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Private MRI Found Her Brain Tumour After GP Delays

The 39-year-old had a benign meningioma removed in April, with a phased return to teaching planned for September.

Overview

  • Nikita Sterling’s migraines, long infrequent since age 18, escalated in late 2024 with severe pressure, visual disturbances, loss of speech, blackouts and vomiting.
  • After struggling to secure rapid investigation, she paid £400 for a private MRI in April that led to an urgent call to attend A&E.
  • Imaging showed a large frontal-lobe mass later confirmed as a meningioma, prompting referral to King’s College Hospital for surgery.
  • Surgeons removed the tumour in a four-hour operation on April 22, with doctors saying it may have been growing for up to two decades.
  • Sterling reports fewer migraines but increased fatigue, expects a six-month post-op scan in the coming weeks, urges patients to advocate for themselves, and notes her husband is fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity.