Bingo trip saves Wednesbury dad's life after he finds 'strange' pulse in stomach

A 62-year-old dad from Wednesbury credits his life as being saved by making a trip to bingo. Former smoker Paul Nightingale was given an NHS lung health check in a specialist scanning van in the car park of Mecca Bingo in Oldbury.

Four days later, the dad-of-one just arrived at Edinburgh airport when he received a text telling him he'd got an appointment at Sandwell Hospital. Doctors later told him they'd discovered a 9cm abdominal aortic aneurysm, and he needed to undergo urgent surgery.

Two weeks later, Paul underwent a five-hour abdominal aortic aneurysm open-repair surgery at a hospital in Birmingham. He spent five days recovering and was discharged just in time for his child's, Clay, 21st birthday.

READ MORE: Wintry set for Peaky Blinders film crews at Netherton's Bumble Hole and Warrens Hall Nature Reserve

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join

Paul, who lives with his child Clay and wife Heather, said: "A trip to the bingo basically saved my life. I’d gone along to a 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."

Paul had gone to the check-up as part of a new NHS initiative aimed at detecting any early-stage signs of cancer. He continued: "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 5cm in size.

"They did a further ultrasound scan that day and found that it was, in fact, 9cm 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." He added: "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."

Targeted Lung Health Checks (TLHC) are a national drive to screen current and ex-smokers aged between 55 and 74 for any signs of lung problems. It was rolled out in Sandwell earlier this year and aims to scan all eligible residents by the end of next year.

Steve Nelson, TLHC programme manager at Sandwell MHS trust added: "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."