Interview 50

Age at interview: 53
Age at diagnosis: 47
Brief Outline: Diagnosed with Mantle Cell non-Hodgkin's lymhoma in 1999 after a stranger pointed out a lump in his neck. Treated with chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, and rituximab. In remission.
Background: Retired IT manager in local government, married with four adult children. Ethnic Background: White British.

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One day, at a church barbeque, a complete stranger, who was a GP, approached him and pointed out that there was a lump in his neck and recommended him to go to his GP. A few days later his GP examined him, announced that he had lots of swollen glands suggesting he possibly had a serious disease, and that he should go to hospital immediately. He went home to tell his wife and family and then on to hospital. He was examined by a consultant who said he probably had lymphoma but needed a biopsy on the lump in his neck to confirm it. The pathology results showed that he had Mantle Cell lymphoma, a relatively newly-recognised and quite aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A CT scan confirmed that the lymphoma had spread to all of his lymph glands. He was told that his disease could have killed him at any time so he was lucky to have been diagnosed when he was.
 
He was given six doses of CHOP chemotherapy administered intravenously, during which he was hospitalised five times because of infections. He then had a stem cell transplant with high dose BEAM chemotherapy administered through a central line (Hickman). He also had blood transfusions to try to build up his immune system. After being discharged from hospital he had to adhere to a neutropenic diet for two months. After three months he was given a course of a monoclonal antibody called rituximab, delivered through his Hickman line.
 
After being off work for 11 months he returned part-time, but eighteen months later developed shingles and went off sick again for about two months. He returned to work part-time again but tiredness prevented him from being able to resume full-time working so he took early retirement.
 
axOne day, at a church barbeque, a complete stranger, who was a GP, approached him and pointed out that there was a lump in his neck and recommended him to go to his GP. A few days later his GP examined him, announced that he had lots of swollen glands suggesting he possibly had a serious disease, and that he should go to hospital immediately. He went home to tell his wife and family and then on to hospital. He was examined by a consultant who said he probably had lymphoma but needed a biopsy on the lump in his neck to confirm it. The pathology results showed that he had Mantle Cell lymphoma, a relatively newly-recognised and quite aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A CT scan confirmed that the lymphoma had spread to all of his lymph glands. He was told that his disease could have killed him at any time so he was lucky to have been diagnosed when he was.
 
He was given six doses of CHOP chemotherapy administered intravenously, during which he was hospitalised five times because of infections. He then had a stem cell transplant with high dose BEAM chemotherapy administered through a central line (Hickman). He also had blood transfusions to try to build up his immune system. After being discharged from hospital he had to adhere to a neutropenic diet for two months. After three months he was given a course of a monoclonal antibody called rituximab, delivered through his Hickman line.
 
After being off work for 11 months he returned part-time, but eighteen months later developed shingles and went off sick again for about two months. He returned to work part-time again but tiredness prevented him from being able to resume full-time working so he took early retirement.
 

 

He returned to full-time work 18 months after his lymphoma treatment but then developed shingles and 4 years later is still suffering the effects and has had to retire.

He returned to full-time work 18 months after his lymphoma treatment but then developed shingles and 4 years later is still suffering the effects and has had to retire.

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Now after about eighteen months, when I’d just got back to work full-time, I got shingles. Now apparently shingles is fairly common with people who’ve been through the treatment that I have been through, but I wasn’t actually warned about this, but in fact the shingles in some ways had a greater effect than the cancer itself because I had got back to full-time working. But with the shingles I’m now, let’s have a think, nearly four years on from having shingles, I’m still suffering the after-effects of the shingles, and I’ve had to take early retirement because I couldn’t cope with a full day’s work, I really need a rest in the afternoon. But apart from that I’m quite healthy now, but shingles did have a significant impact. 

His Christian faith was strengthened through having lymphoma because he had to trust in God more than when life had been comfortable; he felt at peace because people were praying for him.

His Christian faith was strengthened through having lymphoma because he had to trust in God more than when life had been comfortable; he felt at peace because people were praying for him.

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I think coming to terms with cancer is one of life’s most traumatic experiences, and I just want to share a bit of how I coped personally and how the family coped. Our family are all Christians, we go to a local Baptist church and our faith was a really strong support for us at this time, and the prayers of many people in the church. I found my faith actually strengthened through having the cancer, I found myself having to really trust God as I hadn’t had to before when life was comfortable. And I found God to be faithful to me during this time and there were some verses from the bible that really help me that talk about all the things working together for good, for those who love God and that God being a rock of refuge that we can trust in. So through all of this experience I found myself very much kept in peace and there were very few times when I found myself to be unduly anxious, and I attribute this very much to the prayers of the people at church and my family and they were really a great support to me.