Man who put pounding headaches down to busy life given shocking diagnosis

A pub manager who put his pounding headaches down to his busy lifestyle was shocked to discover he actually had a brain tumour. Ben Wilson, 36, from Ackworth, West Yorkshire, was working long hours as the area manager of 10 pubs when he first started suffering daily headaches in January 2020.

After deciding the headaches were caused by his busy work schedule, Ben tried to get more sleep and drink more water. It was only when his life slowed down as he was furloughed during the Covid pandemic and his headaches continued that he realised something was wrong.

Ben, who lives with his NHS-worker partner, said: “I’ve always tried to just look after myself rather than running to the doctor or thinking the worst. So, before lockdown, I just drank more water and tried to get more sleep to deal with the headaches.

“But when I was furloughed, I didn’t have to work anymore or make long journeys but the headaches – a pounding sensation across my head that seemed to last all day – were still there. I realised then that it couldn’t be my busy life.”

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Ben always kept fit and remained active until his life was drastically changed when the pandemic hit. He said: “Obviously the pub industry was hit hard by the lockdown. I was doing a full time job [and] then was suddenly at home while my partner was still working for the NHS.”

At the start of May 2020, after suffering with headaches for a month while furloughed, Ben decided he needed to take action. He explained: “I was in the garden pottering around when I realised I had to do something. I had this pounding and dizziness in my head when I tipped my head back, like if I was looking at the sky or drinking from a bottle