'I suddenly couldn't use the toilet - a few months later I didn't think I'd have long left'

Having initially written disconnected her symptoms arsenic a UTI, Katie Arding, 29, was diagnosed with a uncommon insubstantial crab and had to person portion of her vagina partition reconstructed utilizing immoderate of her bum cheek

A pistillate who thought she conscionable had a UTI has shared her health battle aft she was fixed a devastating diagnosis.

Katie Arding, 29, had conscionable settled down connected the Gold Coast, Australia, with her boyfriend, Rhys Lord, 31, erstwhile she abruptly recovered herself incapable to urinate. She had struggled going to the toilet for a fewer months previously, but had enactment it down to a UTI. But aft going to infirmary doctors recovered a 10cm wide connected her pelvis, and aft respective weeks of investigating Katie was told she had a precocious people pleomorphic spindle compartment sarcoma, which is simply a uncommon insubstantial cancer.

She came location to the UK for attraction and had chemotherapy earlier she was capable to acquisition a 12-hour country to region the tumour, her anus, rectum, uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes and 1 ovary. In the aforesaid cognition she had her vaginal partition removed and reconstructed with portion of her bum cheek.

Despite the precocious accidental the crab could return, Katie feels "proud" to person gone done her treatment. Katie, a hairdresser by commercialized from Reading, said: "I had flimsy symptoms during the twelvemonth but I enactment it down to a UTI. I had my anus and rectum removed and my uterus, cervix, some fallopian tubes, and 1 ovary. I had a reconstruction of my vaginal wall.

"They utilized portion of my bum feature to enactment wrong maine to make that partition again. It's conscionable a scar connected my bum. As agelong arsenic I'm live that's what matters."

Katie near to spell travelling astir South East Asia with Rhys, who works successful web infrastructure, successful September 2022. For the 4 months they were travelling she noticed she would sometimes conflict to urinate but presumed it was a UTI. She said: "I'd person to truly absorption and unbend to wee. If I sat down excessively rapidly I felt a spot of unit - similar thing was swollen inside."

She and Rhys settled successful Gold Coast, Australia successful February 2023 and were connected a travel to Noosa for Rhys' day erstwhile Katie had to beryllium rushed to hospital. She said: "We'd been retired connected the vessel for the day. Everything was good and that's abruptly erstwhile I wasn't capable to spell for a wee. I was bowled implicit successful pain."

Katie visited the section infirmary and had implicit 2 litres of urine drained from her bladder. Doctors told her if she had near it immoderate longer she would person gone into kidney failure. She said: "My bladder was truthful enlarged. My belly looked similar I was pregnant."

A CT scan revealed a wide connected her pelvis but they were unsure precisely what it was. Katie returned to the Gold Coast and spent 2 weeks successful infirmary getting CT scans, MRI's, X-rays and ultrasounds earlier they told her they thought it could beryllium cancer. A biopsy successful September 2023 past confirmed she had an assertive lawsuit of precocious people pleomorphic spindle compartment sarcoma. Katie said: "I benignant of collapsed. My full assemblage conscionable switched off. It was specified a shock. The information it was truly assertive topped it off."

Katie chose to travel location for her attraction and was sent to the Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea. She said: "They called maine successful to person a meeting. They said they deliberation portion of the tumour is connected my bony and they would lone beryllium capable to dainty maine with palliative care. I thought I didn't person overmuch clip left."

She had six rounds of chemotherapy earlier doctors could bash a bony biopsy. Luckily it turned retired to beryllium benign and she was capable to person an cognition called pelvic exenteration successful March 2024, which removed the tumour connected her pelvis and thing that touched it. She was besides fitted with 1 stoma container and couldn't beryllium down connected her backside for six weeks pursuing the surgery. She past had an exigency country successful May 2024 aft getting a bowel blockage.

The 29-year-old present has scans each 3 months to cheque if the tumour has grown back, and has to self- catheterise mundane arsenic her bladder was disconnected from her kidney. She said: "There is simply a precocious accidental it volition travel back. I person taken it each successful my stride. I'm arrogant of my story. I'm not ashamed of my body, oregon of my stoma. The country was a blessing - I wouldn't beryllium present without it. I consciousness fortunate to person got done it."

Katie is present hoping to commencement a concern to proviso affordable customised wigs and springiness proposal to radical who person gone done hairsbreadth loss. She said: "I privation to amusement my emotion for wigs. I privation to amusement however versatile wigs tin be." She shares her communicative and emotion for wigs connected her TikTok account, katiearding.