I've been down this road before

2011-06-25T04:34:24Z

Back in 2004/2005 my wife was struck down with meningitis. Fortunately her illness left her with some sight/hearing difficulties & slightly lame. But after a few short months she recovered enough to go back to work part-time as a nurse, (her chosen profession since leaving school).

Near the latter end of 2005 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which was at a stage beyond any reasonable treatment. She was put on radiotherapy and chemo, etc…… Unfortunately Aggi lost her fight for life on the 20^th of Jan 2006.

If that road wasn’t long enough…….

In Feb 2010 I had a bit of a tumble whilst rock climbing. It resulted in several very colourful bruises, a rotated cuff to the left shoulder, a cracked rib and compression fractures in my neck between C2/3 & C6/7.

After a short stay in hospital I was discharged on light duties and various pills & potions, (pain killers, anti inflammatories, anti biotics, etc…)

Thing is the pains became worse and more debilitating to a point where I needed serious help in just standing up from an armchair at home!

On the 22^nd of April I had my first of many MRI’s & X-Ray’s. The upshot was…. On the 5^th of May I got a phone call at home from a consultant at my local hospital. The instructions were to carefully pack a small bag with items needed for a stay in hospital and wait for an ambulance to come get me. I did as instructed and waited for what I thought could be a while for the patient transport ambulance to arrive. Didn’t have to wait too long!..... It was a full-blown ambulance complete with its blue’s & two’s.

Things had gone from bad to worse. I had a nasty and aggressive spinal abscess where the compression fractures were. The treatment for all this was 2 grams, (Yes 2 grams!) I.V. antibiotics every 6 hours for the next 7 weeks in hospital, (discharged on the 18^th June 2010) and almost 8 month in a Cervical Thoracic Brace.

The brace was removed on Dec 22^nd 2010, but several weeks prior to this (mid/late October) I had noticed a sizable lump on the left hand side of my neck. My GP was uncertain as to what it was and requested further investigation by the Neurology Department I was attending twice monthly since my discharge from hospital. Having looked at the MRI results, X-Rays & blood tests, decided it was probably some slight muscle damage due to wearing the neck brace.

On the 1^st of June 2011, (after several hospital appointments, biopsy’s, CT scans, etc…). I was given the news I’d never expected, (or dared hoped for). I have been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the left side of my neck.

I’ve been down this road before……..

Been down this road before

I've been down this road before