Demi Jones was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at just 22 years old back in 2021
Demi Jones has told fans she feels ‘like a walking zombie’ after an ‘awful mistake’ with her medication. The former Love Islander, 27, mentioned she forgot to reorder her repeat prescription for Levothyroxine, a crucial medication often used to support patients after thyroid cancer treatment.
Demi’s admission comes just four years after doctors found a cancerous lump in her neck back in 2021. Fortunately, after two major surgeries and radioiodine therapy, she was given the all-clear that same year in December.
Even still, the reality star continues to speak out about her health journey and said the medication ordeal had left her quite ‘tearful’. “Thyroid girlies – I’ve made an awful mistake,” Demi wrote on her Instagram Story.
“I forgot to order my Levothyroxine medication before I ran out… I’m now 10 days no tablets, still waiting for them to arrive at the pharmacy. I feel like a walking zombie, so washed out and tearful.
“Please take this as your sign to order your repeat prescription now before you run out, to avoid being like me. First time I’ve fully run out of tablets in four years since I had cancer, and omg never ever again will I forget.”
Despite the stressful situation, Demi later revealed that she’d been flooded with helpful and kind messages from fans online. Many of these highlighted that you can, in fact, get emergency Levothyroxine in urgent situations, which Demi had ‘no idea’ about.
In a separate Story, she continued: “Omg thank you for all your messages guys! I had no idea you can get emergency Levothyroxine if you completely run out and it’s urgent through NHS, so thank you!
READ MORE: Love Islander Demi Jones says she brushed off key symptom before cancer diagnosis
“Had a few near misses over the past four years I’ve been on it now, I wish they would prescribe more than three months at a time because I feel like that goes by so quick??? Especially if it’s daily lifetime medication. I will always make sure I’m wayyy on top of it going forward, but so good to know and share! So thank you.”
Demi was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at just 22 years old, after initially dismissing the lump on her neck as nothing serious. She only decided to see a doctor after strangers and fans online pointed out that something seemed off.
Medics initially performed an ultrasound and a blood test before draining some fluid from the lump. Two weeks later, she was called back and urged to go for surgery ‘almost immediately’.
“A couple of weeks later, the doctor called me in,” she said in a previous interview, according to the Mirror. “As soon as they said the word ‘cancer’, I just went into shock. So, I then had to go back in for a second surgery where they removed the rest of my thyroid.”
Although it’s now been four years since Demi’s cancer battle, the star said she continues to wear her scar ‘very proudly’ and is still keen to raise awareness of the disease.
In the same interview, she urged: “If you think you have any symptoms of thyroid cancer, please speak to your GP.”
Potential symptoms of thyroid cancer
The NHS offers a wealth of information regarding thyroid cancer online. It states that common symptoms may include:
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- A hoarse voice
- A lump in the front, lower part of the neck – it usually feels hard and slowly gets bigger, but is not painful
- Pain in the front of the neck/feeling like something is pushing against it
- Red face/flushing
- Softer poos or diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- Persistent coughing
- A sore throat
However, current guidance warns: “These symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions. Having them does not definitely mean you have thyroid cancer. But it’s important to get them checked by a GP.
“This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.”
For more information, head to the NHS website.