Latest news with #ABVD
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Doctors thought my rash was eczema - then I was told I had six months to live'
When Rachel Evans developed a rash that made her feel as though she had 'insects crawling all over her body', doctors reassured her it was just eczema. Then she received a devastating diagnosis After developing an "intense" rash across her body, Rachel Evans was told by doctors that she had eczema, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something far more serious was going on. The 46-year-old was plagued by extreme itching, dizzy spells, nosebleeds, debilitating fatigue and unexplained weight loss, and despite pushing for answers, she was repeatedly turned away. Rachel recalled: "I couldn't manage my symptoms at all. The rash was unmanageable; it felt like there were insects crawling all over my body. I couldn't cope with the intense itchiness of that rash. I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't work. It completely took over my day and night, and the fatigue I felt was intense." Her symptoms started in 2020, but it took nearly two years for doctors to send Rachel for a chest X-ray, which detected a shadow on her lungs. A CT scan and biopsy followed, and, to her horror, Rachel was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. Without treatment, doctors warned she may only have six months to live. READ MORE: 'I was told I had heatstroke from Turkey holiday - reality was scary' Married mum Rachel was devastated by the news, and says this was made even more difficult on account of her struggles with undiagnosed ADHD. Rachel, of Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, shared: "Before my diagnosis, I was so burnt-out from struggling with life and undiagnosed ADHD. I have two words for how I was feeling: survival mode. "My doctors thought I would only have six months to live if I didn't have treatment. As I was emotionally dysregulated, I considered allowing my body to die from the cancer naturally. "But then I was able to consider the needs of my son, and so I decided to take the six months of ABVD chemotherapy." She added: "Everything happened really quickly. It was a very traumatic experience, more trauma on top of lifelong physical and emotional trauma caused by the ADHD. This developed into complex post-traumatic distress after chemotherapy." According to Rachel, who has a 10-year-old son and a nearly 20-year-old stepdaughter, her cancer treatment had a profound impact on her and her family. This was further compounded by the sudden illness and death of her mother-in-law. Her husband went to be with his mother in her final days, and then spent time grieving with his father and sister. Meanwhile, Rachel was left to care for her son alone for several weeks, amid a myriad of escalating challenges. Rachel explained: "Our home life was already emotionally challenged due to my undiagnosed ADHD, and our son's undiagnosed ASD and ADHD, so the cancer treatment caused a massive nosedive in the atmosphere. "In addition to the physical and emotional suffering from chemotherapy, like the pain of the picc line going in, problems with them extracting blood, panic attacks before chemo sessions, excruciatingly painful haemorrhoids, bloating, tummy pain, weight gain, loss of taste, nausea and receding gums, we had to deal with the very sudden family bereavement." In March 2023, Rachel went into remission, and while she still struggles with climbing stairs or hills, she's thankfully feeling much stronger physically. However, emotional recovery has proven to be more complicated. Rachel revealed: "My mental health has taken three years to recover. Thanks to ADHD medication, HRT for perimenopausal symptoms, psychotherapy, self-educating, and finding therapy myself, I am fully ready to engage with the world again, not just restored, but transformed." Going forward, Rachel hopes her story will help raise awareness of the more "sneaky" symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma. She said, "I wish that more health care professionals knew more about the symptoms - blood cancer is sneaky, and it hides in the shadows. "I had a movable, painless lymph node, but not in my neck like most people get, it was in my jaw. This is uncommon, but not unknown. "My weight loss was subtle because I was already quite slender, and the weight had dropped off gradually throughout the years. "I had a history of eczema, and a history of depression and anxiety, and I think this history masked the root causes of the blood cancer and the ADHD." Rachel says her ADHD only added to the significant challenges of her diagnosis and subsequent recovery. She continued: "I don't want any other human being to struggle the way I did, either physically, emotionally, or both. "I especially have a heart for women who have undiagnosed or diagnosed ADHD, and are perimenopausal, and have had to face a cancer diagnosis on top. ADHD is subtle and not easily detected, especially in women, unless you do the detective work. "I want to raise awareness so that others are educated and have a better chance of enjoying life, in all its fullness. I believe my life was saved in many ways, for many reasons, and sharing my story is just one of them."
Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'When doctors finally told me what my rash was, I considered dying'
Mum Rachel, 46, had been suffering 'eczema' for two years before she got a proper diagnosis When a mysterious rash spread across Rachel Evans' body, doctors kept telling her it was just eczema. But Rachel, 46, knew something wasn't right. Struggling with unbearable itching, dizzy spells, nosebleeds, crushing fatigue and unexplained weight loss, she kept pushing for answers only to be told that everything was fine. "I couldn't manage my symptoms at all,' she says. 'The rash was unmanageable, it felt like there were insects crawling all over my body. I couldn't cope with the intense itchiness of that rash. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't work. It completely took over my day and night, and the fatigue I felt was intense." Rachel's symptoms began in 2020 and it was nearly two years before she was sent for a chest x-ray which showed a shadow on her lungs. A CT scan and biopsy finally revealed the truth; she had Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time Rachel, married with a stepdaughter who is nearly 20 and a son, 10, was struggling with undiagnosed ADHD. 'Before my diagnosis I was so burnt-out from struggling with life and undiagnosed ADHD,' she says. 'I have two words for how I was feeling - survival mode. My doctors thought I would only have six months to live if I didn't have treatment. As I was emotionally dysregulated, I considered allowing my body to die from the cancer naturally. 'But then I was able to consider the needs of my son and so I decided to take the six months of ABVD chemotherapy. Everything happened really quickly. It was a very traumatic experience, more trauma on top of lifelong physical and emotional trauma caused by the ADHD. This developed into complex post traumatic distress after chemotherapy.' Rachel's cancer treatment affected her and her family deeply, and the trauma was exacerbated by the sudden illness and death of her mother-in-law. She was left to care for her young son alone for several weeks while her husband was with his mother and then grieving with his father and sister. 'Our home life was already emotionally challenged due to my undiagnosed ADHD, and our son's undiagnosed ASD and ADHD, so the cancer treatment caused a massive nosedive in the atmosphere,' Rachel says. 'In addition to the physical and emotional suffering from chemotherapy, like the pain of the picc line going in, problems with them extracting blood, panic attacks before chemo sessions, excruciatingly painful haemorrhoids, bloating, tummy pain, weight gain, loss of taste, nausea and receding gums, we had to deal with the very sudden family bereavement.' Rachel went into remission in March 2023 and she is now much stronger physically, struggling only with climbing stairs or hills. 'My mental health has taken three years to recover,' she says. 'Thanks to ADHD medication, HRT for perimenopausal symptoms, psychotherapy, self educating, and finding therapy myself, I am fully ready to engage with the world again, not just restored, but transformed.' Rachel, from Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, wants to tell her story to raise awareness of the symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma that are less common, not typical, and more unusual. "I wish that more health care professionals knew more about the symptoms - blood cancer is sneaky, and it hides in the shadows,' she says. 'I had a moveable painless lymph node, but not in my neck like most people get, it was in my jaw. This is uncommon, but not unknown. 'My weight loss was subtle because I was already quite slender, and the weight had dropped off gradually throughout the years. I had a history of eczema, and a history of depression and anxiety, and I think this history masked the root causes of the blood cancer and the ADHD.' Rachel also says that struggling with both cancer and ADHD at the same time compounded the difficulties of going through her diagnosis and recovering. "I don't want any other human being to struggle the way I did, either physically, emotionally, or both,' she adds. 'I especially have a heart for women who have undiagnosed or diagnosed ADHD, and are perimenopausal, and have had to face a cancer diagnosis on top. ADHD is subtle, and not easily detected, especially in women, unless you do the detective work. 'I want to raise awareness so that others are educated, and have a better chance of enjoying life, in all its fullness. I believe my life was saved in many ways, for many reasons, and sharing my story is just one of them.'
