Interview 39
More about me...
Explains that the cancer was first discovered as a lump in his leg.
Explains that the cancer was first discovered as a lump in his leg.
Okay it started in 1996, I'd say about June, July. I happened to find a very small lump. Not actually on the testicles or anywhere in that area, it was at the lower limb of the top of the leg actually. I didn't do anything about it actually for about 2 to 3 months because I didn't, I didn't know anything about cancer at all, I'd never really heard of it. I just happened to be at the doctors for something else and I happened to mention it to him and from there I went to see a specialist and had the biopsy and unfortunately it come back as cancer.
Okay so you found this lump at the top of your leg?
Right.
And what were your thoughts at that time when you saw, you found that lump, I mean what
Well I didn't think nothing of it really I just thought just a piece of fatty tissue or something like that. I had, didn't even think of cancer or anything like that at all. It was just a very, very hard piece of skin, that's all I thought it was. Because it was at the top of the leg as well I didn't think nothing of it, nothing at all.
Explains that he obtained useful information by talking to another patient.
Explains that he obtained useful information by talking to another patient.
Did they give you any information booklets at the hospital?
Yeah there was plenty of books and paper leaflets, that sort of thing, lying around the hospital and everything, you can read and all that lot. But I found the best, you can read as much as you want but actually talking to somebody who's going through it is a lot better than reading any old book or anything, I found that.
Could you find anybody else who was going through the same thing as you?
At the time there was somebody else there going through exactly the same as me actually at the time and obviously we were comparing. So it sort of helped us both because we both didn't know nothing at the time, it was all a brand new experience for us, brand new experience.
Explains that he did not mind losing his hair, partly because it convinced others that he was indeed ill.
Explains that he did not mind losing his hair, partly because it convinced others that he was indeed ill.
How did you feel when you lost your hair?
When I lost my hair it was my party trick at first because obviously I wasn't that ill the first few times I went so I was still managing to go out with friends. And sort of like my party trick you could grab hold of it and pull out a load of hair which was quite funny at the time (laughs). But unfortunately I was ill in the winter time during sort of like the October, November, December, January, so I had no hair then. I got very, very cold. But the stigma side of it I didn't, I didn't worry about that at all, didn't worry me at all, you're ill and that's it really. I mean in a way it shows that you are ill and people sort of have a different attitude. Because if you just, if you're ill and something is wrong with you and people can't see there's something wrong with they don't, how can I, not sympathy, you don't want sympathy but it's not the same. If you've got no hair and that lot, people realise that you're ill and not just skiving off work or whatever you know. So I've no worries at all about losing the hair at all.
Explains that the chemotherapy affected his hearing and gave him tinnitus (ringing in his ears).
Explains that the chemotherapy affected his hearing and gave him tinnitus (ringing in his ears).
Another side-effect was that my hearing went as well for a little while, my hearing wasn't very good. I went for a hearing test and everything, and every single time I went for the chemo it seemed to be getting worse. In the end, well I've still got it now, I've still got tinnitus which is like a ringing in the ears. Every single chemo session I went for, it seemed to be getting worse. Now when I told the doctors and that lot they did change part of the chemotherapy, one of the drugs they give you, and it seemed to stop getting worse then. But I have actually got tinnitus now, which is like I say ringing in the ears, which was from the side effects from the cancer treatment.
Has the hearing improved?
No, not really no, it's about the same level as it was and like I've got this ringing in my head all the time but..
Oh dear that must be annoying?
I've got used to it now, it's like an unnecessary friend really (laughs) is how I can explain it.
But you actually lost some of the hearing?
My hearing wasn't good. I actually lost, because I went for a hearing test and they put you in a booth with this machine put your ears on and it's very weird in like a soundproof booth, can't hear a word, a single sound in there and then they start giving you buzzing through a machine and you have to switch it off. And through that I found that my hearing has dropped a few degrees really now.