A mother who went to the doctor after what she thought were menopause symptoms said she was left "numb" after discovering that she had a brain tumour.
Margaret Rose Campbell, who had to stop work as a receptionist at Templemore Sports Complex in Derry, told of her two days spent waiting on a trolley at Altnagelvin A&E before her diagnosis, Belfast Live reported.
The 55-year-old mother-of-four from Derry, found out she had a brain tumour on January 13 following a trip to A&E with jitters, palpitations and vomiting.
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She first approached a doctor in October with various symptoms - such as memory issues similar to brain fog experienced in menopause.
"I knew something was wrong at that time," she told Belfast Live. "My memory was bad but I was putting it down to brain fog, which is a common thing associated with the menopause."
She struggled to get an appointment to see a doctor. When she did, she received hormone replacement therapy - a common treatment for menopause symptoms.
In December, she 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 said.
"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.
"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."
She gritted through a two day wait at Altnagelvin Hospital's Emergency Department, which like most hospitals in the north, was very busy.
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.
She added: "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.
"People in Derry are just brilliant. I was reading through the comments and the tears were streaming out of me."
She is speaking out now to help raise awareness around brain tumours.
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