A fitness trainer has opened up about how he was diagnosed with cancer, explaining how he ‘brushed off’ an ’embarrassing’ symptom.
Dilan Patel, from Ilford in the UK was age 25 and living a normal life when he started to notice some unusual symptoms.
Taking to his TikTok, @dnafitnessuk, Dilan explained how his body was ‘screaming at him’ for two years, but he always put the unusual symptoms down to something else, whether it was working hard in his career or pushing it at the gym.
“You won’t believe it… I was 25 years old, living my life like any other young adult – working hard, working out, hanging with friends, and trying to figure out my future,” he wrote on the video sharing platform.
“Life felt normal. I had no reason to think anything was wrong. But then something strange started happening.”
Dilan explained that the unusual symptom would happen in the middle of the night, but he didn’t think much of it at the time.
“I’d wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat,” he continued. “I mean SOAKED. My clothes, my bed – everything would be wet. It happened 2-3 times every single night. At first, I just thought, ‘Maybe I’m getting too hot under the covers?’ So I brushed it off.
“Weeks turned into months, and the night sweats didn’t stop. Looking back now, there were other signs, too. I was exhausted all the time, but I just thought it was because I was working long hours.
“My skin was unbelievably itchy – so much so that I carried lotion around with me everywhere, convinced it was just dry skin. I even noticed lumps on my neck, but I thought they were my muscles growing from all my workouts at the gym.
“Everything had an explanation – or so I thought.”
Dilan explained how after two years of symptoms, he started feeling worse, so went to see his doctor.
@dnafitnessuk You won’t believe it… I was 25 years old, living my life like any other young adult – working hard, working out, hanging with friends, and trying to figure out my future. Life felt normal. I had no reason to think anything was wrong. But then something strange started happening. I’d wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. I mean SOAKED. My clothes, my bed – everything would be wet. It happened 2-3 times every single night. At first, I just thought, ‘Maybe I’m getting too hot under the covers?’ So I brushed it off. Weeks turned into months, and the night sweats didn’t stop. Looking back now, there were other signs, too. I was exhausted all the time, but I just thought it was because I was working long hours. My skin was unbelievably itchy – so much so that I carried lotion around with me everywhere, convinced it was just dry skin. I even noticed lumps on my neck, but I thought they were my muscles growing from all my workouts at the gym. Everything had an explanation – or so I thought. But eventually, I started feeling worse so I went to the doctor. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what they told me. At just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Five tumours. It had even spread to my lung. I couldn’t believe it. I’d spent so long brushing off my symptoms, convincing myself they weren’t a big deal. But my body had been screaming at me for almost 2 years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s to pay attention to your body. Those little signs and symptoms? They’re there for a reason. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
It was during this time that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
“But eventually, I started feeling worse so I went to the doctor. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what they told me,” recalled Dilan. “At just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“Five tumours. It had even spread to my lung. I couldn’t believe it. I’d spent so long brushing off my symptoms, convincing myself they weren’t a big deal.
“But my body had been screaming at me for almost two years. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience, it’s to pay attention to your body.
“Those little signs and symptoms? They’re there for a reason. Don’t wait until it’s too late.”
Hodgkin lymphoma mostly affects people between the age of 20 and 40 and those over 75, with slightly more men than women diagnosed with the illness.
It is a relatively aggressive cancer and can quickly spread, but it is also one of the most easily treated.
Symptoms include night sweats; unintentional weight loss; a fever; a persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness and persistent itching of the skin.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
