My cancer shock after a boozy hol
EX-SERVICEMAN PUT SYMPTOMS DOWN TO PARTYING TOO HARD ON A FAR EAST BREAK. NOW, WITH ILLNESS IN THE PAST, HE RECALLS HOW DIAGNOSIS STUNNED HIM –
A FORMER Army serviceman from Burton blamed being tired and itchy on a boozy lads’ holiday - only to be given the devastating news he had cancer.
Andrew Frost, then 25, had enjoyed three weeks with mates in Thailand when he started itching all over and feeling tired. He put it down to partying too hard.
But after his GP initially suggested he take antihistamines, Andrew collapsed at home and, following tests in hospital, doctors diagnosed nonhodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
Andrew, now 27, a former logistic supply specialist with the Royal Logistics Corps, said: “On holiday we were drinking and partying hard 24/7. There was no sunbathing, no sightseeing, it was just alcohol. It was a good holiday. I had a rash on the right-hand side of my arm that was like a heat rash.
“When we were on the plane back from Hua Hin I told the lads, who were mates from school, that I was really itchy all over my body. They said there was nothing wrong with me and it was from all the alcohol I’d drunk and from being in the sun.
“I thought that maybe I’d been bitten by a bug. I remember thinking ‘this isn’t right’ and I slept all the way home. The day I got back I fainted at home but didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was dehydration from a really bad hangover.
“I was a bit dazzled when I came to and wondered what was going on. I thought it was dehydration so I went downstairs to drink some water but didn’t think anything of it.
“Then the itchiness got even worse, it was a constant itching that drove me mad, I couldn’t concentrate on anything.
“I couldn’t see a rash, I could just feel it on the back of my arm.
“I spoke to my friends again and they suggested that maybe I should see a doctor, which I did three days later. He told me to take some antihistamine tablets to reduce the rash.
“He thought it was an allergic reaction from drinking.”
After returning home from his holiday in June 2019 Andrew took antihistamines, as suggested by the doctor, but his symptoms persisted.
Two days later, the otherwise fit and healthy man collapsed again on the bathroom floor. HGV driver Andrew was rushed to Burton’s Queen’s Hospital, where doctors ran blood tests and a chest x-ray.
Six weeks later, after undergoing a neck biopsy, Andrew was told the devastating news. He said: “I took
the antihistamine tablets for two days and then at 1am I went to the toilet and I hit the floor and was frozen, I couldn’t do anything.
“My dad came running in to see what was up with me and called for an ambulance. They took me to hospital and did lots of blood tests - my heart, kidney, liver and everything came back perfect. “The doctors were amazed by what was up with me and said they were going to run an x-ray on my chest.
“They found a 10cm dark black shadow across my chest. Having good results from the other tests made me think it was nothing.”
Initially doctors thought Andrew had lung cancer, but a biopsy confirmed it was NHL – a cancer of the lymphatic system. Andrew said: “The consultant asked me to go in for another x-ray and after that I was taken into a room where I was told it could be lung cancer.
“It’s the worst thing you can hear and it was a massive shock. I went white and passed out.
“Despite not having any visible lumps or bumps they did a biopsy on the right side of my neck and two weeks later they said it was NHL.
“I didn’t know anything about it but then I met my cancer nurse who talked me through everything, she was amazing.” After being diagnosed with stage 2a NHL, in his chest and neck, Andrew underwent a gruelling three-month course of chemo starting in August 2019.
The diagnosis came just months after his beloved gran Jean Warson died after a 20-year battle with stomach cancer. Andrew said: “My gran passed away from cancer in 2019, she was battling it for 20 years and that was the hardest thing for the family. I had chemo every two weeks for three months. I got lucky that I didn’t need any radiotherapy and I beat it really soon, perhaps because of my age.
After completing his treatment, Andrew met his girlfriend, 31-yearold lettings co-ordinator Indre Arbacauskaite. The active duo regularly go hiking and mountain climbing and, wanting to give back to the nurses who helped his gran, Andrew has decided to do a sponsored 26-mile hike for Macmillan Cancer Support. Andrew said: “Exercise helped me a lot. When I finished treatment I met my girlfriend and we did a lot of mountain climbing and hiking around the Peak District. She motivated me.
“Now I play golf, too, and I want to get into kayaking. The Macmillan nurses were always good with my gran and I just wanted to give something back.”
Now Andrew is urging anyone with unusual symptoms to get them checked out. He said: “I’ve had friends saying they feel itchy and tired and I’ve said to always get it checked. I just thought it was nothing and it turned out to be NHL.”
To support Andrew’s fundraising, visit https://www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/andrew-frost19