Mum details her first signs of blood cancer that GP initially dismissed

“I had night sweats,” said Louise, from Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. “I’d been having minor infections and had been run down for a while.”

When she felt swollen glands in her neck, Louise booked an appointment with her GP, fearing it could be cancer.

“I’d had a baby in the year before and just never got back to full health afterwards,” Louise reflected.

“From my first [doctor] visit to diagnosis, it took 11 months,” Louise revealed.

Now, more than 10 years on from her blood cancer diagnosis, Louise, 45, shares her troubling experience.

“My GP didn’t seem to know what was wrong [at the time] and kept telling me he didn’t think it was cancer,” Louise shared.

“I’d had blood tests and an ultrasound, but the results didn’t suggest anything serious and it wasn’t pursued any further.

“In the end, I sought a private referral and was diagnosed by an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) consultant.”

The Managing Director of Nellou Jewellery felt “relieved” when her cancer diagnosis finally came.

“When I was diagnosed I was relieved, as strange as it seems; I’d been getting more and more poorly, and no one had any answers.

“It was terrifying, yet knowing there was a name and treatment for what was wrong with me was a huge relief by this point.

“I’d had a year of thinking I was going mad because no one was listening to me.”

Diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, her first line of treatment failed.

“What was meant to be six months of chemotherapy became 19 months of treatment,” said Louise.

“I had four different chemotherapy regimes, a monoclonal antibody (a new therapy), radiotherapy and then a donor bone marrow transplant (allograft).”

Having been cleared of cancer for a decade, Louise regards herself as having been “very lucky”.

“If you don’t feel something is right see your GP, and don’t be afraid to keep pushing if you are struggling to get answers,” said Louise.

“Go to a different GP if you feel you aren’t being listened to.”