Tired of waiting, this woman took action and found her cancer diagnosis on her own

globalnews.ca:

.'”Instead, Dore-Parent took matters into her own hands.“I’m not that patient,” she said, adding that she eventually decided to go to the emergency room where a friend of hers works.Blood work and a CT of her abdomen showed it was likely ovarian cancer.“The tumour markers were very high,” Dore-Parent said of the blood tests. “They should be between zero and 35 and they were 1,255.

You don’t need to be a nurse or a doctor to know that’s not good.”She was able to see a gynecologist and was referred to the MUHC hospital and was seen 10 days later.Then things finally started moving.Dore-Parent underwent surgery and is set to begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks.Meanwhile, 72 days later, she finally received a call to book an appointment with a gynecologist based on the referral from the initial consult.Those kinds of delays can mean the difference between life and death and that’s why Dore-Parent is speaking out.Because of her background as a nurse, Dore-Parent said she knew to push and had connections others don’t. Other people, who don’t know to push, would still be waiting for answers and falling through the cracks, she said.“That makes me feel very angry because I have the ability to get things checked and to stamp my feet, but other people don’t.”According to Ovarian Cancer Canada CEO Tania Vrionis, Dore-Parent’s story is all too common.A recent study by the organization shows the province has the highest rates of ovarian cancer patients visiting the ER to obtain urgent care.“At that point, you’re very likely to be Stage 3 or Stage 4 cancer because your symptoms have elevated to the point where you go to the emergency room,” Vrionis said, adding ovarian cancer is the deadliest of the female cancers.“The reality is