Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell’s battle with most cancers – first signs
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell urged others to “take charge of their own health” as he shared the story of his personal cancer prognosis.
The former Dio and Whitesnake member found he had Hodgkin lymphoma after present process a biopsy in 2013.
However, Vivian – from Northern Ireland – had truly began experiencing signs on the finish of 2011 when he suffered from a cough that wouldn’t go away.
Speaking to charity Lymphoma Action in 2013 he mentioned: “Whenever I exerted myself, the cough got worse and this went on for three to four months.
“So I went to see my doctor in Los Angeles, where I live. He suggested I might just be taking some time to get over the infection.
“But the cough got worse and by June 2012, when the band were about to start a US tour, I was coughing all the time. The more I pushed myself, the worse it got.
“When I was singing – and with Def Leppard there are lots of vocals – I found the cough was just atrocious and it was so draining.”
His physician despatched him for a CT scan which revealed he had enlarged lymph nodes, whereas blood exams confirmed he was extraordinarily anaemic.
Vivian, now 60, recalled how he confirmed “all the classic symptoms” of the illness.
“The oncologist was asking me questions and I was ticking all the boxes: ‘Do you have night sweats?’, ‘Yes, I’ve had them for the last 10 months’; ‘Are your legs itchy?’, ‘ Yes, how did you know?’” he mentioned.
“I hadn’t been on the scales but I could tell I’d lost weight. My clothes were very loose and I certainly wasn’t dieting – I had all the classic symptoms of lymphoma.
“But they didn’t know for certain what my diagnosis was until they did a biopsy of a gland in my neck.
“They told me that it was Hodgkin lymphoma. I had heard the term ‘Hodgkin lymphoma’ and ‘non-Hodgkin lymphoma‘ before but did not know they were forms of cancer.”
A bone marrow biopsy revealed it was stage 2B lymphoma, which Vivian mentioned meant it had been caught “pretty early”.
Vivian underwent chemotherapy and continued performing whereas doing so.
He additionally had stem-cell remedy in 2014 and has since been a part of a trial for a drug referred to as Keytruda, which he’s given each month.
While this is not going to remedy his most cancers it has meant he’s “not getting any worse”, he instructed the Belfast Telegraph in 2019.
What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma is a uncommon kind of most cancers that develops within the lymphatic system, which is a community of vessels and glands unfold all through your physique.
Due to the placement of lymph nodes the commonest signs are a painless swelling within the neck, armpit or groin.
According to the NHS, it might probably additionally trigger:
- Night sweats
- Unintentional weight reduction
- A excessive temperature (fever)
- A persistent cough or feeling of breathlessness
- Persistent itching of the pores and skin everywhere in the physique.
If you expertise any indicators it is best to communicate to your GP.