Wales Online
11-07-2025
- Health
- Wales Online
'Doctors said I had eczema, but the truth made me want to die'
'Doctors said I had eczema, but the truth made me want to die' Mum Rachel, 46, says when she got the diagnosis she considered letting her body 'die naturally' Rachel knew something wasn't right When a mysterious rash spread across Rachel Evans' body, doctors kept telling her it was just eczema. But Rachel, 46, knew something wasn't right. Struggling with unbearable itching, dizzy spells, nosebleeds, crushing fatigue and unexplained weight loss, she kept pushing for answers only to be told that everything was fine. "I couldn't manage my symptoms at all,' she says. 'The rash was unmanageable, it felt like there were insects crawling all over my body. I couldn't cope with the intense itchiness of that rash. I couldn't sleep and I couldn't work. It completely took over my day and night, and the fatigue I felt was intense." Rachel's symptoms began in 2020 and it was nearly two years before she was sent for a chest x-ray which showed a shadow on her lungs. A CT scan and biopsy finally revealed the truth; she had Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. At the time Rachel, married with a stepdaughter who is nearly 20 and a son, 10, was struggling with undiagnosed ADHD. 'Before my diagnosis I was so burnt-out from struggling with life and undiagnosed ADHD,' she says. 'I have two words for how I was feeling - survival mode. My doctors thought I would only have six months to live if I didn't have treatment. As I was emotionally dysregulated, I considered allowing my body to die from the cancer naturally. Rachel's symptoms began in 2020 and it was nearly two years before she was sent for a chest x-ray 'But then I was able to consider the needs of my son and so I decided to take the six months of ABVD chemotherapy. Everything happened really quickly. It was a very traumatic experience, more trauma on top of lifelong physical and emotional trauma caused by the ADHD. This developed into complex post traumatic distress after chemotherapy.' Article continues below Rachel's cancer treatment affected her and her family deeply, and the trauma was exacerbated by the sudden illness and death of her mother-in-law. She was left to care for her young son alone for several weeks while her husband was with his mother and then grieving with his father and sister. 'Our home life was already emotionally challenged due to my undiagnosed ADHD, and our son's undiagnosed ASD and ADHD, so the cancer treatment caused a massive nosedive in the atmosphere,' Rachel says. 'In addition to the physical and emotional suffering from chemotherapy, like the pain of the picc line going in, problems with them extracting blood, panic attacks before chemo sessions, excruciatingly painful haemorrhoids, bloating, tummy pain, weight gain, loss of taste, nausea and receding gums, we had to deal with the very sudden family bereavement.' Rachel went into remission in March 2023 and she is now much stronger physically, struggling only with climbing stairs or hills. 'My mental health has taken three years to recover,' she says. 'Thanks to ADHD medication, HRT for perimenopausal symptoms, psychotherapy, self educating, and finding therapy myself, I am fully ready to engage with the world again, not just restored, but transformed.' Rachel with her family Rachel, from Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, wants to tell her story to raise awareness of the symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma that are less common, not typical, and more unusual. "I wish that more health care professionals knew more about the symptoms - blood cancer is sneaky, and it hides in the shadows,' she says. 'I had a moveable painless lymph node, but not in my neck like most people get, it was in my jaw. This is uncommon, but not unknown. 'My weight loss was subtle because I was already quite slender, and the weight had dropped off gradually throughout the years. I had a history of eczema, and a history of depression and anxiety, and I think this history masked the root causes of the blood cancer and the ADHD.' Article continues below Rachel also says that struggling with both cancer and ADHD at the same time compounded the difficulties of going through her diagnosis and recovering. "I don't want any other human being to struggle the way I did, either physically, emotionally, or both,' she adds. 'I especially have a heart for women who have undiagnosed or diagnosed ADHD, and are perimenopausal, and have had to face a cancer diagnosis on top. ADHD is subtle, and not easily detected, especially in women, unless you do the detective work. 'I want to raise awareness so that others are educated, and have a better chance of enjoying life, in all its fullness. I believe my life was saved in many ways, for many reasons, and sharing my story is just one of them.'
7NEWS
09-06-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Sydney family in new health fight after parents and cousin diagnosed with different cancers
A Sydney family dealt three health blows in recent years is preparing for another cancer fight. Ross Taylor, 35, will start chemotherapy this week after he was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma. His diagnosis comes shortly after his cousin overcame the same rare cancer. It also follows the sad death of his father-in-law to brain cancer five years ago, while his mother-in-law is in remission following her battle with stage four follicular lymphoma. 'All I could think (when I was diagnosed) was about the future, my family, my business,' Ross, a dad to twin toddler boys and the owner of a plumbing operation that he launched, told 'You're always trying to climb and climb, but nothing can prepare you for this. 'I'm lucky to have amazing people around me.' One of his rocks, he says, is his wife Kayla, who was front and centre to the cruelty of cancer while a caregiver to her parents just a few years ago. 'She's been all over everything (in terms of planning),' Ross said. 'She looked into medications, booking appointments, on top of being a great mum and doing her work as well. 