Interview 98

Age at interview: 65

Age at diagnosis: 52

Brief Outline: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed in 1992 following a persistent sore throat that did not respond to antibiotics. Initial chemotherapy treatment did not work but further chemotherapy put him into remission.

Background: Retired surveyor, married with 4 adult children and two adult stepchildren. Ethnic Background: White British.

More about me...

He experienced bouts of rheumatoid arthritis in his thirties and forties, which went away following treatment. He developed a sore throat that persisted for about 3 months despite taking antibiotics. Blood tests and a biopsy revealed that he had a low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In retrospect he realised that he also had swollen lymph glands in his neck and had been experiencing night sweats. The lymphoma also caused an inflammation of the cornea called marginal keratitis, which went away after treatment with eye drops.

 

He was treated with chemotherapy, initially intravenously, then in tablet form, but the lymphoma persisted. Any work that he was able to do during this time he did in his own time as he often had to break off and rest - sometimes for 2 or 3 days - before starting again. He eventually gave up work because this kind of unreliability made him totally unemployable, and moved to another part of the country. His new GP did further blood tests and referred him for more chemotherapy, this time intravenous fludarabine, which succeeded in putting him into remission.

 

After chemotherapy he was prescribed methotrexate and steroids for his arthritis, which he continues to take, and also uses a herbal remedy for the pain. In 2005 he had a hip revision operation and afterwards fell and broke his leg below the prosthesis, with the result that he has been immobile for several months.

 

Thirteen years on from having non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he feels that his ongoing lack of strength...

The biggest side effect, I suppose, is the lack of strength. We did a lot of renovation work on the various houses that we’ve owned, and I can remember the times when my sons used to come to me and say, “Dad, can you move this for me please?” Or, “Can you pick this up?” And I’d go along and pick up a flaming great big boulder, not thinking anything about it at all, I’d just do it, it was part of the renovation. But these days I actually have to wait until my sons come down, and say “Can you lift that for me please?” I can’t do it anymore and that is frustrating. I’ve tried swimming and moving weights around but I don’t seem to get any stronger, it’s just one of the things I think I have to accept that I can’t do it, you know. I’m still breathing, what have I got to be sorry for? 

Having had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma he gets antibiotics from his GP as soon as he starts developing...

Nowadays if I get a sore throat coming, and sometimes I do as part of a cold, I immediately go the doctor and get some antibiotics, I don’t even have to go and see him, I can ring him up and say, “I’ve got a sore throat, can I have some antibiotics?” Because he knows that if he doesn’t give them to me I’m going to end up with a very sore throat, and so get it early, kill it and it’s okay. I get the cold the same as, but I don’t get the sore throat, which on the occasions I have left it have been pretty rotten.

 

So do you have to be careful in general not to pick up infections?

 

People are more conscious of this than I am. My wife, for instance, was with somebody who had mumps and was infectious a couple of nights ago and, you know, we’ve spoken and waved since then, that’s about it. She tries to protect me, she’s very good that way. And the children also have been good about it, you know, if their youngsters have got coughs or colds or stuff like that well, you know.