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Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Dingwall Father Had Thigh Bone as Thin as a Coke Can After Incurable Cancer Went Unnoticed for Six Months

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A Dingwall father left with a thigh bone “as thin as a Coke can” after his incurable blood cancer went unnoticed for six months has joined the race to find the 851 people living with undiagnosed myeloma in the UK.

James Rice was diagnosed with myeloma in May 2021, six months after first experiencing stiffness in his hip.

He was just 52.

By the time his incurable blood cancer was caught, the cancer had begun to eat away at his thigh bone.

It was, James was told, “as thin as a Coke can”.

As Myeloma Awareness Week (June 19-15) gets underway, the retired police officer is teaming up with charity Myeloma UK to #FIND THE 851 patients who remain undiagnosed in the UK.

As part of the campaign, he is urging the public to learn the tell-tale symptoms, rule themselves out and spread the word about myeloma.

“I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the X-ray,” said the father-of-three.

“There was a black hole where my bone should be.

“But I was fortunate in the end.

“If my leg had shattered, I couldn’t have got back to where I am now.”

The 54-year-old added:

“It’s really important to raise awareness.

“I guarantee most of the people I know who became aware of my diagnosis would have said, ‘What is that?’.

“You never know, someone might find out about the symptoms and say, ‘My father has been complaining about his back…’.

“It’s that old adage: if the awareness is there, you’re more likely to raise the questions with your GP.

“And men are the worst for going to their GP – I hadn’t been to my GP for 10-15 years.”

Myeloma affects 2,000 in Scotland.

And around 5,900 people are diagnosed with myeloma in the UK each year.

But during the pandemic, myeloma saw a drop in diagnoses, with confirmed cases down by 851 compared to pre-COVID expectations.

Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, myeloma is already frequently missed, as its symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are vague and often linked to general ageing or minor conditions. 

1 in 4 people wait more than 10 months for a diagnosis.

These are some of the longest delays out of any cancer in the UK. 

While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases.

Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.

Myeloma UK Chief Executive Sophie Castell said:

“We know that during the pandemic fewer people were diagnosed with myeloma than expected.

“This means that around 851 people could be unaware that they are living with blood cancer.

“The common symptoms are back pain, fatigue, recurring infections or easily broken bones. 

“The most important thing people can do is rule themselves out by checking their symptoms and, if anything isn’t right, go see their GP. 

“It might take more than one appointment for your doctor to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

“So please keep pushing or ask for a second opinion. 

“Together we’ll find the missing 851.”

James didn’t think much of it when he began experiencing stiffness in his hip.

But by the time he went on a walking holiday to Skye in November 2020, the discomfort became hard to ignore.

“I would stiffen up and I would limp after a walk and the next walk I would be fine again.

“It progressed from there, but I thought it was a sports or overuse injury.”

He started seeing a physiotherapist but far from improving the pain got worse. 

Eventually his concerned physio consulted James’s GP.

James was booked in for an X-ray.

The scan showed his “thigh bone was not far off breaking.”

He was swiftly diagnosed with myeloma.

“The X-ray was done to rule out myeloma but it ruled it straight in,” he said.

“The bone was as thin as a Coke can.

“It was a bit of a shock obviously. 

“But they told me I could get an average of 10 years.

“All I was thinking at the time was, I’ve got a little bit of time.

“I took comfort from that.

“You’ve got to hope for the best case.”

James had to have a pin the length of his thighbone put in his leg, and was left relying on crutches and a walking stick for months.

It took a year for him to start walking, cycling and golfing properly again.

He also received chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant in October 2021. 

He has been in remission ever since.

“It took the best part of a year to get back to what you might call normal,” he explained.

“There’s quite a long road ahead once you’re diagnosed.

“One thing I’ve learned is to let people help,” added James who decided to take early retirement after his diagnosis.

“When I first got back to playing golf, I felt I was getting a bit of my life back.

“Now I just take it one day at a time and I don’t think too much about it.

“I cycle, walk and golf so I’m pretty good.”

In fact, last April James and his daughter Katie braved the wind and cold to cycle 66 miles around Loch Ness in aid of Myeloma UK and raised just shy of £3,000.

“It was about raising funds for the whole package really: research, trials and care and to raise awareness of the symptoms,” he said.

“It might be a drop in the ocean but it all adds up in the end.”

Rule yourself out and Help Find the 851 by visiting https://www.myeloma.org.uk/Find-The-851 (from June 19 onwards).

Myeloma UK runs an Infoline on 0800 980 3332.

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