'I thought I was overdoing it at the gym - my life changed when I heard the words brain tumour'

A mum who believed she had an ear infection was shocked when she was told it was actually a brain tumour.

Sue Hitchmough, 48, went to the doctors after suffering from minor hearing loss in her right ear accompanied by dizziness. However, after taking a course of tablets she didn't get any better and even began experiencing difficulty with swallowing.

Despite her condition worsening, Sue attributed it to "overdoing it at the gym". But, she was eventually diagnosed with a low-grade acoustic neuroma - a type of brain tumour - in September 2021.

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In February 2022, Sue underwent her first operation to remove the 3.5cm tumour in and now needs a lifelong shunt in her brain to drain the fluid caused by the tumour. She is completely deaf in one year and has even lost the ability to cry in her right eye.

Sue, a managing director, from Burleson, Hampshire, said: “I used to wake up during the night with the sensation of a tablet stuck in my throat. I found myself making excuses for everything my body was feeling.

"I’d think that perhaps I was overdoing it at the gym and not eating enough. My life changed as soon as I heard the words ‘brain tumour’."

Sue was shocked when she was diagnosed with the brain tumour after putting her symptoms down to her busy lifestyle through the pandemic. She has since had three surgeries and lives with a permanent shunt in her head.

Sue said: "I lost my aunt to the disease when I was a young teenager, she was 40. I wondered if it could be hereditary, and if so, were my children at risk? When I asked, the consultant advised they didn’t know what caused them. It was just ‘one of those things.

“I did my own