It was at the end of October that Moa Lundgren was forced to undergo what would turn out to be an unnecessary operation.

Doctors mistook the skier's symptoms and operated on her appendix.

- It just felt like, "Oh my God, what's happening now?", Lundgren says.

In fact, the 24-year-old had suffered from so-called glandular stomach, which means that the lymph nodes in the stomach swell up and hurt.

Something that usually affects children under the age of 12 and that heals on its own.

- The first few weeks I was so tired that I slept around the clock, it was my little "breaking up phase".

- What has been more than that is that I got sick too, then I was fine for a few days but then I got a fever and got sick again.

The first rehab was to do five situps, I really haven't used my stomach and it's very different, says Lundgren.

Back on skis: "Magical"

The operation stopped Lundgren from skiing for four weeks and she has missed the start of the competition season.

Last Saturday, during the Swedish premiere in Bruksvallarna, she skied for the first time since the operation.

- It was quite magical.

I felt like I was there when I watched the broadcasts.

And now Lundgren can train largely unhindered again.

- Now I'm a free bird, I'm really nervous.

I don't have too many restrictions, but I can't be out and about for two hours yet.

It's about not doing too many repetitions of the same thing.

I'm going to ride threshold intervals tomorrow, it's going to be fun.

Hope for the World Cup lives on

Moa Lundgren, who is part of the B national team, participated in nine World Cup competitions last season with a seventh place in the sprint relay in Dresden as the main result.

Despite the messy start, the hope of a WC place is still alive, she says.

- But I think that depends entirely on how the others continue to ride, and how the national team thinks going forward.

The first chance for Lundgren to show where she stands after the messy start to the season will be the Scandinavian Cup in Östersund, December 16-18.

- If I do well there, then I will be relevant.

But without it becoming a must or a pressure.

After all, there is a long season after that, it is important to have ice in your stomach and make sure that everything goes well and drive and honk when you can.

- After sitting at home, the hunger for competition will be insatiable.