Woman diagnosed with brain tumour after periods stopped for 7 years
A woman whose periods had stopped for seven years was eventually diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Abbie Few, 29, started what she thought was regular menstruation for two months when she was 13 but then her periods stopped entirely for seven years.
When she visited a doctor about this and the headaches she’d been having, she says she was told to take paracetamol for the headaches and to eat more to encourage her period to return.
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"I left it a few months before going to the GP and explained about the sudden stop of my period and told them about my headaches," she explains.
"The advice I was given was to take paracetamol for my head, and eat more to help promote regular menstruation. By the time I was 17, I stayed on for sixth form and would turn up late and miss coursework deadlines because the pain in my head was so debilitating."
Few adds that her mum had grown concerned about the amount of paracetamol she was getting through and that she had stopped growing so took her back to the GP, where she was then referred to a specialist.
It was then that a walnut-sized tumour was discovered on her brain just days after she turned 19.
"I was completely shocked but felt a level of relief that something had been found that could explain what was happening to my body," Few, from Fishguard in Wales, says.
Few endured a 10-hour surgery at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff to remove the mass, which was later identified as a craniopharyngioma.
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According to Cancer Research UK, craniopharyngiomas are non cancerous (benign) brain tumours that grow close to the pituitary gland which affects how hormones function in the body.
They are very rare, accounting for less than 1% of all brain tumours, and can cause headaches and growth problems in children.
Following the surgery Few’s tumour soon regrew. In 2016 she became the first person from Wales to receive proton beam therapy treatment in the US.
"I fitted the criteria with my age and brain tumour type. I received 30 rounds of proton therapy. This saved my life," she adds.
Few is now campaigning for Brain Tumour Research to help reach 100,000 signatures on its petition to increase research funding.
"Throughout my diagnosis I have had to deal with not only physical and mental challenges, but I’ve also had to contend with the financial side of things," Few adds.
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"My family and the local community were incredible at helping to support my travel and living costs throughout my treatment. Brain tumours need to be taken more seriously which comes down to a lack of funding of research into the disease."
To sign and share the petition before it closes at the end of October 2023, go to braintumourresearch.org/petition.
Additional reporting by SWNS.
