A young Scots woman with an extremely rare form of ovarian cancer says her early symptoms were the same as a urine infection.
Shannon Lamb suddenly developed "flu like" symptoms last October and was floored with a fever, body aches, head aches and a shooting pain in her bladder.
The 26-year-old lash trainer phoned NHS 24 and was sent to Kings Cross Hospital in Dundee.
But when she got there, Shannon says doctors initially diagnosed her symptoms as a urinary tract infection (UTI) and prescribed her medication to treat it.
But Shannon said that after a few weeks passed with no improvement in her symptoms, she knew 'something wasn’t right'.
As the pain continued to get worse, Shannon visited her local health centre in Broughty Ferry on November 17.
She said her GP instantly felt something was wrong ordered tests.
Within weeks, the young Dundee singer was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Shannon describes her shock diagnosis as 'the most emotionally traumatic' thing she has ever gone through.
She said: "After scans at Ninewells Hospital the doctor got the cancer specialist team and they said they were 99% sure it was a very rare form of ovarian cancer.
"At that point I broke down - it was like the world collapsed around me. I was holding my aunts hand and just crying and crying."
On the same day Shannon had a CT scan and was later told to urgently come back to hospital.
Specialists had found enlarged lymph nodes near her neck and one large para-aortic node. She was told her cancer could be stage 3 or 4 and it was likely she would need chemotherapy.
She was told she might never be able to get pregnant or have kids on her own.
Reeling from the news, Shannon began to plan her own funeral in her head and wondered how she would say goodbye to her mum.
She added: "I felt like death was just around the corner. I couldn’t endure the symptoms much longer.
"How was I going to say goodbye to my mum, my aunt, my friends? I looked death right in the eye and thought I’m not ready to die."
On December 22, surgeons removed Shannon's left ovary at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and doctors discovered she had a Germ Cell Tumour.
A germ cell tumor in the ovaries is very rare and accounts for only 1 or 2% of ovarian cancers. Most germ cell tumors occur in teenagers or young women up to their 30s.
Shannon said: "I woke up and felt like horses had trampled all over my body - the pain was horrific.
"They let me know the surgery went well but informed me I’d lost a lot of blood.
"I was in the High Dependency unit for a bit. I remember heart monitor going and doctors and nurses rushing over m to me - I was drifting in and out of consciousness - I thought I might die."
But for the sake of her loved ones, Shannon promised herself she would stay strong.
And after spending Christmas in hospital in excruciating pain, Shannon was at home recovering when doctors phoned to tell her that her cancer was stage 1A and it had not progressed.
The 26-year-old is now speaking out about her ordeal to help others after her 'second chance at life' and says she now takes each day as it comes.
With ambitious plans to her pursue her dream of a singing career, Shannon is applying for the next series of The Voice and is currently working on her own single called Under Raindrops.
Shannon added: "Always trust your body and if something doesn’t feel right then urgently get help."
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said, "Due to patient confidentiality, we are unable to comment on matters relating to individual patients.
"We would invite Ms Lamb to contact our complaints and feedback team if she wishes to discuss her concerns."
