Woman put her bulging eye down to tiredness—it was actually a sign of a brain tumour
A woman who put her bulging eye down to tiredness was shocked to discover it was actually a symptom of a brain tumour.
Vic Hemmings, 46, from Chippenham, Wiltshire, first noticed an issue with her right eye when her mum commented on her appearance.
She dismissed the change as being due to exhaustion and assumed the headaches she was also experiencing were a result of a family history of migraines.
But after her mum encouraged her to visit a doctor, Hemmings was diagnosed with two meningiomas.
According to the NHS, meningiomas are a type of non-cancerous tumour of the membrane that covers the brain.
"I hadn't really noticed my right eye was bulging before my mum pointed it out," Hemmings explains.
"It must have been such a gradual growth that when looking at myself every day in the mirror I didn’t spot the change, but my mum did.
"Mum grew concerned and whenever I visited would ask if I had been checked by a doctor, but I always came up with an excuse.
"I told her I felt tired, so it could be caused by the bags under my eyes.
"I also found myself normalising things, looking for reasons that were more rational than something more serious."
In 2010 doctors diagnosed Hemmings with proptosis – bulging or displacement of the eyes – and she was later told she had two meningiomas.
"One of my tumours was the size of a pea and the other, larger," Hemmings explains.
She underwent two operations to debulk her tumours, save her sight and address the proptosis, with her most recent surgery in 2018 being followed by radiotherapy.
"Before my first operation, the neurosurgeon described the procedure to me which was extensive and graphic, but I wanted to know everything," Hemmings continues.
"My understanding is that the bone next to where my tumour was growing formed an extra thick layer to try and protect itself from the ‘foreign’ mass growing on my brain."
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While her condition is now stable, she is monitored with annual scans and says she is still experiencing the effects the tumours have had on her life.
"Although my brain tumours are stable and, in that respect, I am deemed healthy, I am far from being fit," she explains.
"There are three things that I lost because of my diagnosis, my fitness, the ability to give blood and temporarily, my driving licence."
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Hemmings is now working with Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness of the disease and symptoms and is taking on the Skip 10 Minutes a Day in November for the charity.
"My hope is to show people that, in some circumstances, you can live really well with a brain tumour," she says.
“The more research we can do, the more we can understand the disease the more likely it will be that people have better outcomes."
Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: "We’re grateful to Vic for sharing her story and wish her well with her ongoing scans.
"It’s wonderful that Vic is using her diagnosis to help raise awareness of the disease and challenging herself with 10 minutes skipping throughout November.
"Good luck to Vic and everyone who is taking part in our Facebook challenge."
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Vic’s fundraising page, please visit Just Giving.
Brain tumours: UK help and support
Brain Tumour Support Helpline: 01454 422701
Cancer Research UK Helpline: 0808 800 4040
The Brain Tumour Charity Helpline: 0808 800 0004
Additional reporting SWNS.
