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Ella Scott
A man attending a family wedding who complained about being a little ‘fatigued’ afterwards had no idea he was suffering form a serious, underlying disease.
So, you’ve partied a little harder than you expected at a big event and you’re a bit rundown afterwards. Normal, right?
That’s initially what 32-year-old Ricky Duggal believed after experiencing exhaustion symptoms a week on from his cousin’s wedding.
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In July 2023, the medical expert complained about back pain and fatigue, causing him to book a life-changing doctor’s appointment.
“I had had back pain before – dentists often get it because of our bad posture whilst working with patients,” Dugga told LeedsLive. “I went to the physio who loosened it all up but it didn’t seem to make much difference.
"I was also waking up with night sweats and I had a purple bruise on my leg.”
Duggal explained his worry intensified when he realised he couldn't bench what he was used to at the gym.
After noticeably losing strength, pounding headaches began to manifest at the back of his head.
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“This was the symptom that worried me the most,” he admitted.
Deciding to take his health into his own hands, Duggal booked in to see his GP within 10 days of exhibiting the strange symptoms.
It’s understood the Leeds native was immediately referred to a local hospital due to worries he was suffering from a bleed on the brain.
Duggal complained that he felt his doctor was ‘overreacting a bit’, causing him to dumb-down his symptoms.
When he got to A&E, he was tested for viral meningitis and had a computed tomography (CT) scan.
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“I’m quite a relaxed person and still thought everything would come back fine,” he confessed to the publication.
After completing all the assigned tests, Duggal received results that showed he had a raised white blood cell count - with the doctor’s delivery of the news raising ‘alarm bells’.
Due to the worrying outcome, he was asked to stay overnight in the hospital and gave 12 vials worth of blood to be sampled.
After spending the night in the institution with his wife, Simi, doctors announced he would have to undergo a bone marrow biopsy to ‘rule out anything sinister’.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a bone marrow biopsy’s purpose is to show whether the cells present are abnormal.
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It’s also a way for your healthcare provider to diagnose blood disorders or more serious diseases such as cancer.
Later, Duggal was informed that he had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
The NHS has chalked ALL up as a rare type of cancer that specifically affects a person’s blood and their bone marrow, too.
While symptoms aren’t always obvious at first, they do resemble those that Duggal exhibited after his family wedding: tiredness, headaches, and pain in the bones or joints.
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More common symptoms of ALL include looking more pale than usual, exhibiting a high temperature, and suffering from swollen glands.
Duggal spent five weeks solid in hospital and chemotherapy within the hour after being diagnosed with ALL diagnosis on 11 August 2023.
Recounting the ordeal, the married man claimed his illness had been a ‘huge shock’ and that he credits his wife and family for seeing him through the tough time.
After being given the green light to leave hospital, he returned home where he allegedly suffered from short breathless and accepting ‘life was not as it was before’.
Soon after the dentist’s completed his first cycle of chemotherapy, doctors announced he was in remission.
Despite tests coming back clear, he has since undergone a second cycle in November, and a third a month later.
After three rounds of ALL treatment, Duggal says his life has changed dramatically.
“I’ve learnt to slow down and create a new routine, going for walks and reading books,” he said.
He added that his 2025 New Year’s Resolution would be to begin maintenance chemo in the summer, which is expected to last around two years.
You can continue to follow Ricky Duggal's health journey on Instagram, here.