Doc missed brain tumour 8 times

i have been having these symptoms for 5 weeks now, fainting dizzy spells numbness in my limbs, servre headaches, i had a brain scan done 2 weeks ago it showed clear!!! But recently my head is getting worse and worse, more fainting always tired. I have been told sinusitis and panic attacks and depression followed by a headache, but this is more than a headache, is it possible they missed something on the CT scan

By rachel. Posted November 6 2009 at 5:29 PM.

It seems that the philosophy of the NHS is to put the cost onto the patient by using pro-respective prophylactic measures. How much did it cost Nicole to continue with the treatments her Dr gave? Anti-depressants, other medications. How much was the total cost of her visits? Putting all that together, how much time and money would have been saved if the scan had just been done in the first place? I died as the result of Dr negligence. I didn't take it further. If I had known the impact on my life in later years, I would have sued for as much as I could get. I am now unable to work. The drunk doctor who operated on me is still making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

By Dawn Mather. Posted November 1 2009 at 4:24 AM.

My mum just had a 9 hour operation last tuesday after a misdiagnosis she has been sufferng for almost a year with headaches and confusion clumsyness and when i say confusion i mean not even being able to dress herself or put on her shoes or put in a plug, over the last 3 months she became deaf and had limbs like jelly. im not medically trained but could clearly see from looking on the internet that these were symptoms of a tumour i begged mum to make sure she tells DR all of her symptoms, she wrote them all down on a piece of paper and after already being diagnosed with sleep apnea 6 months earlier was now being sent to a memory clinic to be tested for alzimiers at age 50!!!!!!! I think if is an outrage by the time the tumour was discovered by a referal to an eye specialist by an option the neuro surgeon said that Mum was like a walking time bomb and could of dropped dead within days from a massive stroke. he gave her a 50% chance of surviving the surgery and thank God she did. I am taking this further as i don;t want this to happen to anyone else.

By Zoe Prince. Posted September 7 2009 at 12:58 PM.

Sorry don't agree with Dr Stevie. I live in Sydney where we have medicare - and my bulk billing GP sent me staight to a neurologist when I presented similar symtoms as Nicole. When I told him I thought I was going mad - he laughed and said no you are not, but we will get it checked out. I had an MRI scan the next week. Our system is poor compared to NHS - it all comes down to the judgement of your GP.

By Susan. Posted July 19 2009 at 9:27 AM.

my dad suffered from severe headaches ( or like electric shocks as he described them) from when he was a young boy. he was given tegretol but never given scan. They about 15 years ago when he was about 42 they eventually done scan and found a tumour that had been growing for about 30 years and it was that big that if it was not removed it would kill him. They removed 75% as the other 25% they couldnt remove as it was at stem. It then grew again 10 years later and the same thing hapened. he will never have it quite all removed and will always grow back. my dad was misdiagnosed for years.

By lianne anderson. Posted July 19 2009 at 9:20 AM.

Thanks guys for your comments.
My husband and team did the Three Peaks Walk and so far have raised £3253.00 for Brain Tumour Action.
I have had numerous calls from people who have been through years of symptoms that were not diagnosed .... some of whom have had worse outcomes than myself.
This only drives me on with much more force and backing to get more awareness and publicity for this awful condition.
I shall continue to fight for more training for GP's.
Thanks for your feedback it helps.

Kindest regards, Nicole x

By Nicole Witts. Posted July 13 2009 at 10:48 PM.

Hi Nicole,

I think you should report your GP to the GMC, because he could put someone else's life at risk by diagnosing a life-threatening illness.

Please consider taking this action, if not for your own sake, then for the patients he will be treating the future.

Carole x

By mummymooz. Posted July 12 2009 at 11:39 AM.

9 years ago ths month my ex partner and childrens mother died, she had for years suffered with bad heads and and numerous visits to doctors.
Even her cousin died years earlier with a brain complaint.
She was admitted into mental hospital for a few weeks as they thought she was on drugs which was a load of rubbish.
The night she died the doctors were called out not just 1 but 3 but by this time it was too late as she died on her way to the hospital
These sort of problems should be looked into immediatley when someone goes more than twice about complaints to the head.
Looking at all these previous messages it still seems to be happening.
Today my children dont have a mother but a very good loving aunt who has took care of them.
Something needs to be done about these arrogant doctors.
Thank you for reading this and if any of your family suffers severe head problems please persist as it could save there life

By Raymond . Posted July 5 2009 at 9:25 AM.

