“During this period, I had cancer symptoms, but I didn’t realize they were related to cancer.”
The Australian also recalled how he felt severe pain in his lower back, making it seem as though it was ‘breaking,’ which often interrupted his sleep. However, he assumed it was just a disc issue.
In addition, he would frequently wake up to drenched sheets from intense night sweats and felt ‘really, really tired’ every day.
“One morning, I woke up and thought I had wet the bed – that’s how bad it was,” Jay recalled. “I looked at my shirt and thought, ‘This is sweat?'”
“Another symptom was extreme fatigue, and I couldn’t move. I’d wake up and a couple of hours later, I’d be back in bed for a nap.”
@jayshew
Jay mentioned that he lost a significant amount of weight during this period, sharing: “Since I got the blood test up until [then], I was having every single cancer symptom, I just didn’t realise it.”
Other symptoms he experienced included a recurring rash on various parts of his body, along with ‘dry skin.’
He also began to feel chest pain “like he’d never had it before” and developed a “really bad cough,” which he initially believed was caused by a chest infection.
After consulting his GP and receiving antibiotics, Jay recalled feeling “brand new” but fell ill again three days later, only this time, it was much worse.
His doctor then recommended a CT scan at the hospital, where Jay was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Fortunately, Jay is now recovering after completing his treatment in July, and this has fueled his desire to raise awareness about cancer symptoms even more.
He shared with social media users in the comment section that he is “well and healthy now” and thanked them for their supportive messages regarding his journey.
“I’m glad I’m better now and at the moment, I’m just trying my best to maintain good health and of course convince other people to get themselves checked up before it’s too late,” he wrote.