Chest pains and itchy legs were the early signs of Tracey Burrell’s illness, but worse was to come. EMMA DUNN reports

WHEN Tracey Burrell started waking up with chest pains at night, her doctor originally diagnosed indigestion.

But what the Ruskin Junior School teacher didn’t know was that she was actually experiencing one of the symptoms of lymphoma – cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system.

Tracey has shared her story as part of Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week, which takes place from September 15 to September 21, in a bid to help raise awareness of the UK’s fifth most common cancer.

The incidence of lymphoma is increasing year on year, especially among older people, although the cause of lymphoma is not known. It’s the UK’s most common type of blood cancer and every 40 minutes another person in the UK learns they have it.

Tracey, now 34, first started experiencing chest pains in summer 2009. “The pain woke me up during the night and would go after about 20 minutes. I also had itchy legs, which can be another indicator, but I didn’t think much of it at the time,” she said.

A doctor told Tracey she had indigestion or heartburn, but when the pain continued, she returned.

This time, a different doctor told her she had pulled something and gave her anti-inflammatories, which stopped the pain.

As soon as she stopped taking them though, the pain started again.

“I went back to the doctor and this time I had a chest x-ray. I was then referred for an MRI scan at the hospital. I still didn’t have a clue what was wrong with me,” she said. “Looking back on what they said I’m surprised I didn’t pick up on the fact it was cancer.”

Even just before Tracey saw a specialist after her MRI scan, she still didn’t realise how seriously ill she was.

“He said ‘we think it’s Hodgkin lymphoma’. My mum was with me and she was shocked when he said that.

“I just sat there. You don’t really take in what they’re saying. I was more worried about my mum because she was getting stressed. Neither of us knew what they were going to say before we went in there and it was a big shock.

“I remember the specialist saying ‘if I had to have a type of cancer this is the type I would have, because it can be treated. There is a good survival rate’.”

Tracey had tumours in her chest and some small tumours in her neck.

She had a biopsy on her chest followed by surgery by specialists in London. She then started chemotherapy at Great Western Hospital just before Christmas 2009.

“I don’t think I let myself be scared. The only thing that upset me was when I washed my hair after a couple of chemotherapy sessions and a big clump came out.

“I realised I was going to have to get rid of my hair. Our family hairdresser shaved it off for me. That was probably the only time I wasn’t happy about things.

“I just don’t think you can let yourself be negative when you’re in that situation.”

Tracey said during and after her treatment, she found a lot of support on the Lymphoma Association’s website and online forums.

“It gave me an opportunity to talk to people and hear about their experiences. Everyone there was positive and there was a specialist you could talk to as well,” she said.

“I used to look forward to going on the forums. Sometimes I had questions I didn’t want to ask the hospital and people on the forums were always there to help. I could go on it whenever I wanted.

“The Macmillan nurses, Michelle and Jasmine, were really good but having extra people to talk to on the forums was really nice.”

Tracey finished chemotherapy in June 2010 and returned to teaching at Ruskin in September.

The Rodbourne resident has now been in remission for four years and her life has returned to normal.

“I see that time in my life as a bad nightmare that happened and now we can hopefully forget about it,” she said. “It’s a really weird situation to go through. But that happened back then and let’s just hope and pray it never happens again.

“Being diagnosed with lymphoma has made me really aware of an illness which seems to be common, but I knew nothing about before.”

Tracey returns to hospital every year for check-ups and if she is clear next year, she can be discharged. She still worries about her health more than she did before though. “You think about every ache and pain you have afterwards more than you used to. I still talk to people on the forum and that really helps,” she said.

The Lymphoma Association specialises in providing information and emotional support to anyone affected by lymphoma. The charity is using Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week to raise awareness of lymphoma and the most common symptoms throughout the country.

Jonathan Pearce, chief executive of the association, said: “Although lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, many people will not have heard of it until they or someone they know are diagnosed.

“We’re trying to change this, so that people will go to their GP straightaway if they experience any lymphoma symptoms over a period of time.”

Tracey thanked her family, friends, Ruskin Junior School, GWH and the Lymphoma Association for their support.

Lymphoma: the facts

  • Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body’s immune system.
  •   There are many different types of lymphoma, although they are broadly categorised as Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
  •  Lymphatic cancer can occur in both men and women at any age, but is most common in people over 55. It is also the most frequently diagnosed cancer in teenagers and young adults. 
  •  Over 14,000 people are newly diagnosed every year and at least 75,000 people in the UK are living with lymphoma.
  •  The most common symptom of lymphoma is a painless lump or swelling, often in the neck, armpit or groin. Other common symptoms include feeling worn out for no reason, unexplained weight loss, excessive sweating (especially at night), persistent itching, a cough or breathlessness and abdominal pain or diarrhoea
  •  If you have been affected by lymphoma and want help or more information, visit www.lymphomas.org.uk or call the Lymphoma Association on Freephone 0808 808 5555.