Nick Whitehead from Newton Aycliffe is lucky to be here. Seven years on from being diagnosed with lung cancer, Nick remains cancer free. But things could have been very different…
Nick had visited his GP on several occasions for various reasons – back pain, night sweats and finger clubbing – over an 18-month period. During several visits, Nick mentioned that he was also suffering with a persistent cough. Each time, he was told it was just a smoker’s cough.
However, whilst Nick was working away, he coughed up some blood and ended up in A&E.
“The cough hadn’t really worried me until then,” Nick recalls. “I’d had it that long – about two years – at this point, so I think I’d just got used to it. I was still smoking at the time, so being told it was a smoker’s cough made sense. My wife, however, was more concerned and I guess she was right to be…”
Stage 3 lung cancer
Nick’s trip to A&E marked the start of his diagnosis – stage 3b lung cancer. He was initially given just a 50% chance of surviving for five years. Fortunately, and in spite of the significant delays he faced, Nick underwent surgery and chemotherapy and is now cancer-free.
“Looking back on my diagnosis,” Nick continues, “I can see that there were many missed opportunities to be diagnosed earlier.
“We’re constantly told that a persistent cough is a sign of lung cancer so it’s odd that I wasn’t sent for an x-ray at the very least. Did being labelled a ‘smoker’ impact this inaction? I don’t know.
“I think I wasn’t sent for tests because I was so fit. As a scuba diver, my lung capacity is good, so I wasn’t short of breath. I think this is why it was just put down to just a smoker’s cough.”
Helping others
Whilst Nick doesn’t lay any blame, he wanted to share his story as part of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation’s Let Go of the Labels campaign to stop others from enduring similar delays.
“It’s time we stop thinking about lung cancer in terms of smoking or non-smoking,” Nick concludes “because it’s clearly having an impact on how long it’s taking people to get diagnosed.
“I hit all the warning signs – I had smoked for decades. I had a persistent cough. I had back pain and clubbing of the fingers. But I was never sent for an x-ray. Surely this suggests we need a new approach because there are thousands of people who aren’t as lucky as I was.”
For more information about the campaign or if you are concerned about lung cancer symptoms, visit roycastle.org