Vegetarian who kept smelling bacon confused doctors until surprise diagnosis

23 December 2023 , 11:57

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Lucy Younger, 23, was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour after experiencing strange sensations (Image: Lucy Younger / SWNS)

A vegetarian woman has described how she was diagnosed with a brain tumour after she kept smelling bacon.

Lucy Younger, 23, also experienced regular episodes of deja vu and zoning out before finding what was causing her unusual symptoms.

Doctors had originally given her antidepressants after diagnosing her with a panic disorder.

But an unsatisfied Lucy continued to push for answers, and was given a CT scan, blood tests and an ultrasound after a possible case of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) was raised.

The scans then revealed had a benign brain tumour on her frontal lobe, which had to be operated on in just a matter of weeks.

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It followed months of confusing symptoms that left Lucy feeling as if she was "going insane", and she shared that she had stopped going on nights out when they first appeared as she thought she "must’ve been overdoing it".

Lucy kept smelling bacon and experienced regular episodes of deja vu before finding what was causing her unusual symptoms (Lucy Younger / SWNS)

Scans then revealed had a benign brain tumour on her frontal lobe which needed surgery (Lucy Younger / SWNS)

But after adapting her lifestyle when she started university in London, Lucy found that the strange sensations - which included visual hallucinations like pink elephants and rollercoasters - were not going away. She said: "I was smelling bacon all the time - I’m a vegetarian, so I was like, what the hell is going on? My friends would even joke - oh, Lucy’s having a moment again!"

Lucy returned to finish her undergraduate degree and completed a master's (Lucy Younger / SWNS)

Lucy also experienced pins and needles in her face and a metallic taste. After being given antidepressants and then told by another doctor that her problems could be down to fluctuating hormones, Lucy said a tearful phonecall with her pharmacist ended up getting her the assessments she needed, and she was booked in for scans after he pleaded her case with her GP. Shortly afterwards, she was given the diagnosis of a benign brain tumour, and had a craniotomy, a type of brain surgery to remove it four months later. Taking a year out for recovery, she recalled how she was "completely out of it" as a consequence of her tumour and surgery, and had to return to beginner ballet classes despite having learnt for many years since her teens.

She returned to finish her undergraduate degree at Goldsmiths University and completed a masters. After dealing a second diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2023, Lucy has since had half of her thyroid removed, takes medication for epilepsy, and has brain scans twice a year. She shares her experiences on TikTok, and encourages young people to ask more questions about their problems when speaking to doctors.

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas