17 March 2023 , 21:41
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A mum who thought she was just suffering with menopause symptoms felt "numb" after being told she had an aggressive brain tumour.
Margaret Rose Campbell had spent two days lying on a trolley in hospital waiting for her diagnosis.
The 55-year-old had begun experiencing jitters, palpitations and vomiting when she took herself to A&E in January.
She had first gone to her doctor in October last year with symptoms including memory issues, similar to brain fog.
The mum-of-four, from Derry, Northern Ireland, had initially struggled to get a GP appointment and when she did she was prescribed hormone replacement therapy.
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Margaret in hospital (Campbell family)
Margaret will have to undergo chemotherapy after successful surgery (Campbell family)She told BelfastLive: "I knew something was wrong at that time.
"My memory was bad but I was putting it down to brain fog, which is a common thing associated with the menopause."
In December, receptionist Margaret had sinus issues. But at the turn of the year, she worsened and was forced to receive medical treatment.
"I went to A&E because I wasn't well," she explained.
"Now, I had the ongoing symptoms for vertigo, sinuses and the menopause.
"A doctor had put me on HRT patches but this night I was taking palpitations.
"I was in bed and I was starting to get afraid. I was lying on my side, then the other side, I would sit up and then lie down flat.
"But the palpitations weren't stopping. My heart rate was 108 - very high for someone lying in bed, resting," she added.
Her husband took her to A&E.
She continued: "They did blood tests and whatnot. I started to get really sick, vomiting. It turned out I was really low on sodium, low on potassium, and I was really lucky that I got the right doctor.
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"He said he would give me a CT scan. The month before, I had three antibiotics for sinus infections, but the antibiotic they had given me was making me really sick. So I was really dehydrated."
Margaret waited for two days on a trolley at Altnagelvin Area hospital in Derry City (Alamy Stock Photo)She gritted through a two-day wait at a very busy Altnagelvin Hospital Emergency Department.
She lay on a trolley for two days, vomiting, she recalled, and after securing a bed, she managed to get a CT scan.
"The doctor came to me and said 'I've got something to say to you, something has showed up, do you want me to tell you now or do you want your family'. I said 'I need my husband'.
After getting her husband, John, they were told that she had a brain tumour.
Margaret said: "I just went numb, I really did. What that consultant said to me is that someone up there is looking after you because no GP was going to send you for a CT scan for sinus pain.
"Being low in sodium is a symptom of a brain tumour, so I got the right doctor in A&E. It can cause swelling in the brain. I was so lucky. Have you seen the waiting times for a CT scans and MRI scans?"
After more scans, she had brain surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on February 6.
She will have to undergo chemotherapy for what has turned out to be a particularly rare and aggressive glioblastoma.
She must travel to Belfast in order to avail of specialist neurology services.
To help pay for her expenses, an online fundraiser has been set up by her family, who are looking for £5,000. Twice that amount had already been donated.
Margaret remarked that she is "overwhelmed" by the generosity of people.