Ellen

I first noticed a lump on my neck on New Year’s eve 2019, but it settled down after a few days so I didn’t see a doctor until March when it had come up 3 months in a row, while living in Copenhagen on my year abroad. But because it was smaller most of the month and only getting significantly larger within a few days of my period, it was assumed to be hormonal issues, and with the result of an infection swab negative I was sent home. 

I came home to Brighton in March just before lockdown, and in April saw my GP who did blood tests, reassured me it was unlikely cancerous and referred me to an ENT who, after a phone consultation, confirmed the same. 

It wasn’t until I went to the doctor for another issue in August that they became alarmed I might have a blood clot, so sent me to A&E. After confirming it wasn’t a clot and a few scans, I was told it could be Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and had a biopsy a few days later, which confirmed this. Unfortunately it turned out to be stage 4 despite them initially telling me it was almost certainly stage 1, and I started chemo on the 2nd September.