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Student nurse finds working with cancer patients to be rewarding MAIA NODEN interviews a nursing student about her experience of working on oncology wards and finds there is warmth among the heartache
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arch is Ovarian cancer awareness month, where there is plenty of opportunity to fundraise and spread awareness about the disease. Georgia Musgrave, a student nurse from Chester, said: “If it’s terminal and they have got a prognosis of only a short period of time and they have got children, or they are only quite young or even if people ae a bit older or have got family, it is never a nice thing to be diagnosed with, especially when they don’t know what the future will hold.” The trainee nurse has been working in various hospitals in Manchester as she completes her final year at the University of Manchester. Georgia, 21, has found whilst working on her placements that often the disease is caught late. She explained: “I think because symptoms of ovarian cancer are put down to other things, for example if
you have swelling, you’re bloated, you could put it down to your period, your menstrual cycle, stuff like that. “It can be put it down to different foods, some people bloat when they have eaten different foods, so I think symptoms can be put off as other things which is why people might not catch it that early as people might just think it is something else so they might just not get it checked out.” 21-year-old student believes there is not enough awareness on the symptoms of Ovarian cancer as there is for other cancers as she says: “If you are having irregular periods, if you are on contraception, you might put it down to that, so I think people from my experience who have had ovarian cancer have caught it late that’s why. They weren’t aware of the symptoms, they isn’t enough awareness around the symptoms as there is for like breast cancer and stuff like that. Ovarian cancer is more common with people over the age of 45. The symptoms can be very mild in the
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Photo by: Maia Noden
The Rutherford, Cancer Centre North West, Photo by: Maia Noden early stages especially, as Georgia said: “For people are age it is quite hard because a lot of the symptoms are vaginal bleeding, abnormal menstrual cycles, but there are so many other things you could put that down to like contraception or if you get pregnant. Most cancer symptoms in the early stages are symptomless. Some symptoms that have been noted from a more advanced stage are: • Bloating • Tiredness • Abnormal bleeding • Shortness of breath • Weight loss The student nurse added: “A lot of things can change menstrual cycles like stress and cause abnormal bleeding. Swelling and bloating is another one, but obviously that can be said it can be put down to other things. Weight loss is the main one, but that is a symptom of any cancer, it could be a symptom of breast cancer, it could be a symptom of Leukaemia. I think it is always important to keep an eye on it as a woman, it is so hard.” Georgia urges people to get checked out, even if it is just a mild symptom to catch it early. She has worked on many placements now and has found that as a nurse she ‘always wants to make people feel better.’ She has found that a lot of the time it is very rewarding. She said: “When patients are having treatment, and
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Georgia Musgrave, student nurse, Photo by: Georgia Musgrave obviously if they react well to it or get the all-clear, it is very rewarding in that sense. A lot of the time it is a positive environment for a lot of patients because they are so grateful, they are getting treatment, some people don’t even have the chance of getting treatment because they don’t catch it early, or the treatment might not even benefit them.” Georgia will be one of the many NHS staff members as she has got a job as a critical care nurse in a cancer department starting after her graduation. If you want to make a difference and donate to any Ovarian cancer, visit the links below: https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/ campaign/a0569000029luyDAAQ https://www.ovacome.org.uk/donate/support-ovacomes-work https://donate.ovarian.org.uk/
