{"id":8649,"date":"2026-04-29T12:24:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=8649"},"modified":"2026-04-29T12:24:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:24:12","slug":"i-was-constantly-burned-out-and-kept-cancelling-plans-because-i-was-so-tired-doctors-said-it-was-just-hormones-then-i-was-diagnosed-with-this-aggressive-cancer-these-are-the-common-signs-you-must","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=8649","title":{"rendered":"I was constantly burned out and kept cancelling plans because I was so tired. Doctors said it was just hormones… then I was diagnosed with this aggressive cancer. These are the common signs you MUST not ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For seven months Jade Horseman was left searching for answers to her constant fatigue and flu-like symptoms.<\/p>\n

Despite countless trips to her GP, calls to 999 and two visits to A&E she was repeatedly dismissed by doctors.<\/p>\n

It was only when Jade was close to death that doctors were finally discovered the cause of her ill health \u2013 a rare and aggressive blood cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prior to her diagnosis, Jade, a 29-year-old fitness fanatic, had been left unable to exercise, would regularly cancel social plans and was eventually signed off of work with \u2018burnout’.<\/p>\n

She also suffered from a tooth infection that the dentist said was \u2018one of the worst infections\u2018 he\u2018d ever seen.<\/p>\n

But the antibiotics didn\u2019t work and the symptoms continued to get worse.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was physically and emotionally drained, unable to cope, and took two weeks off work,\u2018 says software developer Jade, from London.<\/p>\n

\u2018There was no improvement, so I was signed off with \u201cburnout\u201c and took another two months off but never recovered. I even changed jobs, thinking perhaps stress was to blame.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018My symptoms still continued to worsen \u2013 night sweats, headaches, fevers and overwhelming exhaustion. My GP suggested it might be hormonal.\u2019<\/p>\n

Yet she continued to deteriorate, getting to the point where she was struggling to look after herself.<\/p>\n

\u2018I gave up on the GP and went to A&E for the first time, only to be told it was a sinus infection and given more antibiotics,\u2019 says Jade.<\/p>\n

\u2018When nothing improved, I went back to A&E a week later. This time I was given what felt like a psychiatrist exam, told again that it was nothing serious and sent home with the reassurance that the antibiotics would \u201ckick in soon\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Jade <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Jade Horseman now 34 was diagnosed with\u00a0acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\"Doctors <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Doctors dismissed her as having a sinus infection, being hormonal or just having a headache<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A few days later, she recalls waking up drenched in sweat and shivering so badly that she had to shower in the middle of the night instead.<\/p>\n

\u2018I collapsed in the shower and didn\u2019t have the strength to get out or turn off the water. Eventually I managed to crawl to my phone and called 999. I was told to ring 111 in the morning. I went to bed thinking I wouldn\u2019t wake up,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

When paramedics arrived they quizzed her on whether she had been drinking and advised she took some paracetamol.<\/p>\n

\u2018I waited for them to leave and took myself back to A&E for the third time. Fortunately, I lived just five minutes from Charing Cross Hospital as by that time I could barely walk,\u2019 say Jade.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was recognised at the front desk and asked why I was back again. I broke down crying and begged for a blood test which thankfully was taken.\u2019<\/p>\n

Just half an hour later, everything changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018It was like a hospital TV drama,\u2019 said Jade. \u2018I was suddenly surrounded by doctors. They told me I had sepsis [blood poisoning] and I was blue-lighted to Hammersmith Hospital.\u2019<\/p>\n

It was there, finally, in March 2021 that Jade was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a fast-moving and aggressive blood cancer.<\/p>\n

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or ALL, occurs when rogue white blood cells grow out of control, overwhelming the bone marrow and crowding out healthy cells.<\/p>\n

The disease also weakens the immune system, raising the risk of dangerous infections and sepsis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2018s the most common childhood cancer in Britain and thanks to modern treatments more than nine in ten children now survive. But for adults the picture is more sobering\u00a0\u2013 survival rates fall sharply with age.<\/p>\n

Around 750 adults are diagnosed every year, out of 10,000 new leukaemia cases. <\/p>\n

\u2018It sounds strange but I was almost relieved when I received the diagnosis,\u2019 says Jade. \u2018I thought I was beginning to lose my mind, I was making a big fuss to keep being told I was fine.<\/p>\n

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\"In <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In December 2023, she received the news that she was in remission, but her life has changed permanently. Post treatment she went on holiday with her boyfriend<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018My immediate concern was preserving my fertility. But I was told my condition had become so critical that this wasn\u2019t an option and I had to start treatment immediately. I just remember crying my eyes out.\u2019<\/p>\n

Jade spent the next three months in hospital undergoing treatment.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was so grueling at times I didn\u2019t know if I had the strength physically or mentally to keep going,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

Overall, Jade received nine month-long rounds of intensive chemotherapy and immunotherapy, followed by two years of maintenance treatment.<\/p>\n

In December 2023, she received the news that she was in remission, but her life has changed permanently.<\/p>\n

\u2018I live a normal life but a reduced one,\u2018 she says. \u2018It took a long time to return to work, and I am still nowhere near the level of fitness I had before.\u2018<\/p>\n

Now concerning new research from Leukaemia UK shows that Jade is not alone.<\/p>\n

Their report has revealed that those with leukaemia face an avoidable delay in their diagnosis, often reaching a crisis point before they are diagnosed.<\/p>\n

The damning new report also found that 86 per cent of patients diagnosed with ALL \u2013 the rare form of the disease that Jade had \u2013 that face delays do not survive beyond a year.<\/p>\n

\u2018Early diagnosis is really important in leukaemia, so it\u2018s important patients are aware of the symptoms,\u2018 says Professor Hendrik-Tobias Arkenau, a blood cancer specialist at University College London Hospitals.<\/p>\n

Alongside bruising, fatigue and unexplained bleeding, he says patients should look out for sudden weight loss, night sweats and fever.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2018s also important patients persevere. Unfortunately, especially for rare cancers, it\u2018s unlikely they\u2018ll get diagnosed the first time, so going back to the doctor when things don\u2018t improve or change is key.\u2018<\/p>\n

The Leukaemia UK charity is now calling on the Government to take action.<\/p>\n

Its chief executive Fiona Hazell says: \u2018Jade\u2019s story is appalling, but for far too many people with leukaemia this is a painfully recognisable experience. We must do better and deliver improvements for the thousands of people in the UK that receive a leukaemia diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u2018The Government has finally recognised the need for earlier leukaemia diagnosis in the National Cancer Plan, but recognition is only the first step and patients just can\u2019t wait. Action is what saves lives and we now need to see this commitment delivered through faster testing and better referrals. Delays in leukaemia diagnosis cost lives, and now is the time to end them.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For seven months Jade Horseman was left searching for answers to her constant fatigue and flu-like symptoms. Despite countless trips to her GP, calls to 999 and two visits to A&E she was repeatedly dismissed by doctors. It was only when Jade was close to death that doctors were finally discovered the cause of her<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[520],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8649","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hot"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}