Leeds woman who woke up in hospital 'dazed' was told she had brain tumour despite never experiencing symptoms
A Leeds woman who woke up in a hospital bed was told by doctors she had a brain tumour - despite never having experienced any symptoms.
Michelle Hicks, from Horsforth, said that her day had started like any other. But hours later, the 55-year-old found herself "dazed and confused" in hospital.
It was then that she was told she had a large tumour on her brain that needed immediate medical attention.
She was kept in hospital for two weeks before undergoing life-saving surgery at the start of the year. And as a result of revolutionary new technology, surgeons were able to remove 95 per cent of the tumour during a 10-hour operation.
It follows an investment of £150,000 to fund state-of-the-art equipment at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The technology can effectively diagnose brain tumours in real-time during an operation, meaning that more of the tumour can be removed while keeping healthy brain tissue safe.
Michelle said: "What started off as an ordinary day working from home, ended with me waking up in a hospital bed, dazed and confused about what had happened to me.
"A CT scan revealed a large tumour on my brain, I needed to start treatment right away and spent the next couple of weeks in hospital. I couldn’t really process it, I hadn’t experienced any symptoms until that day.”
She continued: “My life-saving surgery took place around five months ago, I spent 10 hours undergoing awake surgery; it was surreal.
“After the operation, our surgeon told my husband Martin and I about the new technology they had used to perform the surgery, explaining the equipment was charity funded.
"Martin remembers being told prior to surgery it was anticipated that about 70 per cent of the tumour could be removed. But with the help of this technology, neurosurgeons were able to remove over 95 per cent of my tumour; reducing the risk of it growing back.
“I’m slowly regaining my independence, and my long-term aspirations are to drive again and go out by myself. The staff told me that, if all goes well, I should make a full recovery within 12 months post-surgery. I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to rebuild my future.”
Leeds is the first city in the UK to benefit from Zeiss Convivo Pathology Suite technology, which was funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity.
As well as producing high quality images of tumours from inside a patient’s brain in real-time, it allows pathologists to view the images as a livestream from anywhere in the world.
That means they can make quicker and more accurate diagnoses during surgery, advising surgeons to remove as much of the tumour as possible with minimal damage to healthy cells.
It is thought it could benefit up to 300 patients across Leeds Children’s Hospital and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust every year.
Previously, samples removed from the head required a biopsy that had to be transported to a lab at a different hospital for analysis.
This could be a much more time-consuming process - and results sometimes came back inconclusive.