A woman who thought she needed glasses was shocked when an optician suspected a brain tumour and doctors sent her for emergency surgery 12 hours later - saying if it had been a day later she would have died. Ellie Musgrove, 21, started experiencing severe headaches and neck pain after her 21st birthday in January 2022, but she knew it was more than just a hangover after only celebrating with two alcoholic drinks.
Ellie then realised she couldn’t see properly when she was plucking her eyebrows – her vision was impaired with black spots and double vision. She called her GP and was prescribed antibiotics over the phone for an ear infection, but her symptoms didn’t improve, which prompted her to book an appointment with the opticians.
Thinking she needed glasses, Ellie visited Specsavers with her dad, Mike, 54, a commercial landlord, before being rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, Greater Manchester, after the optician noticed swelling of her optic nerve. Just 12 hours later, she underwent emergency brain surgery to drain excess fluid around her brain, before undergoing an MRI the following day which revealed she had a brain tumour which had caused Addison’s disease - an uncommon disorder that occurs when your body doesn't produce enough of certain hormones.
