A woman has opened up about a harrowing health discovery after struggling with headaches for decades.
Fretful about her poor concentration, constant forgetfulness and head pain, Kendra Capablo began to explore an ADHD diagnosis when in her forties, as she was convinced her symptoms matched up.
For her, everything pointed towards the neurological disorder, as it often causes a difficulty in focusing and impulsive or erratic behaviour. Sadly, the reality was far more sinister as she discovered a brain tumour.
The 48-year-old experienced her first migraine at school and then began to struggle with cluster headaches in her twenties, but signs of forgetfulness crept in far later in life.
Desperate to find out the cause of her daily headaches and poor concentration, Kendra, from Conneticut, USA, asked a colleague whether ADHD was something you could develop as an adult in your forties, and decided to take things further.
The couples therapist finally went to see a neurologist after a push from her husband, who was tired of seeing her in pain.
She explained: "It was my husband's prompting that led me to see the neurologist. The headaches were definitely impacting our lives in a pretty significant way. By the end of the day, I would be in so much pain, I would basically go straight to bed after dinner. He kept urging me to make an appointment, and I finally did."
The neurologist proposed an MRI scan but Kendra was convinced she didn't have anything more serious to worry about, so happily agreed. However, after a mere few hours, Kendra received a call asking for her to come back into hospital immediately.
Not realising the call meant they had found something, Kendra went to the appointment alone the next day, only be told they had found a brain tumour - not ADHD.
The news came as a huge shock to Kendra's family, particularly as doctors explained the tumour had most likely been growing for years. But she tried to focus on the logic rather than panic.
"I don't tend to be someone who panics about health related things and I am very good at compartmentalising but I knew that my husband and family were all very upset by the diagnosis and so for me, that was the harder part," she admitted.
"As a therapist, I was familiar with the symptoms of ADHD, but also knew that that was unlikely the diagnosis as symptoms typically exist in childhood and for me, they did not."
"I probably never suspected it was a tumour, but obviously in thinking about it, it makes sense that if someone has a brain tumour, they may have headaches."
Looking back on the appointment, Kendra explained: "When I initially went to the neurologist, for what turned out to be the brain tumour, he suspected I was having both migraines and cluster headaches because I was experiencing two different types of headaches. In retrospect, I suspect that some of the headaches were cluster headaches, while the others were from the tumour itself."
"The doctor had told me the prognosis with this particular type of tumour was very good, and I trusted the surgeon immensely so while I can't say I wasn't nervous at all, it was the other people's anxiety that was more difficult for me.
Have you had a similar health scare? Tell us in the comments...
After Kendra had surgery to remove the tumour - which was the size of a ten pence coin - she felt the headaches vanish and her concentration return. After a painful recovery, she's managed to get her life back on track, and even got married.
Speaking about the ordeal, Kendra revealed: "The first week after the surgery was horrible. The pain was indescribable, and I had a weird complication with my vision that resolved on its own but was disconcerting. After that first week, things improved very quickly.
"Knowing that the effects were temporary prevented me from panicking and thinking they would last forever."
Now knowing it wasn't ADHD, Kendra remains incredibly thankful she got her headaches checked out, and has recently just had a two-year scan showing she is still tumour free.
She adds: "It is crucial to understand the underlying cause of your headaches, as it determines the appropriate treatment approach. Looking back, I endured the tumour related headaches for much longer than necessary.
"If I had addressed the issue earlier, I could have undergone surgery before the onset of Covid, which would have considerably simplified matters.
"Due to my history of migraines and cluster headaches, I dismissed the possible severity, assuming they were just typical episodes. However, in hindsight, I regret not visiting the neurologist sooner."
If you are concerned about headaches, it's important to speak to your GP. For more information, visit the NHS's advice page on headaches which explains when to visit a doctor.
Do you have a story to share? Email Niamh.Kirk@reachplc.com
