SWNS
“Even though I was a vegetarian, I kept smelling bacon; it turned out I had a brain tumor.”
A graduate who experienced strange symptoms such as the smell of bacon and frequent deja vu has been revealed to have a brain tumour. Lucy Younger, a 23-year-old vegetarian, was about to start university when she started experiencing strange symptoms. She went to the GP three times and was misdiagnosed with panic disorder and given antidepressants. Concerned Lucy underwent a CT scan, blood tests and ultrasound after doctors thought her symptoms might be due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). But scans revealed he had a benign brain tumor in his frontal lobe and needed surgery within a few weeks. The zonation turned out to be seizures caused by epilepsy. Lucy, from Crystal Palace in London, said: “The doctors were telling me something but it wasn’t until I Googled my symptoms that I realized I think I had a brain tumour. “I felt like I was going crazy for a really long time; I was told my attacks were panic attacks. “The first symptoms were “I thought it was weird when it started. But I had been drinking a little, so I thought I was exaggerating. “I’ve calmed down on nights out and adapted my lifestyle to that; however, after starting college, the symptoms got worse. “I kept smelling bacon; I’m a vegetarian, so I thought, what’s going on? “My friends would even joke – oh, Lucy is having fun again!” Lucy, who is unemployed due to illness, started noticing symptoms soon after starting her undergraduate English degree at Goldsmiths in September 2019. She began experiencing deja vu as well as visual hallucinations such as pink elephants and roller coasters. Initially thinking that she was partying too much during her freshmen years, Lucy stopped drinking frequently and opted to stay out at night regularly. However, his symptoms began to worsen and he experienced various sensory hallucinations, such as smelling bacon, pins and needles on his face, and tasting metal. At first, Lucy tried to downplay her symptoms, thinking they would go away, but when she started experiencing severe headaches, she decided to visit the GP for the first time. She said: “Right away, it was like it was anxiety. “I wasn’t feeling that anxious but I had made a big move from Newquay to London and was meeting lots of new people; so I thought maybe my brain was working overtime. “But I was still skeptical; I was really happy with where my life was at that point.” Despite making things easier after being diagnosed with anxiety, Lucy began to notice herself wandering off for long periods of time during lessons. She found it impossible to concentrate during class and this was starting to disrupt her studies, so she returned to the GP. “The doctor said he was really depressed, he was having really bad panic attacks,” Lucy added. “But I wasn’t. “I thought they were general practitioners; they know what they’re talking about, so I guess I’ll just do what they say.” Lucy was prescribed 20 mg of sertraline, an antidepressant also used to treat panic attacks. But dissatisfied with his diagnosis, he began googling his symptoms, and every result pointed to a brain tumor and epilepsy. Five months later, in March 2020, Lucy returned home to Newquay after lockdown restrictions were introduced. Here his symptoms began to worsen rapidly. He said: “When I got home I had a few more big attacks, I actually passed out with them. “My migraines started to get so bad that the right side of my body would go completely numb. “I thought I was either going psychotic or I had a tumour; It wasn’t depression or anxiety at all.” Lucy sought medical help for the third time, and a different doctor told her she might have fluctuations in her hormones, possibly caused by PCOS. They suggested she keep track of her period and sent her for blood tests and an ultrasound. Feeling helpless with constant hallucinations Lucy called a local pharmacist and shouted at him over the phone. She sent a letter to her GP advising they refer her for a CT scan as soon as possible. Lucy added: “My pharmacist defended me; After talking to my doctor, they had me get a CT scan. “I went in July and finally got the diagnosis of a benign brain tumor.” Four months later, Lucy had to undergo a craniotomy, a type of brain surgery, to remove the tumor. She left university for a year to do this; because his seizures and surgeries had caused short-term memory loss. “I was completely out of it during recovery,” she said. “I remember not being able to walk very well; I had to go back to beginner ballet classes after learning it since I was a teenager. “I also realized that I had been diagnosed with dyslexia when I first started university, which had everything to do with my brain tumor.” Lucy returned to complete her English degree in July 2021 and graduated a year later.