My name is Paul and I live in the UK. I am a very active person and have just competed in my first triathlon. I have stage 3 FL and I found out about my diagnosis at work over the phone following an ultrasound and then CT scan. I remember being in shock, but actually went straight into a work meeting to present to a team and carried on my work afternoon as normal.
After the initial diagnosis it started to sink in that this was a little more serious, and then I certainly went into panic mode. I was a mere 38 years old with very young children – this kind of thing should not be happening. The first few weeks after diagnosis were probably worse than the treatment period itself, I would say. The worry and the unknown was worse than when I was in full flight having the treatment. In some ways, I think it was harder for my partner than for me during the treatment time – she was certainly a rock for me. She had to pick up a lot of the household chores for a week or so after each treatment and try and hold the family together. She did that whilst always ensuring I was feeling ok and well looked after.
My dad came with me to many of my treatment days. Friends would often come to visit and bring cooked food and other things to keep us smiling.
During treatment the main side effect I had was very sore veins. So sore in fact, that I had to have a PICC line fitted after my third round of chemo. This was a game changer as the pain subsided for the three remaining treatments. Aside from that I coped very well with the treatment until the last few cycles which did seem to take its toll with regards to fatigue and occasional nausea/vomiting.
It spurred me on to get back to full fitness and within six months of finishing chemotherapy I rode the RideLondon 100 mile bike ride (that’s me in the picture after the race).
I’d say my life has actually gotten better since my diagnosis. I appreciate life a bit more and it has allowed me to take stock of what is important. Yes, there are certainly still times I worry this probably will come back again and we will have to deal with that situation again, but in the meantime I will continue to live my life to the full.
My advice to others is try not to let it make too much of an impact on what you like doing. I maintain a good level of fitness which helped me before my treatment, and I hope staying fit now will help me get through further treatments when that moment comes.