im 22 years of age and i went to the doctors on and of for 3 years with migraines tiredness dizzyness and visual disturbances i was told i was stressed and had postnatal depression they put me on antidepressents the migranes got that bad in aug 2007 i went to the doctors again with the same symptoms i was told i had a trapped nerve and was given ibroprofen rub in feb 2008 i blacked out and fell i went to the hospital were they examined me to tell me i was stressed and sent me home the next day i went to work i was suffering high tempretures black outs etc i went to the nhs who said to go to the hospital they thought i was having brain sezsures when i got to the hospital they said i was emtional depressed so i came home i was furious that this was my second time at the hospital and nothing. so the next day i went to the doctors and said enough was enough so again i went back to the hospital they said ok we will keep you in and do test on my second day i was there i fell unconsious they rushed me to have a ct scan then a mri scan when they came back with the news that i had a pituatry tumor i was in hospital for 13 weeks but cannot understand why they will not remove the tumor they just keep saying im to young nearlly a year later i still have the tumor and still living with passing out dizzyness and nasty headaches why......

By janine. Posted June 30 2009 at 12:40 AM.

Thank-you guys for your comments.
I fought through this with a key aim to raise awareness into the symptoms of brain tumours and also for more training for GP's into this hard to diagnose condition.
My GP has admitted they were slow to see it coming but also said how hard they can be to diagnose. He has said that they have learnt from my case and will continue to learn.
I am focusing every bit of energy i have into raiseing publicity and awareness into this illness.
Have currently raised £2100. for Brain Tumour Action who are also working towards more research into brain tumours which is needed.
Nicole x
www.justgiving.com/nicolewitts

By Nicole Wittsni. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:09 PM.

Dr Stevie's comments are spurious and outrageous.

Assuming Nicole explained all her symptoms to the GP in question, then he or she is guilty of a gross misdiagnosis. It is simply wrong to justify this as a statistical necessity - she obviously had more than just a headache and should have been referred.

Perhaps she should sue the NHS to make other GPs more vigilant and end this supposed culture of indifference, or perhaps sue the GP personally?

By KevM. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:14 AM.

An old friend of mine her son was miss diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 12. He kept complaining of headaches for over two months an the G.P kept dismissing it as different things, It was only when she found him at the bottom of the stairs and he was rushed to hospital that the cancerous tumour was found. He survived.
It makes me mad that some G.Ps just dismiss these symptoms as nothing.

All the best for the future Nicole xxxxx

By Eve. Posted June 28 2009 at 11:10 AM.

As a hospital doctor who has worked in the UK and overseas, unfortunately this is the essence of the NHS. 99.9% of times the GP will be right regarding headaches and will save the NHS an absolute fortune in investigations. They will also save a lot of people from unnecessary radiation exposure from CT scans. However, some will slip through the net and suffer injury or worse. Everyone working in the system knows this to be the case and this is the philosophy of the NHS - to do good for most but accept that the system of GP 'gatekeeping' will harm a very small number of people.

If we investigate everyone, the same number of people as we miss might be cancelled out by the number of people who are killed or injured by the investigations (the radiation from a CT scan may result in cancer in up to 1 in 5000 patients - no-one is certain). If we refer everyone with a headache to a specialist (who might be able to better sift out the ill from the well) the system would be overwhelmed within days. GPs have tens of thousands of conditions to learn about so can never have the skill of a specialist in this area.

What is absolutely certain is that your government knows about these issues, it encourages the status quo and in fact enforces it, through threat and bribe. It relies on the system that led to this ladies' problems in order to keep the NHS going.

By Dr Stevie. Posted June 28 2009 at 10:14 AM.

It should'nt be able to happen, my sons brain tumour was mis-diagnosed several times, we were told it could be sinustis and he was given travel sickness tablets to control his daily vomiting and also an adult nasal spray.(aged 9) He was seen by our famly GP approx 10 times within a few weeks, his eye also started to turn so he was taken to our family optician, they too didnt pick up on anything, it was only a couple of days later his brother found him barely unconcious except for constantly clicking his fingers (not sure why he was clicking his fingers) - long story short - ambulance to hospital, transfer to specialist hospital(addenbrookes), CT scans, surgery x 3 then 6 weeks of radiotherapy, daily injections of growth hormone for life, loss of vision on one eye.
That was 8yrs ago and i'm pleased to say he has just started an apprenticeship after leaving school last year with 9 gcse's 6'bs and 3'c's.

I believe all GP's should update their sklls with further training periodically.

I also believe that patients with benign tumours should recieve the same support from Cancer charities, we didnt recieve any help - it wasnt offered and if thats because his tumour was benign then thats just so wrong, the treatments the same and it was the treatment that has caused my sons life changing conditions that he still has to contend with today.
Wishes Nicole all the best in the future. xxx

ps. we didnt take matters further either.

By hayley. Posted June 28 2009 at 4:37 AM.