A woman has shared her harrowing ordeal after she thought her “itchy” skin and swollen glands were fever symptoms but turned out to be cancer.
Lindsey Parry started to notice a few lumps on the side of her neck back in October 2016.
The 46-year-old from Scarborough, Yorkshire, quickly went to a pharmacist who assured her it was just likely glandular fever.
Lindsey thought little more of it and the lumps soon went down.
However, by Christmas, the lumps reappeared again and this time were much bigger than before.
Alongside this, she also experienced an intense itching that spread across her chest and armpits.
But she still didn’t think anything more of the symptoms, or that they were linked, instead she thought it was just the result of the washing up liquid she used.
From there, she started to feel “lethargic” but thought the supposed-glandular fever was taking its toll on her.
Finally, in December 2017, she consulted a doctor and was left stunned when only a week later she was diagnosed with stage four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
She described the type of immune system cancer as a “death sentence”.
She said: “I thought I had been given a death sentence. I was surprised because I’m not in the usual category for that type of cancer.
“Even though my consultant told me how advanced the treatment had recently become, I was convinced he was saying that from a script and just felt sorry for me.
“I felt like a scared child. I just went home and cried.”
Lindsey started treatment shortly afterwards and she described this as “the lowest times of my life”.
A series of scans and biopsies confirmed their suspicions and Lindsey said she “thought I was dying”.
She said: “I started chemotherapy and had treatment every two weeks for six months, which was one of the lowest times of my life.
“I was also living in a new town where I didn’t know anyone and didn’t have the opportunity to make friends. I never felt so alone.”
Lindsey recalls suffering from “horrendous” side effects, including constant nausea, vomiting, multiple abscesses and hair loss.
She said: “My mouth was so swollen and painful, I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t sleep, eat or concentrate on anything – until I went to a chemotherapy hairdresser.
“[She] told me about CBD and suggested it might help with some of the side effects from the chemotherapy.
“I went home, did lots of research and decided to give it a try as I was prepared to take anything at that point to feel better.”
She purchased 10 per cent full spectrum CBD oil from a company called Mindful Extracts, which provided her with instant relief.
Lindsey recalls “sleeping like a log” the first night and the side effects of the chemotherapy subsided, where she felt able to deal with everything.
She added: “I completed my course of chemo and the lumps had gone, as well as the itching.
“I’m currently in remission from lymphoma and although I’ve had a couple of scares, that’s all they’ve been.
“I’m a different person now, but I still use CBD to this day as it helps with pain relief, sleep and calms my anxiety.
“Now I know that whatever life throws at you, you can make it out the other side and find happiness again.”
