The doctors said I was having panic attacks – it was actually an incurable brain tumour

A young woman has been diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor after doctors dismissed her symptoms – as panic attacks.

Jessie-Mae Lambert, 27, went to her GP after she started experiencing strange sensations and visual disturbances, which her doctor put down to anxiety.

It wasn’t until her mother realized the “episodes” were seizures and had her referred to hospital that a grade 2 astrocytoma brain tumor was found.

She then underwent a six-hour operation at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Center to remove as much of the tumor as possible.

But because the tumor – which measures 4cm by 3cm – rests on top of the arteries, only 40 per cent of it can be removed.

The marketing manager underwent six weeks of daily radiotherapy sessions and will spend the rest of her life being monitored regularly.

Now Jessie, from Nottingham, UK is urging anyone concerned about their health to trust their bodies, insist on a second opinion and push for appointments.

She said: “It was in October last year that I started having ‘episodes’ where I just felt a bit off, but the doctor said they were panic attacks and put me on anti-anxiety medication.

“It was only when it happened in front of my mother that she realized it was a crisis and took me back to the GP.

“Incredibly, he said I had to decide whether it was panic attacks or seizures – even though I had only ever described the symptoms to him.

“Eventually I was referred to hospital and told I needed an MRI and an EEG scan. I was put on a waiting list and was getting more and more worried.

“I was calling every day to try and get a cancellation and I was on first name terms with all the staff.

“But in April I made a last-minute appointment and the MRI revealed the tumour.

“My oncologist showed me the scan and I can’t describe the feeling – just complete panic went through my whole body.

“It was terrible to look at my mother and see her also worried, but I had to learn that not everyone can be lucky.

Specialists agreed to remove part of the brain tumor, but warned him that the operation was not without risks.

Jessie, who works for Alphageek Digital, in Derby, was told she could suffer a stroke on the operating table and wake up unable to walk or talk.

Although the operation was successful, and Jessie was allowed to go home the next day, she was later readmitted with an infection and spent a week on intravenous antibiotics.

She added: “Just before the operation I wasn’t as scared as you might expect, I was actually relieved to finally be going to theater – it had been such a struggle to be diagnosed.

“When I woke up, I asked if I could still walk and was so relieved to be able to wiggle my toes and talk.

“But because so much of the tumor was left behind, I had to undergo six weeks of radiotherapy at Nottingham City Hospital.

“It took an hour to get there every day, and I wasn’t allowed to drive.

“My mum has been beyond amazing and some of my friends even took time off work to pick me up.

The radiotherapy was not a good experience and has led to a relapse of the epilepsy, which I had been warned could happen, but it was important to try to get rid of some of the grade 3 cells that showed up on the scan.â €

Jessie has been documenting every step of her treatment on TikTok in an effort to raise awareness of the symptoms and answer questions from other people going through similar experiences.

She has spoken to six young women who contacted her after experiencing seizures or receiving similar diagnoses.

Jessie added: “I’ve been contacted by so many girls who all feel like they’re struggling to be taken seriously.

“They all feel like no one is listening to them – that’s how I felt too.

“This is why I am telling my story publicly. Because people have to be annoying, call their doctors every day, complain about an appointment.

“You have to trust your body and push and push. Never take no for an answer.

“In a way I’m lucky because my tumor was suppressing something that caused the epilepsy, but it could have been a lot worse in the years to come.”

Now Jessie has completed her radiotherapy treatment, she is hoping to return to work one day a week and is also planning a trip to Italy to cheer on a marathoner running in her name.

Phoebe Collier, from Derby, heard about Jessie’s situation through a mutual friend and has so far raised £1,300 ($1,648) for Brain Tumor Research by completing three marathons, in three countries, in six weeks.

She has so far completed the challenge in Portugal and the Netherlands and will soon take part in a marathon in Italy, where she will be cheered on by Jesse.

Jessie added: “I’ve never met Phoebe but I’m surprised she ran on my behalf.

“Despite the fact that thousands of people a year are diagnosed with brain tumours, it is woefully underfunded, receiving less than 3 per cent of all cancer research funding in the UK.

“I can’t wait to go cheer him on and get back to work.

“My bosses at Alphageek could not have been more supportive and have truly treated me like part of their family. I couldn’t thank them more, they’ve just been amazing.

“My oncologist looked like he was going to have a heart attack when I said I was going back to work, but I miss it and just want to get back to normal.”

Jesse knows that he cannot fully recover and that he will spend the rest of his life being monitored.

For now, she will need a scan every three months to see if the tumor has developed or grown.

She added: “It’s very scary to think that I will spend the rest of my life waiting for good or bad news.

“But I don’t want it to beat me. I’ve absolutely had the brain surgery, the infection and the radiotherapy – I’m determined to keep fighting.