At 21 in 1975 I was diagnosed with late stage (IIB from memory) Hodgkins cancer.
Spleen removed then a gruelling 11 cycles over 17 months of the old toxic MOPP chemotherapy at Redhill under Dr Anne Folkes.
Didn't seem to know when to stop back then. Was due 12 cycles but refused the last cycle as side effects wearing and disease absent after first cycle they said.
For the past 20 years I have had overnight lyphoedema-like symptoms with painful swelling in the neck, axillae and groin and worse right side than left. Comes up within 2-4 hours of lying down.
Brought on by exercise and the threshold for tolerating exercise has lowered over the years. Killed my beloved all day hiking and trail walking back in 2000.
Will feel OK while moderate hiking and then overnight or often the second night the lyphoedema-like symptoms will be painfully aggravated.
Hot shower and moving about in the morning eases symptoms.
Anyone else an ageing survivor with similar symptoms or is my GP wrong to blame it on my extensive old MOPP chemo?
Was investigated at St George's, London under Professor Mortimer who ruled out actual lyphoedema and gave me a diagnosis of lipodystrophy for occasional work sick forms.
Finally and sadly, the chemo did leave me infertile and my Wife had endometriosis, so IVF with sperm donor back in the late 1980s was unsuccessful.
However, glad to have survived this far despite problems.
