Millie Adamson Diagnosed With Hodgkin Lymphoma After Months of Dismissed Symptoms
Millie Adamson, a 27-year-old from Didsbury, Manchester, spent months seeking medical help for severe itching and alcohol-induced back pain before private health insurance scans revealed a large mass in her chest diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma. The cancer affects around 2,100 people in the UK each year, typically developing when white blood cells called lymphocytes multiply abnormally.
Alcohol Pain and Severe Itching Preceded the Chest Mass Discovery
The first unusual symptom appeared when a single glass of wine triggered immediate upper back pain and facial flushing, which a general practitioner initially diagnosed as a pulled muscle. By 2024, Adamson developed a deep, unbearable itch that left her using a spiky hairbrush on her legs until they bled. Between December 2024 and September 2025, she visited her GP at least five times, receiving prescriptions for moisturisers and antihistamines while doctors tested her for food and animal allergies. Her boyfriend eventually entered her symptoms into ChatGPT, which suggested Hodgkin lymphoma as a possibility.
Private Dermatologist Appointment Led to Scans and Biopsy
Frustrated by months of ineffective treatments and sleep deprivation that forced her and her boyfriend into separate beds, Adamson used her workplace private health insurance in September 2025 to consult a dermatologist. When initial treatments for suspected hives failed, the specialist ordered a chest X-ray. Unclear results led to a second X-ray and a subsequent CT scan, which uncovered the large mass in her chest. A subsequent tissue biopsy confirmed Hodgkin lymphoma and replicated the exact back pain she had previously experienced when drinking alcohol.
Intensive Treatment and Return to Normal Life
Adamson completed six cycles of intensive chemotherapy that caused hair loss and severe breathlessness, followed by 15 sessions of proton beam therapy that concluded in the spring. Having resumed her job, she is back playing netball and going to the gym, alongside training for a half marathon this November to collect donations for The Christie cancer centre. Hodgkin lymphoma rates in the UK have risen by more than a third since the early 1990s, with rates among women increasing by 31 per cent since 2019.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lymphoma Symptoms
What are the less common warning signs of Hodgkin lymphoma?
While swollen lymph glands in the neck, armpit or groin are the best-known indicators, Professor Graham Collins, consultant haematologist and lymphoma lead at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, notes that masses can grow in deep chest glands to cause breathlessness and coughs, or in the abdomen to cause bloating and discomfort. Additional warning signs include drenching night sweats, unexplained weight loss, and fevers without obvious infections.
Why does drinking alcohol cause pain in some lymphoma patients?
Research suggests that only five per cent of patients will suffer this symptom.
What causes the severe itching associated with the disease?
According to Professor Collins, skin growth of the cancer itself is rarely responsible for this phenomenon. Instead, lymphoma can trigger inflammation in the body, releasing chemicals which irritate the skin or nerve endings.