A MUM has said she may not see her children grow up after doctors “dismissed” her incurable brain tumour as “bad headaches” for years.
Morgan Nottle’s life was turned upside down in September after the 25-year-old Kent woman was diagnosed with a brain tumour while 26 weeks pregnant.
Kennedy NewsMorgan Nottle’s life was turned upside down after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour[/caption]
Kennedy NewsMorgan was diagnosed with the tumour at 26 weeks pregnant[/caption]
Kennedy NewsMorgan underwent a five-hour craniotomy operation to remove the brain tumour[/caption]
Kennedy NewsMorgan says doctors ‘dismissed’ her ‘bad headaches’ for years[/caption]
The mum-of-two had experienced throbbing headaches for seven years.
But she said doctors dismissed the pain for recurrent migraines.
It wasn’t until she became pregnant with her second child, Lilah, that her symptoms worsened.
She was in so much pain she could “barely walk” and said it felt like her head was going to “explode”.
The former shop assistant demanded further investigation and an MRI scan revealed an incurable brain tumour growing in her head.
Distraught, Morgan, who lives in Dartfort, was unable to begin treatment until the birth of her baby girl in December, after which she had brain surgery to remove the tumour.
Despite being told her tumour is incurable, Morgan hopes, with surgery, treatment and MRI scans, her cancer can be managed.
However, it may one day become unmanagable and more aggressive, leaving her fearing she could miss out on seeing her children grow up.
She admits she is “frustrated” that it wasn’t found earlier and said if doctors had listened to her she “wouldn’t be in the situation that I am now”.
Morgan said: “I’ve always suffered really badly with headaches for the last seven or eight years. They were so intense. But the doctors would always put them down to migraines and said it was nothing to worry about.
“Then when I got pregnant, the headaches got more intense. I’d had them for a few days and nothing was helping. I felt pressure in my head. It felt like my head was going to explode.
“I was in so much pain, I could barely walk. I thought it could be preeclampsia because I’d had it in my previous pregnancy, I just wanted to get it checked.
“They kept me in for two days and did an MRI scan then asked to talk to me in a private room. I knew it was something bad.”
But after Morgan was diagnosed with a brain tumour she said she was told she couldn’t begin treatment until after delivering her baby.
Morgan, who is also mum to four-year-old George, said: “When they told me I had a brain tumour, it was like I couldn’t hear anything. It was awful.
“I was 26 weeks pregnant and was so worried about whether they wanted to bring the baby early. They kept saying ‘we have to wait until the baby’s born’.
“I was thinking the worst when I was given the diagnosis. I wanted another baby for such a long time and finally got pregnant then this happens.
“This wasn’t how I wanted it to be. It was a constant worry.”
Morgan had a planned c-section at 37 weeks on December 12th and welcomed baby Lilah into the world.
The mum was told in January her tumour was stable, but after she began experiencing debilitating headaches again doctors referred her for surgery.
Morgan underwent a five-hour craniotomy operation to remove the brain tumour from the frontal lesion on February 14th – and is still awaiting the results of the surgery.
Morgan said: “I’m still waiting to hear back about how much of the tumour they actually got out. They told me they weren’t sure if they could remove all of it and the surgery would be complicated.
“They said it can keep coming back and eventually it will become more aggressive. It’s just a case of managing it.
“I’m hoping they got the majority of it out. I feel frustrated it took this long for them to find it. If they’d just listened to me, I wouldn’t be in the situation that I am now. But that doesn’t help me now.
“I do think I might not see my babies grow up. It was so frustrating my symptoms were dismissed.
“I always say to people go and get checked if they have symptoms. You know your body.”
Morgan’s friend has now launched a fundraiser to help pay for a dream holiday to Disneyland Paris for Morgan and her kids.
The Go Fund Me page has already racked up more than £1,000 in donations.
Kennedy NewsMorgan is also mum to four-year-old George[/caption]
Kennedy NewsMorgan said: ‘They [doctors] said it can keep coming back and eventually it will become more aggressive. It’s just a case of managing it’[/caption]