A young mother is sharing her story after what she believed was a toothache turned out to be a brain tumor.
In April 2018, Emma Webster, 29, was rushed into a root canal surgery after complaining to her dentist of a toothache. However months later, the mom of one returned with severe pain and blurred vision.
“I had root canal surgery but that didn’t make any difference to the pain I was experiencing,” Webster, from Scotland, toldThe Independent. “Afterwards, I started experiencing numbness at the top of my mouth and on the tip of my nose.”
Doctors originally believed she was suffering from neuralgia — a stabbing, burning, and often severe pain due to an irritated or damaged nerve, according toHealthline.
“I went to see another GP who thought I had neuralgia and gave me medication for that,” she added. “I was being treated for six months but it wasn’t helping at all, and my symptoms were getting worse, and I had blurred vision.”
Woman in hospital.Getty
After struggling for months, Webster said an MRI scan revealed in January 2019 that she had a brain tumor behind her right eye. She explained that she immediately thought of the worst, and what life could soon look like for her fiancé Kieran McGurk, 31, and their son Alife, 7.
“When I found out, it didn’t sink in at all. I even went back to work, but later that day when I was on the phone I broke down,” Webster told the outlet. “I kept thinking, ‘Why me? What have I done wrong?’ "
“I could only think of Alfie and what would happen to him if he lost his mum …I was told it was benign but I was ready to plan my funeral,” she said, noting that brain tumors run in her family.
Webster had surgery in March 2019 and 70% of the benign tumor was removed.
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Now, Webster said she only has annual scans to monitor the growth of the tumor.
“I can’t believe I’ve now got to the stage where I am not always having to be at the hospital but instead we bought our new home, I am getting married in two years, and I’m expecting my second child in eight weeks,” she told the outlet. “I never thought that would be the case back in 2019.”
source: people.com
