Six months ago I was told I had cancer. More specifically, I had lymphoma of some sort. I’d found a lump in my armpit a couple of months earlier, and underwent a series of blood tests, scans and biopsies.
On Tuesday 9th August, I got a phone call telling me the bad news and that I needed to get to hospital straightaway. I left work in a rush to get to my local hospital (picking up a Vinted parcel on the way, which is on-brand) in Broomfield.
I saw a specialist there who told me that I needed to go up to Barts hospital in the morning, and I should expect to be there for about three weeks to undergo chemotherapy.
Looking back now, it was all quite surreal. Strangely I don’t think I ever felt scared, like this was something that was going to finish me off, it was just an inconvenience, a bump in the road.
So, on the 10th August I got the train up to London to start treatment at Barts. Lots more blood tests and scans to try and identify what sort of lymphoma I had, as this would determine what treatment I had and how long it would take. At one point they were even investigating whether it was a form of glandular fever, but this was ruled out quickly.
It was determined that I had Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a particularly rare, but aggressive form of cancer. I was told that the good thing about this form of cancer is that it’s high-grade and fast-growing. This means that it’s usually more susceptible to treatment than lower-grade cancers.
In all, I had four rounds of treatment, usually intravenous chemotherapy, but also intrathecal (injected into the spinal fluid at the base of my spine, to help protect my brain from the cancer). I also had loads of tablets to help with other side effects, and also a disgusting inhalation treatment. It probably didn’t help that I was already being sick before starting that!
Apart from that, I also had two stays in Broomfield hospital to treat infected abscesses that popped up on my leg and groin on my “off” times. So even when I wasn’t due to be in hospital for chemo, I was there for antibiotics!
Thankfully, I was able to see my consultant last week and he told me I’d had a “complete metabolic reversal”, in other words, the lymphoma had gone! The scan, which had previously shown my armpit lump glowing like a sun, now showed no signs at all.
I still need to have check ups, the first in three months’ time, but they’re confident that I shouldn’t have anymore problems going forward.
I’m so grateful to all the medical staff that have looked after me, from the GP who first referred me, through to the staff at Barts and Broomfield. They all literally saved my life.
Positively Catie 