A CAFFEINE addict was given just a few years to live after mistaking her headaches and brain fog for coffee withdrawal.
Abi Feltham, 36, started drinking up to 12 cups of coffee a day after kicking her alcohol habit
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Having struggled with drug and alcohol addiction since the age of 14, Abi had been sober for four years when she noticed her coffee consumption was reaching extreme levels.
She decided to reduce her intake in November 2023 and started having headaches, nausea and mental confusion.
Having previously gone through alcohol withdrawal, she attributed her symptoms to her body’s craving for caffeine.
But when they persisted and she struggled with double vision, Abi went to the doctor and an ophthalmologist.
Following a CT scan and MRI, the 36-year-old was told they had detected something that could be malignant and she was taken in for brain surgery the following day.
Doctors found and drained a cyst in his brain, which was pushing out a tumor.
After a second surgery to remove 90% of the growth, Abi was diagnosed with a grade three oligodendroglioma – a rare type of brain tumor – and told she had around 15 years left to live.
She is now undergoing radiation therapy, which will be followed by a round of chemotherapy, but says her previous recovery from addiction helped her cope with her cancer diagnosis.
Abi, a content creator from Richmond, London, said: “Last year I stopped drinking caffeine.
“I had all these symptoms, but as I went through alcohol withdrawal, I thought it was caffeine withdrawal.
“I was having headaches, vomiting and mental confusion.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting a brain tumor, but I wasn’t shocked.
“It’s a big deal for me.
“As I have overcome previous difficulties, I can see that these things don’t last forever.
“These experiences are really terrible, but there is a life after them.”
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Quitting ‘cold turkey’
Abi spent 17 years of her life as an alcoholic, after turning to drink to cope with the loss of her father.
At worst, she drank two 700ml bottles of whiskey and beer a day.
But Abi was “cold Peru” in April 2020 after returning to her childhood home during the pandemic and has been sober ever since.
She got a stable job and met her partner, Stefan Winder, 30, a personal trainer.
But as an addict, Abi realized she had developed an unhealthy caffeine habit.
She said: “I was drinking a ridiculous amount.
“I drank 12 cups of coffee a day.”
I was waking up in the middle of the night screaming in pain
Abi Feltham
Abi gave up caffeine and put her symptoms down to withdrawal, but when they started again at Easter this year, she went to the doctor.
Initially, she was told she had sinusitis and was given antibiotics.
But when Abi’s symptoms persisted and she started having vision problems, she went to the ophthalmologist in May 2024.
She said: “I was waking up in the middle of the night screaming in pain.
“I got to the point where I had double vision.”
‘Rollercoaster of emotions’
Abi was told that her optic nerve was swollen and was eventually referred to St Mary’s Hospital in London, where she had an MRI and a CT scan.
She said: “The doctor came in and said there was definitely something there. It could be malignant.”
She was told she needed a craniotomy soon next day – to drain the cyst in the brain and take a biopsy of the tumor.
Abi said: “They opened my skull.
“They explained that there was a cyst and a tumor. The cyst was getting bigger and bigger and pushing against the tumor – causing the symptoms.
My perspective when it comes to these things is one day at a time. I focus on the future. I have so much life to do
Abi Feltham
“If the cyst hadn’t been there, it probably wouldn’t have been detected.”
Abi’s vision improved immediately, but she was told she would need a second surgery later that month.
She said: “He said he is a lot more aggressive than we thought.
“He said ‘we’re going to have to go in and remove as much as possible’.”
Abi was prepared for the worst – as she was warned the surgery could paralyze her – but doctors at Charing Cross Hospital managed to remove 90% of the tumor.
Abi was then informed of her official diagnosis.
She said: “He said it was incurable.
“He said ‘I estimate about 15 years’.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions.”
‘Life on hold’
Abi started radiation therapy in July and will have a round of chemotherapy later this year.
She tries to stay positive and is looking forward to her life after treatment.
Abi said: “It feels like my life is on hold at the moment.
“I’ve indulged in self-pity before.
“When I was in the depths of addiction, I went into victim mentality.
The most common symptoms of a brain tumor
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumor every year – of which around half are cancerous – with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the deadliest cancer in children and adults under 40, according to the Brain Tumor Charity.
Brain tumors reduce life expectancy by an average of 27 years, with just 12% of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumors growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumors can start in the brain or spread from other parts of the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumors can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Be sick
- Memory Problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, especially a headache that is different to the ones you normally experience, you should visit your family doctor.
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“This made me sink deeper and deeper into despair.
“I was just making things worse.
“I’m in this situation now. I know that if I start to get depressed or feel sorry for myself, it will only make things worse.
“Of course there are times when I am really angry or sad. I don’t leave them aside, I let myself feel them.
“My perspective when it comes to these things is one day at a time.
“I focus on future. I have so much to live for.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
