To spot my brain tumour an orange
Leighanne’s condition was misdiagnosed as migraines, tinnitus, sinusitis and Heartbrokenmeningitis family consider legal action against medics for mistaking cancer for minor ailments
A MUM with a brain tumour the size of an orange was turned away by doctors seven times before she was diagnosed.
By that time, her cancer was at stage four and incurable.
Leighanne Sanderson, 37, has been given between 18 months and five years to live.
But she and her family are convinced her prognosis would have been better if doctors had taken her complaints seriously and not dismissed them as minor ailments.
Leighanne’s misdiagnoses included migraines, sinusitis, tinnitus and viral meningitis.
After the Daily Record raised her complaint with Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board, they launched an investigation.
Leighanne first felt ill in October last year when she suffered headaches. When they worsened the following month, she went to her GP in Dumbarton.
Her doctor told her she was suffering from migraines.
But her headaches didn’t let up and she returned to her GP after the New Year.
Leighanne said: “She listened to my symptoms and diagnosed I had the tail end of viral meningitis. But she didn’t do any tests.
“She just told me to go home, drink plenty of fluids and rest.”
Leighanne, who was a physio assistant with the NHS caring for adults with learning difficulties, was rarely ill previously and kept herself fit coaching a boys’ football team.
But her condition was worsening to such an extent her mum, Josephine Sanderson, 56, left her home in Renfrew to care for Leighanne and her son, Kieran, then 13.
Josephine said: “Every time she tried to get out of bed and moved her head in a certain way, she felt dizzy.”
A week after she moved in, she was so concerned she called NHS 24. Jospehine added: “She was passing out and her headaches were really bad.
“NHS 24 sent an ambulance for her but when she got to the Vale of Leven Hospital, one of the doctors said to her, ‘How did you manage to get an ambulance to bring you here with just a headache’.”
She was diagnosed a with an acute sinus infection, given a nasal spray and sent home.
Leighanne then had a house call from a different GP, who diagnosed tinnitus, before making another trip to the Vale of Leven Hospital where a migraine was diagnosed.
A second GP housecall resulted in a diagnosis of sinusitis and when Leighanne made a third trip to the hospital, she was asked if she was looking for a day off work and told they could find nothing wrong.
Her sister Katie, 32, said: “Leighanne and I were Facetiming because I couldn’t go near her while I was pregnant in case she did have meningitis.
“And I noticed one side of her face was lower than the other. I was worried she’d had a stroke.”
Finally, on the eighth time of asking, a GP took action.
Josephine said: “I told her, ‘I am not asking any more, I am telling you you need to do something’.
“My father had died of a brain tumour and I recognised the symptoms. The GP apologised and called her into the surgery to check her over before sending her to the hospital.”
Leighanne said: “The doctor I saw this time was lovely. He admitted me and sent me for a scan.”
Later that day, the news the family had been dreading finally came – Leighanne had a tumour the size of an orange.
She was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where, after a course of steroids, she was operated on.
Leighanne said: “They removed 95 per cent of the tumour but because of where it was, they couldn’t remove any more because there would be a chance of a stroke or paralysis.”
Afterwards she had radiotherapy and was put on a chemotherapy trial but she took a reaction to it and it had to be abandoned.
She was stable for a few months but two weeks ago the tumour changed shape and she has now been put on oral chemotherapy for the next 10 months.
Leighanne was told she had a maximum of five years to live and plans to hold a huge birthday party when she turns 38 next month, because she is aware she may not make it to the next milestone year.
Tearfully, she admitted: “I know I might not be here for my 40th.”
But Josephine said: “She’s not going anywhere. She’ll keep fighting and when she can’t, we’ll fight for her.”
The cancer cost Leighanne her job and her home. The bank repossessed her flat because she couldn’t make the mortgage payments when she was no longer able to work.
She and Kieran, 14, moved in with Katie before the council rehoused her in Renfrew, close to her family.
Josephine said: “She was treated despicably and she lost everything. When she is well enough, we will be seeking legal advice.”
Leighanne added: “To be treated like someone who had a wee headache was awful.
“I know they cannot treat every patient as if they have a brain tumour but they have to be more vigilant.” Last night, Labour’s health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “This is another tragic case.
“It is clear that our NHS resources are not meeting demand and our NHS staff are overworked, undervalued and under resourced which is clearly having an impact on patient care.
“The health board and health secretary must launch a full inquiry into this case to determine how and why it happened and make sure it never happens again.
“We haven’t been meeting our expected standards in cancer care now for over three years.
“Cancer remains Scotland’s biggest killer and unless we wake up to that and start to get to grips with meeting these standards, more and more patients will be failed and more tragic situations like this will occur.”
A spokeswoman from Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board said: “We are very sorry to hear Ms Sanderson’s concerns around a delay in diagnosis of her treatment. We will launch a full investigation and contact her to discuss her concerns directly.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said : “Health Secretary Shona Robison has been very clear with boards that she expects everyone’s care must be patient-centred.
We are establishing new approaches to detecting cancer early and have committed £1million of new funding to improve diagnostic performance across the
country.”