‘Coffee addict’ mistook brain tumor symptoms for caffeine withdrawal

By Emma Dunn via SWNS

An ex-addict was diagnosed with a brain tumor after mistaking her brain fog for caffeine withdrawal.

Abi Feltham, 36, has been sober for four years after dealing with alcohol and drug addiction since she was 14 years old.

She started realizing she was drinking a lot of caffeine in November 2023 - having up to 12 cups of coffee a day and reduced her intake.

Abi started having headaches, nausea and brain fog but put it down to caffeine withdrawal.

But when the symptoms started again and she struggled with double vision she went to see her doctor and an optician.

Following a CT scan and MRI Abi was told they had spotted something that could be malignant and she was taken for brain surgery the following day.

Doctors found and drained a cyst that was pushing on a tumor.

Following a second surgery to remove 90 percent of the tumor, Abi was diagnosed with a grade three oligodendroglioma and told she had roughly 15 years left to live.

She is now undergoing a round of radiotherapy which will be followed by a round of chemotherapy but says her previous addiction recovery has helped her deal with her cancer diagnosis.

Abi, a content creator, from Richmond, London, said: "Last year I quit caffeine.

"I got all these symptoms but because I have been through alcohol withdrawal I thought it was caffeine withdrawal.

"I was having headaches, throwing up and having brain fog.

"I definitely didn't expect a brain tumor but I wasn't shocked.

"It's very on-brand for me.

"Because I have overcome those previous hardships, I'm able to see that these things don't last forever.

"These experiences - they are really awful but there is a life after them."

Abi spent 17 years of her life as an alcoholic after turning to drinking to cope with the loss of her father.

At her worst, she was drinking two 700ml bottles of whiskey and beers a day.

But Abi went "cold turkey" in April 2020 after returning to her childhood home over the pandemic and has been sober ever since.

She went on to get a stable job and met her partner, Stefan Winder, 30, a personal trainer.

However, as an addict, Abi realized she had developed an unhealthy caffeine habit.

She said: "I was drinking a ridiculous amount.

"I was drinking 12 cups of coffee a day."

Abi quit caffeine and put her symptoms down to withdrawal but when they started again in Easter this year she went to see her doctor.

Initially, she was told she had sinusitis and was given antibiotics.

But when Abi's symptoms persisted and she started struggling with her eyesight she went to the opticians 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."

She was told her optic nerve was swollen and ended up being referred to St Mary's Hospital, London, where she had an MRI and CT.

Abi said: "The doctor came in and said there is definitely something there. It could be malignant."

She was told she needed a craniotomy the very next day - to drain the cyst in her brain and to take a biopsy of the tumor.

Abi said: "They opened my skull up.

"They explained there was a cyst and a tumor. The cyst was getting bigger and bigger and pushing on the tumor - causing the symptoms.

"If the cyst hadn't been there then it probably would have gone undetected."

Abi's eyesight immediately improved but she was told she'd need to go for a second surgery later that month.

She said: "He said it's a lot more aggressive than we thought.

"He said 'We're going to have to go in and removed 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 percent of the tumor.

Abi was then told her official diagnosis.

She said: "He said it was incurable.

"He said 'I estimate about 15 years'.

"It was a rollercoaster of emotions."

Abi started radiotherapy in July and will do a round of chemotherapy later this year.

She tries to remain positive and is looking forward to her life after treatment.

Abi said: "It feels like my life is on hold at the moment.

"I have indulged in self-pity before.

"When I was in the depths of addiction I went into victim mentality.

"It made me sink deeper and deeper into despair.

"I was just making it worse.

"I'm in this s**t situation now. I know if I start moping around, or feeling sorry for myself it will only make things worse.

"Of course, there are moments when I'm really angry or sad. I don't brush those aside
I let myself feel them.

"My outlook when it comes to these things is one day at a time.

"I focus on the future. I have so much living to do."