recovered and her life is back to normal.

However, the fear still lurks in the back of her mind, and she has to go through frequent check ups which cause stress and fear.

Spitlanic has urged women to listen to their bodies, and to seek help when “abnormalities like a simple pain arise.”

According to the Cancer Council, the average age of diagnosis for ovarian cancer is 66.