Irene Sinsombutcharoen was just 34 years old when she began noticing that her abdomen was becoming increasingly swollen. Walking started to feel uncomfortable because of a strange heaviness, and she was experiencing severe pain.
Her symptoms first appeared during a cruise in May 2022. While visiting Santa Catalina Island, California, she suddenly experienced a stabbing pain so intense that she was practically bedridden for five days.
Concerned about what was happening, Irene visited a doctor. However, her symptoms were initially attributed to excess weight, digestive problems, and possible gas buildup.
She was advised to lose weight and referred to a digestive specialist.
But Irene continued feeling that something was wrong.
She could feel a lump in her abdomen and knew her symptoms were not normal. Despite the initial explanations, the swelling and discomfort did not go away.
A month later, she decided to visit the emergency room on her own.
Doctors performed an ultrasound and a CT scan to investigate the cause of her symptoms. The results revealed something shocking: a massive tumor weighing approximately 15 pounds, or nearly seven kilograms, had been growing inside her abdomen.
Irene was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer.
She needed surgery to remove the enormous tumor. Fortunately, doctors were able to preserve one of her ovaries during the procedure.
Because the cancer had been detected at an early stage, she did not need chemotherapy.
Today, Irene is in remission and has decided to share her experience to encourage others to pay attention to unusual changes in their bodies.
Her journey taught her an important lesson: persistent symptoms should never be dismissed, especially when something continues to feel wrong.
She hopes her story reminds people to trust their instincts, seek further medical evaluation when symptoms do not improve, and consider getting another medical opinion when they feel their concerns have not been fully addressed.
