Health | Breast Cancer | Family

When a Slipped Disc Turned Out to Be Cancer Instead

My late wife’s health problems and cancer diagnosis

Part of the note Jane’s consultant wrote. Image provided by the author

Thirteen years ago today, Jane, my late wife, found out she had cancer.

I have pieced this story together from diary entries I made from 2008–2010. I had to fill in one or two gaps, but I think it is largely correct.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

During the 2000s, after we’d been together for about ten years, Jane suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. It would flare up every now and then, usually after she did something such as banging her knee on the desk at work.

A flare-up would typically involve her knee or ankle swelling up and becoming very painful for a few days.

It seemed to go into remission when she became pregnant in 2004, but it returned a few years later.

We had two children a year apart, and after her maternity leave finished, she returned to work. Before having children, she worked full-time. But she switched to part-time afterwards.

She spent two days in hospital and had 4 pints of blood!

Feeling run down