Surviving a Brain Tumour
Alexandra Smith shares her experiences of living through a medical crisis.
It’s taken me a very long time to feel able to share my story, but I’d like to raise awareness of brain tumours and potentially help save people’s lives – so here goes!
I’m 37 years old and have always led a very active life. Apart from getting migraines since my early teens, I was rarely ill. In August 2018 my migraines started getting worse, including while asleep, and I developed a droopy eye. Visiting my GP, I was told I was having cluster migraines and that there was nothing to worry about.
On February 26th 2019, the migraines during my sleep terrified me so much that I called NHS Direct. I was advised to go to A & E where they took blood tests and sent me for a CT scan. I was fairly sure they were going to confirm what the GP had said and had little idea of what was about to unfold.
That was, being diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of a grapefruit and being rushed to Brighton Hospital. I honestly couldn’t believe what was happening. On March 6th I under-went over 10 hours of brain surgery with five anaesthetists. Not only did they remove the squatter, but also a bone from my eye that the tumour had crushed.
Just under a week post-surgery I was allowed back home and, despite looking like I’d been in a fight and lost some of my hair, I couldn’t wait.
Less than three days later I woke up with a face that was so swollen I could barely open my eyes. Off I went back to A & E for another CT scan which revealed a brain infection. So I spent another week in Brighton Hospital undergoing tests. There were two options, further brain surgery or intravenous antibiotics. Thankfully they opted for the latter and I was then kept on IV antibiotics for eight weeks.
In June I had a follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon who explained just how lucky I’d been: an MRI scan showed the tumour had been almost a quarter the size of my brain! He was surprised I hadn’t suffered a stroke (there were large blood clots on the main arteries into the brain) or gone blind in my left eye as the crushed bone had been putting pressure on it.
It’s been a long and painful journey and I’m by no means fully recovered. However, I’m determined that this will not hinder my life. I desperately want to raise awareness, and encourage people with migraines to seek help. I was lucky enough to have caught this just in time; who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t?
• Every year, the Department of Transport (DfT) in St Leonards, where Alex works, organises a charity walk. This year, they will be raising money for ‘The Brain Tumour Charity’ in her honour. After a year of survival Alex too will be completing the walk! Help Alexandra Smith raise money by donating directly to the fundraising page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mosmarvellousmarch
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