I was diagnosed with cancer at just 23 after noticing something odd after a night out
MANY people love a glass of wine during a night out.
But for Izzy Fletcher, just one glass had been leaving her with unusual pains and headaches.
The party-loving graduate initially thought she had developed an allergy to alcohol in March 2022 when she started experiencing the strange symptoms.
But months later, after trying to manage the symptoms herself and an assortment of medical tests, Izzy was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma on January 10 this year.
In the UK there are around 2,100 new cases each year and 311 deaths, Cancer Research UK states.
In the US, there are over 8,830 new cases each year and around 900 deaths, the American Cancer Society states.
The cancer develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread across your body.
It mostly affects people between 20 and 40 and those over the age of 75, the NHS states.
Events coordinator Izzy said the diagnosis was a ‘relief’ as she felt she had been ‘going crazy’.
Izzy, from Derby, Derbyshire said: “It would be really strange, because I’d have one drink and the reaction to that would seem to last forever.
“I got one drink, I think it was a glass of wine or something. I started drinking it and had what started as a really splitting headache. It was really odd.
“My head felt like it was going to explode. I had a really tight chest.
“If I was going out and knew that I was going to be drinking a lot, as soon as I started drinking more [the pain] went. So everyone was encouraging me to drink more.”
She added that her boyfriend would tell her the issue was ‘psychological’, and that if she didn’t overthink it then it wouldn’t happen.
Izzy was also struggling with a cough, but the doctor thought her other symptoms were unrelated to this, she said.
“Then when they realised it was Hodgkin’s lymphoma they found that it was linked to it.
“When they told me that, it was a relief. I wasn’t going crazy,” she said.
Izzy claims that she’s always loved partying, but admits that nowadays a glass of booze isn’t always worth the immediate pain.
She is due to start chemotherapy treatment this week, and has high hopes that the procedure will be a success.
Despite experiencing ‘consuming’ anxiety about her diagnosis, the unsuspecting cancer victim is trying to maintain a positive outlook.
The symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma you must know
The NHS states that the most common symptoms of the illness is a swelling in the neck, armpit or groin.
The swelling is usually painless, but some people may feel as though it aches, guidance states.
Most of the time, swollen glands are a sign of infection, rather than that of cancer.
Some people with Hodgkin lymphoma may also experience more general symptoms, and these include:
- night sweats
- unintentional weight loss
- a high temperature (fever)
- a persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness
- persistent itching of the skin all over the body.
Symptoms might also depend on where the lymph glands are enlarged, so if this is in your stomach, you might have pain there or experience indigestion, the NHS states.
A few people with the illness also have abnormal cells in their bone marrow.
This could lead to symptoms such as:
- persistent tiredness or fatigue
- an increased risk of infections
- excessive bleeding – such as nosebleeds, heavy periods and spots of blood under the skin
Sometimes, people with Hodgkin lymphoma have pain in their lymph glands when they drink alcohol, guidance adds.
If you’re worried about any of your symptoms then you should speak to your GP.
In the event of an emergency, always call 999 or visit your nearest A&E department.
She added that the biggest thing she has learned from the experience, is that if something is wrong or if you’re worried about something, then you should go and get it checked out.
“As a 23-year-old, you don’t really think, ‘Oh, I’d best go and get myself checked out at the GP’.
“You obviously don’t expect that it’s really going to be anything that serious, and obviously you never expect that you’re going to get cancer at 23.
“I think your mind automatically goes to your family, your friends and who you love.
“You feel this sense of guilt: it’s so out of your control, you can’t do anything about it, but your family are going to rely on your health for their happiness for the next six months.”
She added that while she never struggled with anxiety before, how she had felt in the days before her diagnosis was ‘crazy’.
“I can’t really eat anything, I don’t think about anything else. I think that is quite consuming.
“I will still have a drink if I fancy it, you’ve just got to take it day by day.
“But sometimes, you know that the pain just isn’t worth it if you’re not going to be going hard and doing tequila shots all night.
“It’s weird because I’ve always been a big drinker and I’ve always loved to party.
“Now my treatment is six months of chemo. In terms of curability and survival it has a really, really high success rate,” she added.
