Woman’s vertigo turns out to be brain tumor

By George Jones

A woman who suffered with deafness and "bouts" of vertigo was told it was actually an undiagnosed brain tumor - and was given just six months left to live.

Glenn Lilley, 73, started experiencing "waves of dizziness" and tinnitus and was assured there was "nothing unusual" by an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT) after an MRI scan showed "no signs" of a brain tumor.

She was given two hearing aids and thought she would "learn to live" with the vertigo.

But four years later, in July 2021, Glenn "collapsed" at her home in Plymouth and was rushed to hospital, where an MRI revealed a grade 2 meningioma - a brain tumor - and she was given just six months left to live.

Doctors later said that the grape-sized tumor had actually been visible on the MRI scan Glenn had back in 2017 - but was "missed" by her ENT specialist at the time.

In the four years since, it had grown "so aggressively" that chemotherapy was no longer a viable option - and Glenn was forced to undergo an 11-hour emergency operation at Derriford Hospital in September 2021 to remove the tumor.

Although the surgery was successful, Glenn was told there’s a chance it "may grow back."

But "grateful to be alive," Glenn, who still suffers from "impaired hearing" and occasional memory loss, plans on taking part in the Brain Tumour Research's Walk of Hope at Torpint this September to raise awareness.

Glenn, now retired, said: "I'm never one to trouble the GP.

"I brush myself off and get one with things and I thought my prior symptoms were something I'd learn to live with.

"But I was shocked and horrified when doctors told me I had an aggressive brain tumor.

"I bear no grudge against the specialist who looked at my scan before.

"In the grand scheme of things, I'm so grateful to be alive."

Glenn was at home bringing the shopping in from her car when she collapsed on the floor in July 2021, after suffering with "impaired hearing" and frequent dizziness for four years, which doctors in 2017 said wasn't "unusual."

"Everything went black and I hit my head on the stone step of the front door," she said.

"My husband of 53 years, John, took me to A&E and I was so disoriented I didn't even know my name.

"Doctors thought I was having a stroke."

It was only after an MRI scan on July 26, 2021 that Glenn was told she had a grade 2 meningioma - a brain tumor that begins in the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain.

More than 80 per cent of people with a grade 2 meningioma survive for five years or more after diagnosis.

After looking at Glenn's medical notes, doctors explained that the mass was in fact visible on the MRI scan back in 2017.

Glenn said: "I had a brain tumor from behind my left eye to the back of my head.

"From the image on the screen, the tumor looked like two plums.

"I’m glad I didn’t know about the tumor before because I wouldn’t have wanted to be viewed as poorly.

"I feel fortunate with how things turned out."

Because the tumor had grown "so aggressively" in four years, Glenn was ineligible for chemotherapy and radiotherapy - and was given a prognosis of just six months without treatment.

Instead, she had to undergo emergency surgery to remove the growth at Derriford Hospital in September 2021.

Glenn said: "My surgery was canceled twice as there were no beds in the ICU.

"Slowly my mobility deteriorated, and I felt like I was dying.

"The steroids I was placed on to help reduce swelling from the tumor caused a sudden weight gain.

"And I was forced to buy maternity clothes.

"I went from 10st to almost 13st, and looked like a different person."

However, after the 11-hour surgery, doctors had successfully removed the tumor.

But Glenn was told there is "every chance" it will "come back", possibly in 10 years, and if it does, then she will likely need radiotherapy as further surgery could leave her with life-changing injuries.

She said: "It took me a year to lose the weight I gained and I started doing more steps, walking outside.

"First, with crutches, and then without and gradually built up my fitness.

"I still get headaches and forget my words - and at the end of the day, my face feels as though it is dropping.

"I also find myself constantly wiping my runny nose and mouth, but these are all manageable things.

"I’ve had a wonderful life and feel very lucky.

"Now I’m beating the drum for the young people living with this disease."

Motivated to turn her experience into action, Glenn is taking part in Brain Tumour Research’s Walk of Hope at Torpoint this September, helping to raise awareness.

Letty Greenfield, Community Development Manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: “Glenn’s strength and positivity in the face of such adversity is truly inspiring.

"Her story highlights the urgent need for greater investment in brain tumor research."