05/11/2023
Sorry I haven’t posted anything for a while but it’s been tough the last few months. Nothing new will be added until next year but orders are being taken for any items already added 🥰
On Wednesday 22nd March we found out that our son Owen had been keeping some medical symptoms that he was experiencing to himself.
These included dizziness, slurred speech, confusion, forgetting words, stuttering, head pains and more.
Whilst flying his drone at our house around midday he had another head pain which shot through his head and he finally told us. He rang the GP at 3pm and the Nurse Practitioner was not happy with his symptoms and he was seen same day at 3:10pm. He was told to go straight through to a&e at Leighton which we did. He had a few tests which we assumed were just precautionary including a CT scan.
By 10pm he was admitted into ward 2 at Leighton.
Shortly after this time the doctor dealing with his case entered the room - he informed us that they had found a mass on Owens brain which was stopping the cerebral spinal fluid from leaving his brain. This has lead to a condition called hydrocephalus (high pressure and fluid on the brain) which was causing severe consequences and was lethal. They began liaising with royal Stoke hospital as they are the neurological experts in the area.
At 3am Thursday morning he was blue lighted to Royal Stoke in the event they wanted to intervene. We were told later that day that he needed brain surgery as a matter of urgency or he wouldn’t be here for much longer. The tumour was blocking the drainage in his brain and whist the growth is benign at this time it was causing other problems.
At 2pm on Friday he was taken down for brain surgery to remove the pressure. This was successful for 6 months but at the beginning of October we discovered that the op had failed! On the 6th October he had to have further brain surgery to install a shunt which will drain the fluid into his belly. Fingers crossed this will work 🤞
He now has to monitor the growth on his brain for the rest of his life in the event they need to intervene with this too if it grows.
I am just asking you all to please, please listen to your bodies, and your family. And support our NHS.
They don’t always get the credit they deserve the diagnosis of younger patients. ❤️
If it wasn’t for the nurse practitioner at our GP practice (weaver vale surgery) that Wednesday, the Neurosurgeon told us that he would have been dead in a number of weeks at best although most likely a week!! The realisation to how close he came hasn’t hit any of us yet and I’m not sure it will for a while. But we are incredibly grateful that he is still here and gets to live his life.
This has been a horrendous time for us all but we are incredibly lucky to still have Owen with us. We can’t thank the nurse practitioner, Leighton, the surgeon and all the staff on ward 228 at royal Stoke enough for all the care they have given us. We are truly blessed to have an amazing NHS service. ❤️
Owen was only 23 now 24 and thankfully his symptoms weren’t brushed off because of his age. So
please listen to your bodies - and just get checked.
And whenever you’re next with your loved ones give them a tighter hug because you never know what’s round the corner ❤️
Thanks for reading
