Hi Reader

This CharLatte is a little different this week as September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month

On Tuesday I shared something on LinkedIn that I don't talk about very often: what the weeks before my lymphoma diagnosis actually looked and felt like.

I realised that before I had lymphoma, I might have known the name, but I didn't know it was blood cancer. And I certainly didn't know what the symptoms could look like.

So I wanted to share it here too - a public service announcement and my symptoms, just in case any of them ring any bells.

These photos were taken a month apart - the first when I was finishing my PR job in Bath (10 December 2013), then 10 days before I was admitted to hospital in Thailand (14 January 2014).

At the start of December I had a cough, I felt tired and I'd noticed that a vein in my left arm was showing more than it used to. I thought I'd been overdoing it in kung fu.

I could also see blood vessels across my rib cage. I thought it was because of all the coughing.

I went to my GPs in Bristol 4 or 5 times and to the BRI hospital on New Year’s Day 2014. Over the course of the visits, I was given cough medicine, an inhaler, and had a urine test.

I was told it was "cough and cold season". When I told the doctor I was traveling to Bangkok the following week he said “you’ll see worse germs out there.” I really thought I'd be better in a few weeks, and some sun and warm weather in Thailand would sort me out.

But it didn't:

• The cough didn't go away. It got worse and it didn't seem to shift anything.
• My face, neck and lips became bulky. I couldn't move my head properly because of it.
• I was really tired all the time, despite being very fit just a month or two earlier
• I couldn't breathe properly, especially lying down. It felt like my lungs were sticking together, a bit like the plastic bags in a supermarket.

Since my treatment, I've spoken to other lymphoma survivors who were initially misdiagnosed too.

And since I posted on LinkedIn on Tuesday, others have shared their experiences too, including more stories of misdiagnosis.

I'm not saying that to blame anyone. Especially in cough and cold season, lymphoma isn't going to be the first explanation for a cough.

I'm also not trying to scare you either.

But if something isn't going away, or you've got a collection of strange symptoms that don't seem to make sense, it's worth going back

And maybe asking: "Could it possibly be something else?"

I'm so grateful to have recovered, and for the research, treatment, information and support that made that possible.

If you or someone you know is going through Blood Cancer there are amazing charities who are working to improve the diagnosis, treatment and lives of people affected by blood cancer:

​Blood Cancer UK, Lymphoma Action and Macmillan Cancer Support are the charities which have helped me.

One of the things that gave me hope during treatment was knowing there were people who had come through cancer and were living happy, healthy lives years afterwards.

In October 2022, I gave my TEDx talk, If Your Life Were a Book, Is It a Story You'd Want to Read?

In many ways, I wrote it for “past me”.

It's about what happens when life doesn't go to plan, and the things I've learned about starting another chapter.

If you're going through a tough or uncertain time yourself, I hope there's something in it that might help.

You can watch it here:

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Best,
​
Charlotte
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P.S After a break in August, Netwalk and Talk returns next week 🥳. Find out more below.