Woman, 46, with brain tumour claims she was told to go home and watch Netflix before diagnosis

A woman claims a doctor told her to go home and watch Netflix after she was rushed to A&E with a headache – which turned out to be a brain tumour.

Lisa Thomas, 46, went to hospital when headaches left her in excruciating pain – but says she wasn’t taken seriously as a junior medic told her to ‘go home, rest and watch Netflix’ to relax in 2017.

Air-traffic controller Lisa paid for a private scan and found out it was an aggressive brain tumour called glioblastoma multiforme after a year of dizziness beginning in late 2016.

Air-traffic controller Lisa paid for a private scan and found out it was an aggressive brain tumour called glioblastoma multiforme

Her symptoms were blamed on fatigue and sinusitis and was called an isolated incident.

Lisa, who lives with Miles 45, and their sons Jake, 11, and Daniel, eight, was then rushed to A&E at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester. 

The mum-of-two said: ‘I felt like I’d been hit over the head with a hammer – I had never felt a pain like it.

‘But the junior doctor told me it’s nothing serious and that I should go home, rest and watch Netflix to help me relax.

‘After the private scan, I remember looking up ‘GBM’ online and finding out the awful prognosis.

‘After that, I couldn’t look at my two boys without crying, imagining them growing up without me being around. 

The mum-of-two said: ‘I felt like I’d been hit over the head with a hammer – I had never felt a pain like it.

Lisa credits novel treatments, such as Gliadel wafers, which are inserted during surgery, at a private clinic in London with helping her to stay well

Lisa credits novel treatments, such as Gliadel wafers, which are inserted during surgery, at a private clinic in London with helping her to stay well

On July 17, less than a fortnight after her diagnosis, surgeons at Southampton General Hospital removed the tumour.

She also had eight weeks of radiotherapy and chemotherapy followed following the surgery then had scans every three months to check for re-growth.

Five years on, brave Lisa has scans just twice a year after two years of clear scans.

She credits novel treatments, such as Gliadel wafers, which are inserted during surgery, at a private clinic in London with helping her to stay well. 

‘But now, my eldest son is due to start secondary school this year – which is something I didn’t ever think I’d be here for.

‘I wanted to wait until I was five years clear to share my story – to help offer hope to at least one other person at a time when they may really need it.’ 

Hugh Adams, head of stakeholder relations at Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘Lisa’s story is one of hope and we’re thrilled to hear she has outlived her initial prognosis.

‘We desperately need more stories like Lisa’s. 

Lisa, who lives with Miles 45, and their sons Jake, 11, and Daniel, eight, was then rushed to A&E at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester

Lisa, who lives with Miles 45, and their sons Jake, 11, and Daniel, eight, was then rushed to A&E at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester

‘If you can get therapeutics into the brain without systemic treatments by using new methods of drug delivery, that has to be a way of improving options of treatment for brain tumour patients.’

Dr Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘While we cannot comment on the cases of individual patients, it is fundamental to our values that each patient receives not just high quality care, but also a positive experience.

‘We take all feedback very seriously, and should there be an occasion where we do not meet this standard, steps are put in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

‘Anyone who may have concerns is always encouraged to raise it through our customer care team, as has happened in this particular instance.’