'I couldn't do it without her.' Taylor first noticed something was wrong six months ago after pulling up from a cross-fit competition with a sore back. Scans showed a fracture in his lower spine and two bulging disks, but he was expected to have healed in about six weeks with rest. When he was still in pain and essentially 'stuck', he went back to his doctor. 'It got to the point I couldn't walk,' Taylor said. Further scans identified a 10cm-round tumour on top of his heart, with cancer also in his spine, lungs, stomach and hips. Doctors confirmed he had Hodgkin lymphoma, a disease 800 Australians are diagnosed with every year. The average age at diagnosis is 44. Kayla said it was another cruel blow so soon after other members of their family had fallen sick. 'It's really hard — you think, 'he's too young for this',' she said. 'There's a lot of stress involved, especially with the business. 'I just want him to rest up so he can get better.' Beginning treatment Ross will begin chemotherapy — a new treatment called BrECADD — on Tuesday. '(BrECADD) has shown some promising results in clinical trials, being better tolerated and more effective than the eBEACOPP regimen in first-line treatment for adult patients with advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma,' the Leukaemia Foundation told 'Results suggest some patients on BrECADD had fewer side effects and better progression-free survival rates.' The foundation said that while most patients with Hodgkin lymphoma can be treated, 'some face poor prognoses and long-term side effects from treatment, including secondary malignancies, cardiovascular disease and infertility'. 'Hodgkin lymphoma patients who often experience poorer outcomes are those who don't respond well to treatment or relapse,' the foundation said. 'Current treatments include ABVD and eBEACOPP, with eBEACOPP being more intensive and effective but having higher toxicity. 'It is not yet clear to us if BrECADD compares favourably with ABVD, which can be the preferred treatment over eBEACOPP for many patients. 'The Leukaemia Foundation welcomes research into safer and more effective treatments for blood cancer, including lymphoma.' Each of Ross' six cycles will cost $15,000, a financial burden he thought he would have to shoulder himself because it is not currently covered by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or Medicare. But loved ones and strangers alike have come together to cover almost all of that $90,000 cost via a GoFundMe. 'We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the love and generosity shown to our family during the hardest time of our lives,' Ross said. 'Your support has not only eased the financial burden to help pay for my treatment, but it has lifted our spirts in ways words can't fully express. Thank you for standing with us, your kind words mean everything.' The active father, who is used to rising early to hit the gym before heading to work, spending time with his kids and then powering through late night emails, said it would be incredibly hard to take a step back. He said he would be off work for at least six months, and feared for the future of his business. 'I want to keep working through but the specialists basically said, 'nope, you will need some time to rest and recover',' he said. The Leukaemia Foundation said it would support BrECADD being listed on the PBS if the 'clinical data is strong enough'.
News18
02-05-2025
- Health
- News18
Her Itchy Legs And Fatigue Were Warning Signs Of Rare Cancer, But Doctors ‘Dismissed' Them
Last Updated: A CT scan revealed that Emma Simms has an 8 cm tumour in her chest, some of which had spread to her right lung. A woman in the UK was struggling with exhaustion, itchy legs and weight loss for years. She was diagnosed with cancer after her symptoms were initially 'dismissed" by the doctors. Emma Simms, a 32-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon, 'knew for years" that something was wrong, but she was repeatedly assured by doctors that she was fine. According to Bristol Live, Emma had been feeling fatigued and dealing with persistent itching on her legs, but her condition didn't improve. 'I was turned away three times by my GP and even ended up in A&E," Emma said. Despite undergoing blood tests and being reassured that she didn't have lymphoma, her symptoms continued to worsen. One doctor even assured her, 'You don't have leukemia, you don't have lymphoma. Everything's come back great." It wasn't until December last year that Emma was referred to the haematology department at Churchill Hospital in Oxford. There, a CT scan revealed the shocking truth: an 8 cm tumour in her chest, some of which had spread to her right lung. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a rare blood cancer. 'I was told over the phone a couple of weeks before the biopsy confirmed it, so I had a bit of time to get my head around it," Emma said. Still, seeing the scan and being faced with the reality of her condition left her shaken. 'How did this happen? How was it missed for so long?" she wondered. Before her diagnosis, Emma had been working for a tech marketing platform based in New Zealand. Exhausted all the time, she didn't have many hobbies. 'I didn't realise it was the cancer making me feel this way. Now that I know, I'm excited to change that." Her treatment began with an aggressive chemotherapy regimen. 'It was terrifying, but given how big the tumour was, I wanted to go in hard. I've just finished my second cycle, and if things look promising on my next scan, I'll be able to switch to a different chemo regimen called ABVD," Emma said. But the treatment came with challenges as Emma has been dealing with side effects like severe bone pain from injections, vomiting and weight gain due to steroids. Still, she remained resilient and even embraced the loss of her hair. 'I thought I'd wear my wig constantly, but I mostly just go bald now or wear a hat," she said. Emma has found a supportive community on TikTok where she shares her journey openly. 'Talking about my journey has connected me with so many amazing people. It really helps me feel less alone," she said. Her partner, Calvin, has been her biggest support. 'He's been incredible. I don't know how I'd manage without him." According to the Mayo Clinic, Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's immune system that helps fight infections. It starts when healthy cells in the lymphatic system grow uncontrollably. First Published:
