A WOMAN who put her headaches, stuttering speech and spelling struggles down to the menopause was eventually diagnosed with two brain tumours.
Crown court clerk Elizabeth Murphy, from Taunton, said she blamed the problems on the onset of the menopause when they started earlier this year.
However, after her face drooped, scans revealed the 60-year-old was in fact suffering with two meningiomas.
She is now being monitored with regular MRI scans and is taking part in Brain Tumour Research’s 99 Miles in November challenge to raise funds and awareness.
“I’ve always been fit, healthy, and sharp-minded. My job as a Crown Court clerk requires me to type quickly, take detailed notes and read them back accurately in court,” she said.
“Then, early in 2025, I began to notice small but worrying changes. I was losing words mid-sentence, struggling to spell, and my typing became hesitant and full of mistakes.
“I put it down to menopause brain fog, after all, I was 59, working long hours, and tired.
“By March 2025, I had developed a terrible headache that wouldn’t go away. I mentioned it to a colleague, who suggested I visit the doctor. My blood pressure was high, so the doctor prescribed medication and said she’d check back in two weeks.
“Then my face drooped, and colleagues at work noticed immediately. I thought it might be a side effect of the tablets. When my doctor called to check in, I mentioned my face had gone lopsided. She told me to come to the surgery straight away.
“After a few tests, she told me to go home and wait by the phone, she was calling the hospital. I was concerned but not overly worried and just thought my GP was doing extra checks to be on the safe side.
“Minutes later, I got a call from Musgrove Hospital in Taunton, telling me to come straight in, not to drive, and to pack a bag. Alarm bells started going off in my head but I also thought they were making a big deal of nothing.
“My husband, John, was away for work in London, so I went in alone.”
Elizabeth underwent scans after her face drooped – which revealed the brain tumours
A CT scan suggested a possible bleed on the brain, she said, with medics saying they needed to do an MRI.
Now with her husband at her side, Elizabeth said the pair were left “in complete shock” as events unfolded.
“I was still sure they had made a mistake and that someone would say there was an error and they got the tests mixed up. Sadly, that wasn’t the case,” she went on.
“I was admitted and stayed overnight. Then in the middle of the night, they woke me up and said I needed to go for an MRI scan immediately.
“I was confused and scared, worried that the urgency was because they had found something even more serious.
“By the time they came to get me for the MRI I had written my will. I was scared and didn’t know if I was going to live. All kinds of thoughts rushed around my head. I was in total fear.
“Then they wheeled me through dark, quiet corridors for the scan. I was absolutely terrified.
“The next day, doctors came to tell me they’d found a brain tumour, words I’d never expected to hear.
“John and I were horrified, we thought it was a bleed on the brain, we never expected to hear the words brain tumour.”
On May 2, Elizabeth underwent a lumbar puncture to gather more information, but it came back inconclusive.
“The same day they confirmed I had a meningioma, a type of benign brain tumour. We were told to wait for the neurology team to contact us, but that took five months,” she added.
“The waiting was unbearable. I scoured the internet, reading everything I could find, which only made me more frightened.
“Eventually, my husband reminded me that we had private health insurance, and through that, we saw a private neurosurgeon, who confirmed the tumour was non-cancerous and around 2.5cm. He told us that once it reached 3cm, surgery would likely be needed.
“I finally heard from the hospital again and had another MRI, the doctor said casually that it hadn’t changed, but that there was a second tumour. I was completely shocked. Why hadn’t they told us before?
“We were left shell-shocked, given no leaflets or information, and sent home to ‘watch and wait’.”
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She now undergoes MRI scans every six months, with doctors saying surgery will only be necessary if her vision changes or if she experiences seizures.
“The possible effects, such as losing mobility or speech, are frightening, and I’m not yet sure what I’ll decide if the time comes,” Elizabeth added.
“The medication I’m on helps with nerve pain but doesn’t stop the stabbing headaches that come and go. Still, I know it could have been worse.”
This year, she is celebrating her 60th birthday in Sri Lanka, and there she will begin her fundraising effort for Brain Tumour Research.
“I’ll be walking my miles, grateful for every step,” she said. “I’ve already raised £130 before even starting, and I recently received a smartwatch as a gift, which will help me track my steps and miles as I go.
“My message to others is to trust yourself. You know your body better than anyone. Don’t dismiss your symptoms or let them be brushed off. Keep pushing for answers. I thought it was menopause, but it was something far more serious, and I’m so glad I followed my instincts to visit my GP.”
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