A mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor after her symptoms were attributed to menopause.
Karen Griffiths (60) from Eastbourne, Sussex, sought help in 2018 when she started hearing a throbbing sound that kept track of her heartbeat.
Around the same time, she also started experiencing morning headaches, had trouble speaking and lost her train of thought.
Ms Griffiths, an insurance consultant, visited her GP repeatedly but felt she was a “time waster”.
A doctor claimed her symptoms were most likely due to the menopause she was going through at the time.
Karen Griffiths (60) started to hear her own heart beating in her ear because a lump in her brain was pressing on a large vein
In April 2021, when the “thumping” in her ear became so loud that it woke her up at night, Ms Griffiths was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist.
She was sent to Eastbourne District General Hospital for an MRI scan, which revealed she had a benign brain tumour.
Ms Griffiths recalled struggling to get the diagnosis, saying: “I suffered with the symptoms for over three years and they got progressively worse.”
“I’ve also gone through menopause, and it’s known to cause headaches, brain fog and concentration problems.” All three can be signs of a brain tumor.
Ms Griffiths claimed that “one of the main things that was missed” was the headaches that occurred when waking up – a common occurrence among brain tumor patients.
As well as the throbbing pain, Ms Griffith said her pulsating tinnitus – the noise she heard in her ear – “was getting worse but I was told not to worry about it”.
She said: “My experience is that they (doctors) ignore it all too easily and instead accuse them of something else.”
“My symptoms were ignored for a long time, even though they were getting worse.” I ended up feeling like a time waster.
“Looking back, it was pretty dangerous.”
Around 16,000 Britons are diagnosed with a brain tumor every year, around one every two hours.
Some are cancerous. Others, like Mrs. Griffiths, is harmless.
Speaking about her scan in April 2021, Ms Griffiths said: “The consultation I had was more detailed. “I noticed he really listened to what I was saying.
“I saw his face darken when I explained that the unilateral pulsating tinnitus was so loud it woke me up.”
Scans showed that the lump in her brain was pressing on the sagittal vein above, which runs in the upper part of the brain and runs from an area near your nasal cavity to the back of your head.
Pressure on the vein can cause a form of tinnitus.
After her scan, Ms Griffiths was referred to a neurosurgeon who explained the risks of the tumour.
She added: “I understood early on that the tumor was a benign meningioma (tumours that start in the layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord) – but that the tumor was attached to a large vein, which pushed aside.” This. .
“The neurosurgeon informed me of the risks, including life-threatening risks.”
“I didn’t believe it at first, so I threw myself into my work as if nothing had happened.”
In addition to receiving her own diagnosis, Ms Griffiths also learned that same week that her mother, Jillian Stevens, 83, was dying of cancer.
Not wanting to add to her family’s pain, Ms Griffiths kept her own tumor a secret.
In March 2022 Ms Griffiths underwent surgery to remove her tumor at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London. However, because surgeons could not remove the entire tumor, there is a risk that it will grow back
In March 2022 Ms Griffiths underwent surgery to remove her tumor at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.
Surgeons were unable to remove the entire tumor, which runs the risk of growing back.
Even after the operation, she still suffers from the night attacks due to the location of the remaining tumor.
Now Ms Griffiths has regular MRI scans to monitor her condition.
“It was very difficult, the aftermath of the operation was difficult to deal with,” Ms Griffiths said.
“My speech, memory and balance are gradually improving.” I have not been at work since September 2021.
“My employers have been fantastic and I hope to get back to work soon.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
