Anyway, as I said, I bored a few people over Christmas and New Year but my arm was now swelling to the point where it was difficult to get my watch on. I had also developed some lovely varicose veins on the front of my shoulder and chest.
So on returning to work on January 2nd I showed it to a colleague and we decided a further vascular doppler scan was necessary. That didn't show any clot but suggested some sort of obstruction deeper to the area that could be scanned.
Next investigation was a CT scan with an injection to show up the blood vessels. The injection is supposed to give you a sensation as if you've wet yourself but actually gave me quite a warm feeling down into my toes that wasn't unpleasant at all. I have to say at this stage the worst thing I was expecting was to have a clot that would require blood-thinning injections and tablets. I certainly wasn't expecting to be told that I had enlarged lymph nodes in my chest pressing on the main vein running from my left arm. Even as an orthopaedic surgeon I remembered that stuff like that isn't normally very pleasant and no amount of googling told me any different.
Looking back I suppose I reacted to that news in a very 'surgical' way, by which I mean: lets find out whats wrong as soon as possible and get on and treat it. By the end of the day I'd had: doppler scan; CT chest, abdomen and pelvis; MRI pelvis and biopsy of lymph nodes in my neck. Thank God Id paid my national Insurance!
I was due to see an oncologist on Monday, lymphoma was top of the list as far as diagnosis
Velindre Cancer Centre is an amazing place. Jam-packed full of patients but everything seems to just work. However Im sitting there thinking "this is all wrong, I shouldn't be here". I suspect that his is the view of almost everyone who comes here, after all its not a place that anyone wants to go to as a patient. I think that this is something that the staff all understand and it actually makes the whole experience a very positive one.
I discuss the likely diagnosis with the oncologist. Lymphoma is top of the list but there are a few less common but not so nice ones brought up as well. At this stage Im backing lymphoma, its a common cancer with a high cure rate and far better than some of the things we've discussed. Weirdly whilst Im there the results of the biopsy from the lymph nodes in my neck come back. These show CLL, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. But it's thought that this is separate to whats going on in my chest and I need a biopsy of the lymph nodes in my chest. Again 'surgical mode' switches on, I need this now!
Next an appointment to see the thoracic surgeon who will perform the biopsy. If I didn't have any idea that something serious was going on before this appointment then I was in no doubt after!! I was just glad I wasn't some little old lady who thought she might have a bit of an infection!
Just to say that the surgeon I saw was from Eastern Europe and his communication skills weren't the best. He asked me to describe what was happening so I told him about my arm and having the scans etc and he said to me "and that's when they found the nasty cancer"!!
Anyway he did a technically good job with some impressive shark bites on my chest. Diagnosis back: Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
As Ive said I was quite relieved with that diagnosis in the end! Mind you, leukaemia and lymphoma??!! I must have been really bad in a previous life!!
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