A personal journey ends in relief

Let me start by saying that this post is not about recruitment or technology, so feel free to move on now.

I would also like to add that I an in no way as brave as our friend and colleague Steve Newson, who has been sharing his own very personal journey in his battle against cancer very openly. If you know Steve (or even if you don't) and haven't read his posts, please do so here.

Why am I writing this then?  Well, perhaps to see if just one person will move away from Procrastination and take action to ensure your health, mental and physical.

The back story:  I discovered about a year ago that I had a lump/tumour in my back under my shoulder blade.  Long story short, I had what my physio determined was a 'snapping scapula' - my shoulder blade made all sorts of lovely clicks, clacks and movements - which was annoying, mildly uncomfortable and affected movement in both shoulders.  After some amazing detective work on his part, he found out about a relatively rare condition (for men in particular) called an elastofibroma - a fatty growth under the muscles. We did the usual round of MRIs, local specialists and eventually to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, the top place in the country for bone growths and tumours surgery.  Diagnosis confirmed -with the upside that it was 99.99% going to be benign.  The only way to be sure would be to take it out, as due to its location any form of needle based biopsy would not be possible.

So, what did I do?  Waffled for 12 months.  Surgery would have to happen - but it was never the 'right time'. Those of you who, like me, run your own business, will understand.  Taking a week or two off (no concrete rule on how long the effect of surgery, or impact on the shoulder movement) means nobody is minding the store.

Went back to see the head of the department in Birmingham this spring who answered some of our questions on post event impact, confirmed that the only way to be 100% sure of it being benign was to cut it out and finally agreed that late July, early August was the best time to do this.  Turned down a slot in June and finally went under the knife 10 days ago.  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that the ROH team were fantastic, the Ward 12 staff incredible  and the whole process could not have been smoother. And, the good news came in the post over the weekend, confirming that the growth is completely benign.

Why then, might you ask, am I boring you with all of this now?  Because for 12 months this has been hanging over our heads, always in the background are the 'What if?' questions - What if it is malignant? What if it has spread? What if during surgery the back/shoulder muscles are damaged?What if.........

You get the drift.

Relief for both of us now from all those questions. We know I am OK, no Cancer.  Post-op recovery and its blips are just a pain in the rear end, not life threatening.  Getting back to full speed for work is just a matter of time and mind over matter, so to speak.  I met some incredible people, fighting cancer every day.  My ward mate Gordon, who has been beating bone cancer for 6 years, just had a hip (and more) replacement.  No tears, no drama, just getting on with it - embracing life and all that it brings. And, by the way, he showed me some very cool iPhone and IPad apps for artists - creating amazing original work with today's technology.

So, if you think you have something going on, please get it checked out.  Don't wait.  If nothing else, getting rid of the 'What if?' questions will make you and your loved ones a whole lot happier.  And, if there is something there, catching it early absolutely increases your chances of a better life ahead.

If you want to talk to me about my experience, or your own, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Comments

[Campus Recruitment Company]

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[David Monreal]

Good to hear everything is well. Great news.

David

[Alan Whitford]

Thank you to everyone who has replied both here and via Twitter. I appreciate your taking the time to read a story that can be, at times, uncomfortable. More importantly, checking out Steve Newson's latest post really brings my small journey into real perspective. http://stevenewson.posterous.com/the-long-and-winding-blog-post

[Sara Headworth]

That's great news Alan ! Hopefully you can relax now,(because its very stressful worrying) and recuperate fully,we look forward to seeing you soon
From Andy and Sara Headworth X

[Etienne Besson]

Alan, you had me quite worried for the first couple of lines. But I'm glad that everything turned out fine and I enjoyed reading this post with a happy ending!

[Alex Hens]

great to hear Alan. Now get exercising that shoulder with some serious glass raising & stretching it out with plenty of hugs to those nearest and dearest who've supported you through this ;)

[Tracey Dunn]

Glad you are ok and yes - just do it!

[Stephenodonn]

I'm really glad it's worked out well Alan. I'd hate to be in that position, and can definitely relate to the self-employed/ time-off dilemma.

As I'm sure everyone will agree, it's the not-knowing that would be the thing that torments most. My inclination is always to shorten the time worrying as much as possible, by stopping everything until I had an answer, one way or another.
I hope you'll be fine for tennis sometime soon.

[James Mayes]

As one of my business partners says regularly - JFDI. Just F do it. The paralysis of not knowing can often be worse than the event itself. Glad to hear all is well and no other complications arose. A celebratory beer must be in order! J.