A frightened mother feared she would not live to see her children’s weddings when a routine eye test found a Satsuma-sized brain tumor in her skull.
Elementary school finance officer Natalie Marriott, 40, has had headaches since childhood, and five years ago she also started with blurred vision and dizziness.
It wasn’t until the Coalville, Leicestershire mother of two wearing glasses for myopia went to Specsavers for her regular check-up on her day off on Thursday, March 18, 2021, that she discovered that something was seriously wrong.
Natalie, who has a daughter aged nine and a son aged 12 with husband Paul Marriott, 41, said, “They offered me an OCT (optical coherence tomography) scan for an extra £ 10 me have agreed.
“The optician noticed a swelling of my optic nerve and sent me to have an eye accident to be on the safe side.”
When she arrived at the Leicester Royal Infirmary at noon, tests confirmed that her optic nerve was swollen – which made doctors wonder if she had hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.
But a CT scan later that night showed a large tumor in the front of her brain.
She said, “It was a complete shock. I was brought straight to the ward to wait for an MRI scan.
“Fortunately, Paul had been waiting, and so was I when they got the news.”
Natalie continued, “I was in tears and thought this was it and I was going to die. You just think the worst.
“I kept saying to Paul, ‘What about the kids?’ My first thought was not to be at my daughter’s wedding. “
Natalie’s scar five days after the craniotomy
(Image: PA Real Life)
Natalie had always lived with a headache, so she didn’t see a doctor until she also got visual problems about five years ago.
She said, “Occasionally I would get dizzy and blurry, but I could.
“I was prescribed beta blockers for migraines, but I knew that wasn’t the mistake – so I never took them.
“I never followed up on it after that, but now I realize I probably should have!”
Natalie was discharged from Leicester hospital on Saturday and given an appointment with a specialist at Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham on Monday, where she was told that she would have to have an operation the next morning.
And at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23, she had a five-hour operation to remove the tumor, leaving a jagged scar over her head and a strand of hair that was shaved.
She said, “The surgeon said the tumor was the size of a satsuma or a lime and he thought it had been growing for about 10 years.”
Natalie’s scar in the hospital three days after surgery
(Image: PA Real Life)
She continued, “I had to have a craniotomy that removed part of the skull to get to the brain, so I have an ear-to-ear scar and a nice shaved patch on the front.
“I still don’t think the kids really appreciate how bad it could have been.”
When Natalie woke up in recovery, she said she was “off track” after the procedure.
“I was in and out, couldn’t eat and was sick a couple of times,” she said.
Natalie, pictured the day after her surgery
(Image: PA Real Life)
“But the next day I got up and went first. I took eight steroids a day, took anti-nausea medications, and was pumped full of acetaminophen and morphine.
“I couldn’t really feel anything!”
When she was released on Friday, she left the hospital with two blue eyes caused by surgeons pulling her forehead back during the operation.
She explained, “You said it was normal for a craniotomy. They were so swollen that I could barely see them.
“They kept giving me blue rubber gloves with ice water that I could rest on my face.”
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But when she got home, her devoted husband was careful not to lift a finger.
“I felt pretty rough at home for the first week,” she said. “I have been unable to work for 12 weeks and can only drive six months after the operation.”
But despite the massive upheaval, she has been breathing a sigh of relief since April 1, 2020 when she received the results of the tumor tests.
She said the growth was a grade one meningioma on her left front side – a tumor that forms on membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord right inside the skull – it wasn’t cancerous.
Natalie and Paul at a family celebration
(Image: PA Real Life)
And her post-operative MRI scan, which she had on March 26, showed that she had been completely removed, meaning the only treatment she needs now is regular life-long follow-ups to monitor for regrowth.
She said, “It felt surreal because everything happened so quickly – from being discovered on Thursday to a five-hour operation to remove it on Tuesday.”
Natalie added, “I didn’t really have time to process something, so it didn’t feel real. Even now, if I didn’t have the scar and stubble, I probably wouldn’t believe it happened.
Natalie and Paul outside in the theater
(Image: PA Real Life)
“I am very grateful to the nurses and doctors on the ward for the care they have given me. I can’t believe the hours they are doing – in the heat and with the masks. I cannot thank them enough.
“I have a nomination bracelet and I have had a charm engraved with ‘Thank you’ and the date of my operation – as a reminder.”
Natalie’s message to anyone with mild symptoms that mimic her own is to keep urging doctors for answers and not to miss an eye test.
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She said, “I would definitely encourage everyone to have regular eye tests – this is so important.
“I went back to my optician in Coalville with a box of chocolates for the staff to say thank you for spotting the lump.”
She added, “I learned to live with my symptoms and ignored them, so the result could have been much worse.
“My advice is not to be like me but to keep going with unusual symptoms until you find the cause. The earlier these problems are identified, the better, as they are often easier to treat if they are identified early on. “
Natalie’s ‘grateful’ bracelet pendant with the date of her op
(Image: PA Real Life)
Shailan Ruparelia, director of the Specsavers Coalville store, also wants to encourage people to have regular eye tests.
She said, “Natalie’s story shows the importance of routine eye tests.
“And of course, if you notice a change in your eyesight or have sudden symptoms that don’t go away, it is important that you see an optician.
“We are very excited that we were able to help Natalie get the care she needed and we wish her all the best in her recovery.”