"I feel silly, because I never queried the lump behind my ear..."
When Sophie found a painful lump behind her ear, she and her GP believed it would go away on its own. Some weeks later, she discovered the truth.
This is her story...
My story starts early in 2021, while I was pregnant with my second child. I noticed a large lump behind my right ear and also felt discomfort there. I did go to my GP a few times, but after being told I had an ear infection twice, then an enlarged lymph node and prescribed an ear spray to clear this, I thought it was something that would eventually go away. But the pain continued and the lump remained.
Then, one Saturday in April, I experienced a lot of sickness. I had been experiencing morning sickness, but this was much more severe and I was taken to A&E by my partner. They admitted me overnight on a maternity ward and I was given fluids to rehydrate. Hyperemesis gravidarum was ruled out and within 48 hours I was discharged.
Looking back, I feel silly, because I never queried the lump behind my ear while I was there.
Fast forward a few weeks, and I still had the lump behind my ear. I finished work one day and my partner noticed that something wasn’t quite right with my smile. It looked like I had a stroke, but the muscle weakness had only affected my face. This meant another trip to A&E, where I was was told I had Bell’s palsy*. I was prescribed steroids and these made the lump go away.
[* Bell's palsy is temporary weakness or lack of movement that usually affects 1 side of the face. Treatment with steroids can help and most people get better within 6 months.]
Due to my Bell’s palsy I had follow up appointments at the hospitals ENT clinic. During this time, the lump behind my ear returned. I brought this up with the clinic and they completed some further investigations. I spent a good few visits and hours in that clinic waiting room but will be forever grateful to those doctors, as they were the ones who referred me for a biopsy. Following the biopsy I had an MRI and then I was referred to the haematology clinic.
I went into my first meeting with my consultant (pre-diagnosis) feeling rather optimistic and thinking it would be nothing major. Unfortunately the diagnosis was a diffuse large b cell lymphoma - a form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I was 24 weeks pregnant.
It was difficult news for my partner and I to process. I was in complete shock. Not only was I pregnant, but our eldest daughter was only five years old at the time.
I started R-CHOP chemotherapy 2 days later, having 6 rounds in total, further MRI scans and then a break to have my daughter. She was brought into the world a few weeks early, but perfectly healthy.
After about a month of her being with us, I was keen to get the remainder of my chemotherapy completed. This time I had a picc line fitted ready for an inpatient round of methotrexate. I was fine having this and had no major reactions, but it was hard being away from my family during this time. I went in to the hospital on a Sunday evening and was discharged on a Thursday. This was followed by continuation of R-CHOP then another round of methotrexate as an inpatient. After all chemotherapy was completed, it felt like I was part of a very long waiting game.
I was able to have my final scan, a PET scan, around April/May 2022. Waiting for the results was incredibly nerve wrecking, but I found out a few weeks later I was in remission! I continued with check-up appointments every 6 months at the hospital and was officially discharged from hospital July 2024. My Star Baby is now an energetic 3 year old!
I’m incredibly grateful for the support I received from everyone in my hospital and especially my partner and family who were amazing during what was a difficult time for them as well.
My advice for anyone diagnosed whilst pregnant or just given birth is: seek whatever support you can. It can be an incredibly scary time however, having support from family, Mummy’s Star or any other organisation can help massively.
Sophie x
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