A woman’s symptoms were initially dismissed by doctors as the menopause, until a scan revealed she was actually living with a brain tumour.
Karen Griffiths, 60, started suffering from one-sided pulsatile tinnitus, when a heartbeat is heard in the ear, in 2018.
Around the same time, she also began suffering from headaches in the morning, was feeling uncoordinated, struggling with speech and losing her train of thought.
Over a three year period she kept going back to her GP only to be told repeatedly that her symptoms were most likely due to the menopause.
It wasn’t until the “beat” in her ear got so loud it would wake her up at night that she was referred to a specialist who sent her for an MRI scan.
The insurance coach from Eastbourne in Sussex, recalled: “I was suffering with symptoms for over three years and it gradually got worse.
“Alongside that I was going through menopause and it is very well known that it can create headaches, brain fog and difficulty concentrating.
“One of the key things that got missed was that I was having headaches in the morning when I woke up. The one-sider pulsatile tinnitus got worse and worse but I was told not to worry about it. In my experience, they all too readily disregard them and blame them on something else instead.
“My symptoms were disregarded for a long time, despite things getting steadily worse. I ended up feeling like a time waster. Looking back, it was quite dangerous.”
The MRI revealed Karen had a benign lump on the brain which was pressing on a major vein – the superior sagittal sinus – which would require surgery.
But in the same week, Karen was also hit with the devastating news that her mum, Jillian was dying of cancer.
Karen said: “It was a bit of a double whammy. Initially I was in disbelief so I threw myself into my work as if nothing had happened. I didn’t tell anyone, I didn’t want my mum to know it would have been heartbreaking for her.
“I didn’t even tell my family because my mum had five weeks to live and I didn’t want to add any more hurt.”
In March 2022, Karen had an operation to remove her tumour at the hospital in London.
The surgery went well but resulted in a partial resection – part of the tumour has to be left in place – as not all the tumour could be removed due to its location.
“I am still having nightly seizures which is as a result of the location of the tumour, and following the surgery,” she said.
“I also have yearly MRI scans to see how the brain is and if the tumour is growing.
“It has been really difficult, the after-effects of surgery were difficult to deal with. My speech, memory and balance are gradually improving. I haven’t been back to work since September 2021. My employers have been fantastic and I hope to be heading back to work soon.”
Common symptoms of a brain tumour include:
- Headaches
- Seizures (fits)
- Persistently feeling sick (nausea), being sick (vomiting) and drowsiness
- Mental or behavioural changes, such as memory problems or changes in personality
- Progressive weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision or speech problems.
If you experience any unexplained symptoms you should speak to your GP.