Listen to this article:Never let it be said that a trip to your local bingo hall is bad for your health. In fact, as one man from Wednesbury recently found out, it can be life-saving.
Paul Nightingale, a 62-year-old ex-smoker who lives with his wife Heather and child Clay, was invited to undergo a Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) at a specialist scanning van parked in the Mecca Bingo carpark in Oldbury. He was invited as part of a new NHS initiative that aims to detect the early-stage signs of cancer.
The scan led to clinicians at the Sandwell and West Birmingham NGS Trust finding a nine-centimetre abdominal aortic aneurysm and just over a fortnight later, he was having life-saving surgery. Speaking after his surgery, Nightingale said:
“A trip to the bingo basically saved my life. I’d gone along to check-up which only took around 30 minutes, and was told it would take three to four weeks to receive the result. So I carried on with my usual activities, including my job which involved transporting cars from around the country back to Sandwell.
Four days after the scan, I’d flown to Edinburgh to fetch a car from auction. I’d just got off the plane and turned my phone back on, and a text came in saying I had an appointment at Sandwell Hospital’s vascular surgery department.”
Clearly, the scan had uncovered something that needed urgent further investigation and Nightingale likely felt some trepidation when he went for the appointment.
“When I went to the appointment, they told me they’d had something back from the lung health check, showing I had an abdominal aortic aneurysm estimated to be five centimetres in size.
They did a further ultrasound scan that day and found that it was in fact nine centimetres and quite critical. I was shocked as I was in no pain but in hindsight, the only symptom I had was a pulse in my stomach that I could feel when I was lying down.”
Just two weeks later, he was admitted to Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital, where he had abdominal aortic aneurysm open-repair surgery, which took approximately five hours. He then spent five days recovering in hospital but was back home in time to celebrate Clay’s 21st birthday.
Following the experience, Nightingale is calling on others to make an appointment.
“If you’ve had a message from your GP, for God’s sake, go. Sandwell’s lung health check saved my life, and it could save yours, too.”
There is currently a national drive taking place to screen current and ex-smokers between the ages of 55 and 74 for problems relating to their lungs. The TLHC drive began in Sandwell earlier this year and it aims to screen all those eligible by the end of next year.
Steve Nelson, TLHC programme manager at the trust, explained:
“The lung health check programme aims to detect lung cancer early, however, as in this case, it may detect other conditions requiring treatment. The service is delivered at a community-based location with the support of local businesses, who provide free parking for patients, making appointments easy and convenient to attend.”
There is no doubt that the TLHCs are extremely important and should be undergone by everyone who has the opportunity. At the same time, there is no reason not to enjoy the rest of what Mecca Bingo Oldbury has to offer.
For instance, between now and Sunday, 15th December, the club is running its Big Big Christmas promotion. Over the coming days, the club will be giving out free gifts, running plenty of special offers, and hosting games with extra-large prizes. There will also be a Christmas party and some fantastic chances for enjoyable nights out. For more details, you can visit the online Mecca Bingo website.
We do not sell or share your information with anyone. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Latest
