I burst into tears when my GP discovered the real cause for my ‘tinnitus’
HAVING three kids is a handful, and mum Jessica Jones had a hectic lifestyle.
The commercial banker had started to suffer with a ringing in her ears, which is also known as tinnitus.
Tinnitus sufferers perceive a noise either in one ear, both ears or in their head when there is no external sound.
The sounds most commonly experienced include a ringing, buzzing, whistling, humming or hissing sound.
It was only noticeable at bedtime but progressively got worse - until soon, the 38-year-old was suffering with headaches that were so painful they were waking her up in the night.
It was June 2020 when Jessica got in touch with her GP surgery, but because of the coronavirus pandemic she didn’t get a face-to-face appointment.
Jessica was prescribed migraine medication, even though she had never suffered a migraine before.
She said the GP told her to call back if the pain continued.
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Jessica said: "Over the weekend I'd continued to have really bad headaches, I was in horrendous pain with them, I felt a bit dizzy, I just didn't feel right at all."
Days later she returned to the GP who, concerned, referred her for a CT scan.
She had to wait close to three weeks for the results and in that time her blood pressure skyrocketed and she was admitted to Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, for further tests.
Because of Covid restrictions Jessica had to go into hospital alone, and it was then she was told she had an acoustic neuroma causing pressure on her brain stem.
She said: "When you hear those words, 'you've got a brain tumour' - it was terrifying, I was absolutely petrified and I just burst into tears.
“At that point I didn't know if it was cancerous or not and how quickly it was growing, and all these things just rush through your head. I couldn't really remember much he said after, I just heard the words 'You've got a brain tumour,' and, you know, I went to pieces."
My diagnosis has left me feeling fatigued. I returned to work in September and working from home, sometimes I don’t walk more than 2,000 steps a day
Jessica Jones
"I phoned my husband to tell him which was heartbreaking, all he wanted to do was to come and sit at the end of the bed and tell me everything was going to be alright - but I couldn't have that."
Jessica was told that she would have surgery within six to eight weeks, but due to Covid backlogs, Jessica ended up waiting six months.
On January 20, 2021, Jessica's husband Mark dropped her off at the hospital, gave her a kiss goodbye and drove away. Jessica would then spend the next two weeks away from her family.
She had to undergo a 13-hour operation where surgeons removed a section of her skull from behind her ear, and successfully took out most of the tumour.
Surgeons advised to leave a small part of the tumour which had grown around the facial nerve, to avoid causing facial palsy, however the procedure has left her with single-sided deafness.
After the surgery Jessica felt as though the whole room was spinning and she says she has since experienced vertigo when she moves or turns her head to speak.
What is a brain tumour and what are the symptoms?
A brain tumour is a growth of abnormal cells that grow on the organ and multiply and spread in an uncontrollable way.
The growths can be benign, non-cancerous, which grow slowly and if treated are unlikely to reappear.
However, cancerous brain tumours are more serious and some can start in the brain or spread there from cancer elsewhere in the body.
Brain tumours are also graded on their seriousness, with grade one and two tumours being seen as low risk.
While grade three and four tumours are seen as high risk and likely to return after treatment.
What are the symptoms?
According to the NHS, the symptoms of a brain tumour depend on its severity and which part of the brain is affected.
However, there are common signs that people can look out for if they are worried.
These include severe, non-stop headaches, seizures as well as nausea, vomiting and drowsiness.
Other signs can include vision or speech problems, paralysis and even changes to a person's behaviour such as having difficulty remembering things.
These symptoms can appear suddenly or develop slowly over time.
She spent two weeks in hospital and was unable to have any visitors.
After returning home, Jessica’s daughters Ella, eight, and Emily, five, dressed as nurses to help look after their mum at home.
Jessica said that the hardest part about it all was not being able to see her family.
“She said: “I Facetimed them as much as I possibly could, three to four times a day sometimes.
“When I came out of the hospital though, my husband had bought the girls little nurses outfits and they were all dressed up ready to look after mammy, which was really lovely.
"It was hardest on my eldest daughter. After the operation, she was absolutely petrified that mammy wasn't going to get back to normal.
"She didn't like to see that I couldn't walk around the house or that I was sleeping a lot. They think you're like Superman, so it was really hard for her to see me like that.
"I was really afraid that the kids would be afraid of me. This surgery had a high chance of facial palsy and I had a pretty large scar.
"Even now, when I put my hearing aids in, I tell them that they are mammy's little fairies helping me hear, just so it isn't as bad for them".
'HUGE CHALLENGE'
In the first few days after surgery, Jessica struggled with standing up and had left the hospital with a Zimmer frame.
Jessica is now taking on an ambitious to help find a cure for brain tumours.
She has so far raised £1,855 of her £2,000 target.
She said: "It may not seem like that big a challenge to some, but considering a year ago I was struggling to walk without a Zimmer frame, it's a huge challenge for me.
“My diagnosis has left me feeling fatigued. I returned to work in September and working from home, sometimes I don’t walk more than 2,000 steps a day. I’m taking part in this challenge because without the years of medical research undertaken my outcome and life could have been so different.
"My family come out with me at the weekends, I am so lucky to have their support.
She added: "I will be eternally grateful to the neuro team and to all those who have undertaken research into brain tumours whose dedicated work has allowed me to carry on with my life. Every single doctor and nurse that has helped me on this journey has been absolutely amazing. I honestly do not have high enough praise for the way I was looked after."
“My diagnosis has left me feeling fatigued. I returned to work in September and working from home, sometimes I don’t walk more than 2,000 steps a day. I’m taking part in this challenge because without the years of medical research undertaken my outcome and life could have been so different.
"My family comes out with me on the weekends, I am so lucky to have their support.
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She added: "I will be eternally grateful to the neuro team and to all those who have undertaken research into brain tumours whose dedicated work has allowed me to carry on with my life. Every single doctor and nurse that has helped me on this journey has been absolutely amazing. I honestly do not have high enough praise for the way I was looked after.
"When I first learned of my brain tumour I was completely alone, the nurses would come and sit with me and comfort me and reassure me. After my surgery I wasn't allowed to wash my hair for two weeks so a nurse came on her lunch break to brush and plait my hair for me, so it was out of the way."