(Photo : Giuseppe Cacace | Getty Images Entertainment)
Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases in the world, but this British woman would rather have it than another medical condition called chronic fatigue syndrome.
Forty-two-year-old Jenny Andrews was diagnosed with bladder cancer 10 years ago after she discovered some blood in her urine. She then underwent the necessary cancer treatments including immunotherapy for 5 years.
Although it was a horrible part of her life, her other disease, for her, is far worse. Aside from bladder cancer, she’s been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome (CF).
Without sounding offensive especially on people who are battling cancer, she felt that she had a better control of her life when she was sick with bladder cancer, more so because it was quicker to diagnose and treatments are available immediately.
With CF, it took a while before she was officially diagnosed, and even then, she was criticized as simply being lazy and that everything she was feeling was all in the mind.
For her, however, it was physically real. She’d struggle getting herself up from bed while battling a bothersome headache. Sometimes she’d be so exhausted to do anything at all. If it weren’t for the support of her husband, CF would be way worse for her.
Nevertheless, according to her, CF has robbed her of a better life. She had to quit her job and interests including belly dancing. She usually felt dizzy if she tried to stand and became hypersensitive to light, sound, and other stimuli. She also had poor concentration. CF, which affects more than a million people in the United States, can also lead to painful joints and muscles, lymph node enlargements, gastrointestinal issues, and intolerance to food.
Fortunately she’s slowly recovering from CF through a help of a doctor or friend who recommended eating a Stone Age diet, getting enough sleep, and taking certain supplements.
