'Although I am not normally someone who worries about things, I was a little disturbed when I found a lump in my armpit one day while I was having a shower. Because life had been pretty much the same as normal, I was not unduly concerned, but I went to see my family doctor anyway to make sure that every thing was fine.

'My doctor asked me how long I had the lump under my arm, and, although I had only spotted it recently, I could not really say. He explained that it was a swollen lymph node and, as I was feeling well otherwise, he suggested I see a general surgeon at the hospital, who would take a biopsy of the lump to see what was causing it.

'The surgeon explained that the lump could be the result of any number of things, and told me to come back in a couple of weeks when the results of the biopsy would be available. I was not really worried, as I was feeling well, but the lab report showed that I had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I did not know what that would mean, as I had not known of anyone with the disease. But the surgeon reassured me that there were many treatment options for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and referred me on to an oncologist in the same hospital.

'When I went back to the hospital to see the oncologist, she talked to me about how I had been feeling and how my clothes were fitting. A strange question, I thought, but I realised that I had steadily been losing weight over the past few months, as my appetite had become quite poor. A series of tests were also carried out, including a CT scan, bone marrow biopsy and an LDH blood test. The results, which were available on my next visit two weeks later, showed that I had active non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with swollen lymph nodes in my armpit, chest and abdomen. As my bone marrow was also involved, the oncologist told me that I had stage IV indolent follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and would need treatment straight away.

'Over the next 6 months, I had six cycles of chemotherapy. A CT scan taken halfway through the treatment to see how I was getting on showed that I had a partial response. More importantly, I started to get my appetite back and felt like I had more energy. I realised at that point that I had been feeling very tired even before I first went to see the doctor, which I just thought was because I was working hard and had just turned 60 years of age.

'The oncologist told me that I would need a CT scan every six months to make sure that the lymphoma had not come back. These showed that, although the swollen lymph nodes had not disappeared, they had not increased in size and were stable. Then, in 2002, when I was between scans, I suddenly lost a lot of weight, I started to have night sweats, and my abdomen became swollen and my trousers became tight around my waist.

'I called up the oncology team, and they gave me another CT scan, a bone marrow biopsy and an LDH blood test. These showed that my swollen lymph nodes had got a lot bigger and lymph fluid was collecting in my abdomen. The team drained the fluid, which made me feel a lot better, and removed a lymph node from my abdomen for analysis, as they could not find any suitable nodes in my armpit. This showed that the lymphoma had transformed from low-grade to high-grade, aggressive disease.

'To tackle the sudden change in the disease, the oncologist suggested that I have a combination of chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapy. I was quite relieved to be able to have the treatment initially as an outpatient, despite the fact that I lost all my hair and felt very tired. However, I developed a infection and had to be admitted to hospital.

'Nevertheless, the treatment got rid of my aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leaving me with the indolent disease that I had before. Although the swollen lymph nodes did not disappear, my condition has stabilised, and I am currently feeling well and able to continue with my work at the university.'