Jimmy - Interview 41

Age at interview: 63

Age at diagnosis: 57

Brief Outline: Jimmy was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia after swollen lymph glands in his neck were noticed by a doctor at a routine check up for an unrelated health problem. He has not had any treatment and attends for regular check-ups.

Background: Jimmy is a retired electronics technician. He is married with one adult child. Ethnic background: White British.

More about me...

Jimmy was attending regular check-ups at the hospital following surgery for lung cancer. During one appointment the doctor noticed swollen glands in Jimmy’s neck and took a blood sample. The results suggested leukaemia and he was sent for more tests including biopsies of a lymph node in his neck and his bone marrow. The diagnosis was confirmed as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and Jimmy was reassured by being told that lots of people lived with this condition for many years. He was told he didn’t need treatment at present so he just goes to the hospital for regular check-ups.

 

Jimmy feels tired much of the time but doesn’t know how much of that is due to the leukaemia and how much to his age. He doesn’t let it stop him doing anything but will snatch a nap when he can. He doesn’t sleep well because he feels hot at night but says that was the case long before his leukaemia. He still has swollen glands in his neck, armpits and groin but is unaware of them.

 

Jimmy also suffers from autoimmune haemolytic anaemia for which he takes medication and has regular check-ups with the same haematology team who he sees for the leukaemia. He has recently had a lump removed from his ear and is waiting for the results of a biopsy taken from it.

Jimmy carries on doing everything he wants to do despite feeling tired - he'll snatch forty winks when he can.

So how do you manage your tiredness?

 

Just get on with it all.

 

Do you pace yourself at all?

 

No, I just whatever comes comes. If we’re going out somewhere, well, we’re going out so I’ll just go out. I mean it doesn’t mean to say if I can’t snatch forty winks I won’t, I will, but I just get on with it. I’ve always been like that. I’m a fighter. I don’t give in to anything. But sometimes it’s the wrong thing because I put up with things when I shouldn’t do.

 

So is your leukaemia interfering in your daily life, you know, with the tiredness?

 

No.

 

No.

 

No, I just go on. I mean there’s jobs to be done in the house that I’m not physically capable of doing any more. How much of that is old age I don’t know but I did a job in the garage for my brother, converted a room into a toilet for customers. And I did everything bar the plastering because there’s just no way I would attempt that now. But I fitted the door, did all the plumbing as well, with help, I mean I didn’t do it all on my own, painted it all and it was great. Yeah, I was tired when I came home from work. I’d come home, I’d sit down and she said, “Are you all right?” “Oh, yeah. I feel great but I’m just so tired.” But I just got on with it. I mean there were times there when I was doing it when I thought, “Oh, I’ll have to sit down.” But I thought, “The minute I sit down I won’t get back up again to start. So carry on”. So no, in that respect it doesn’t affect me.

Jimmy is scared of needles and found his first bone marrow biopsy very uncomfortable rather than painful. The second time he coped by pretending he was somewhere else.

But then I had a bone marrow…

 

Biopsy.

 

Biopsy.

 

Yeah, what was that like?

 

God, that was terrifying, honestly. I mean I’m frightened of needles at the best of times but unfortunately I’d seen this needle on the trolley. God, I nearly jumped up and ran. I tell you it must have been that length. I was absolutely “Oh”. But I mean it’s very, very uncomfortable but it’s not painful. The only thing I did find out, it may just have been psychological, I don’t know, but when they were drawing the bone marrow out I felt as if my leg was going like that. Now it might not have been, I don’t know, but it just felt like that. But apart from that, as I say, I’ve had no bad experiences at all.

 

So presumably they gave you a local anaesthetic on the skin for that?

 

Yeah, yeah.

 

Have you had to have any more of those ones?

 

Yes, I’ve had another one done. When he mentioned it I said, “Oh God, here we go.” He was awfully nice. A young doctor and he said to me, so I said, “I’m very sorry. I’m not here. I’m sitting on the side of the banks of the river Loire with a glass of red wine in my hand. I don’t know who you are and I don’t care.” And he just started laughing and just got on with it. But fortunately in that respect I do have that ability just to be not where I am, to be somewhere else, especially when the nasty things are happening like that. My good woman, she’ll tell you what I’m like with needles. I am terrible. One comes near I’m like that.

 

That sounds like a really good strategy if you can do that.

 

Aye, well it is. It works wonders for me.