Lymphoma can be overcome

I was very interested to see the recent article about lymphoma in the News& Mail.

I too was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020 but the circumstances were somewhat different.

I had none of the lumps and bumps which I believe often indicate the disease. I had been repeatedly unwell in different ways for several months with no cause identified in spite of many tests and examinations.

Then the day after a spell in the Royal Surrey I was called to St Peter’s and given the diagnosis of widespread lymphoma. That was a Wednesday and I started chemotherapy on the Friday! 

This was just as the first Covid lockdown started, which was a benefit to me as I had no immunity to other people’s illnesses.

Chemotherapy is often described as a horrible experience but in my case, once the initial sickness was brought under control, I didn’t find it too bad at all and I am happy to send my thanks once again to the staff of The Infusion Suite at Ashford Hospital for their kind and professional treatment.

Obviously there were ups and downs, including a bout of sepsis, but 18 weeks later I was said to be in remission and it has been onwards and upwards since then.

My message to other sufferers is that there are the drugs and expertise available to get you through it.

Good luck!

Roy Padgett

Maybourne Rise

Woking

Hear, hear

Hearing aids can bring life-changing benefits for millions of people with hearing loss. But new research from RNID, the charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, has revealed the depth of stigma that surrounds them in UK society.

Nearly half (47%) of the general public said hearing aids haven’t been accepted by society in the way that glasses have, and 11% said they would even prefer to live with hearing loss than wear hearing aids.

Shockingly, our research found that more than one in three people (34%) would try to hide hearing aids if they needed them.

At RNID, we want to challenge these damaging perceptions. Hearing aids in the UK – whether accessed through the NHS or bought privately – are all digital.

They contain advanced technology to make listening easier, allowing you to enjoy everyday sounds, keep up with conversations, and even stream phone calls or podcasts directly to your ears through Bluetooth.

Hearing aids benefit people of all ages and backgrounds, and research shows that they have a massive positive impact on your health and wellbeing – including potentially reducing the risk of dementia in later life.

It’s essential that we leave negative attitudes behind and celebrate hearing aids for the amazing, life-changing devices they are for millions of people in the UK.

 Franki Oliver

 Audiology manager at RNID