Over the last 4 years, I’ve “commuted” to the US where I’ve been integrating acquisitions for my employer. It is a great way to see the world and I tried to keep fit each trip by running. In February 2023 though, I tripped over running along the sidewalk in the dark and broke my shoulder and two ribs but I still made it into work a few hours later. My resting heart rate went from its usual 47 (it's low, I know!) to 60 and just wouldn’t go back down. By the summer I was back training for an autumn sailing event in the gym but I felt pretty crappy all year.
In August, I started to suffer from a sore hip which I thought was sciatica and was stopping me from running. By September, the big sailing event came around and my back was in agony now, but I got through it with another US trip directly afterward where I found I was having to lift my legs into the car with my arms.
I started to see my wife’s sports therapist where we both thought I was suffering from sciatica and each time I saw him, it got a bit better after a nightmare first few days of immense pain. But one week in late October 23, I felt absolutely awful and woke one morning with chest pains. I called 111 where they sent round an ambulance at much embarrassment to me, but after checking my heart was OK, they ferried me down to Winchester Hospital for further tests. A brilliant nurse there wouldn’t give up trying to figure out what was wrong but let me go saying I needed a CT scan to see what was going on which eventually took place the week after.
The next day they called and I thought they were going to say all was good, but called me back for another CT scan. I drove to the hospital thinking it wasn’t a good sign.
Later that day, at the hospital, they said I had suspected lymphoma. I had cancer showing through my lymph nodes, my thymus (hence the chest pains) and through my spine and hip, which had caused compression fractures on 3 of my vertebrae.
With all future travel and sailing cancelled, I was confined to Hampshire and virtually daily tests whilst they tried to figure out which type of lymphoma I had. During November I also started to lose the feeling in my lower half, and they rushed me through emergency radiotherapy for MSCC where the cancer was crushing my lower spinal cord. Heavy doses of steroids were helping but the months rolled on and still no accurate diagnosis. By late January I was deteriorating fast, but they found a lymph node they could pull out of my neck. By now my spine was in real pain and I had weird sensations throughout my head due to the cancer being in my skull. I could hardly walk up the stairs, my vision was going and the cancer was on my pancreas and bulging out the front of me. They still couldn’t figure out which lymphoma it was, but sent it off for other tests and luckily 24 hours later, late on a Friday, UHS (University Hospital Southampton) took over.
They immediately brought me to hospital, horizontally by ambulance, for emergency radiotherapy on my upper spine. They opened up radiotherapy just for me that Saturday and after more MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans they confirmed the diagnosis of Stage 3 Seminoma and an HCG of 28! The brilliant crew at UHS started me on VIP chemotherapy on Monday morning. I had 4 cycles of 5 days each of VIP as an inpatient. It's about 11 hours a day on a drip, and the 6 litres they put in you each day has to come out each night too so it's pretty gruelling. However, everyone looking after me was AMAZING.
Because at 53, I was “old” for testicular cancer, they said it would be tough, but were confident I’d get through it. I was and, being a positive sort of chap, constantly looked forward to getting out the other end, so thankful that it was seminoma and not lymphoma.
My wonderful wife, family, colleagues and friends around me were amazing throughout. I had plenty of blood issues from the chemo and I can’t thank enough all the blood donors and plasma donors out there that kept me “topped up” during the latter period. By the end of May, I went back to work and I'm now back commuting and running!
My resting heart rate is back to 47, I’m quite happily surviving without the pesky little testicle that caused the damage but gave no symptoms. I like my new look of being 12kg lighter and I’m now seriously contemplating doing the 100km of running this November, but at least the 50km. Hopefully I'll be sailing next year when my peripheral neuropathy from the chemo disappears. So for those out there facing this, stay positive and smile.
I’m not a victim, it's just another life event that makes you look forward - Chris
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