I blamed my thumping headache on a hangover after a boozy girls night out – it was a deadly cancer
A WOMAN who blamed her “wobbly” vision and throbbing headache on a hangover was horrified to discover she had cancer.
Allison Pickard had enjoyed an alcohol-filled night out with pals and woke up early the next morning feeling under the weather.
But when the 20-year-old’s vision became severely impaired and she couldn’t shift her thumping headache, she went to see her doctor who referred her to hospital.
The pet sitter was shocked when doctors, in August, diagnosed her with grade three brain cancer that required surgery and a course of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Allison, from Newport Beach, Southern California, US, said: “One night me and my friends had a little bit of fun celebrating my fiancé’s [Bryson Lohbeck] promotion at work.
“I went to bed that night and got up after having an hour of sleep because I had to wake up early to hang out with my mum.
“I thought that I was just hungover. My vision was really bad, it was like I was on a boat and then it [my field of vision] was spinning so fast, it was really wobbly.
“It wasn’t just in my peripheral anymore, I knew something was wrong.”
Allison said her head hurt and was throbbing, and it got to the point she couldn’t read the form she was given at the doctor’s.
She continued: “My fiancé had to fill it out for me, that’s how bad my vision was in my left eye.
“I got really lucky that my doctor believed me and took it seriously.
“I had the MRI not thinking anything was wrong because I had no previous health issues and no one in my family does either.
“They looked at the MRI straight away and said I had a brain tumour in my occipital lobe. I went into shock, I couldn’t believe it.
“I thought my doctor would tell me I have a vitamin deficiency or a headache condition, I never thought it could be a brain tumour.
“Doctors said my brain had swelled up, making my vision worse.
“About a week later I had brain surgery, which was crazy because I’ve never had surgery before.”
After being diagnosed with grade three brain cancer on August 2nd, Allison underwent a three-hour op on August 8th at Loma Linda University Medical Centre in California.
There, surgeons carefully removed the 4cm tumour before she started a six-week course of chemotherapy and radiation treatment .
Allison first suffered with headaches in December 2002 during her first year of college but as they weren’t consistent she assumed it was caused by premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or not drinking enough caffeine.
They looked at the MRI straight away and said I had a brain tumour in my occipital lobe
Allison Pickard
A month before her night out Allison experienced pins and needles on one side and felt sick, but as it soon passed she brushed it off.
It was then she started suffering with some “wobbly vision” in the corner of her left eye that spread to her whole field of vision after the night out.
Now recovering, Allison credits her hangover for saving her life as she says she’d probably have delayed getting a doctor’s appointment.
Allison said: “Around July 2024, I got pins and needles on my left side and wobbly vision.
“I ignored my headaches because I thought they were caused by PMS so it’s important to trust your gut.
“I had a gut instinct that something wasn’t right and I’m glad that I trusted that.
I ignored my headaches because I thought they were caused by PMS
Allison Pickard
“That hangover saved my life. I definitely didn’t expect it to be cancer.
“You never think it’s going to be you, you think you have to be older or unhealthy to have health issues.”
Allison is now headache-free and thriving and has chosen to share her story to encourage others to get anything unusual checked out by the doctor.
She said: “My biggest advice is if you’re actually having symptoms don’t ignore it.
“So often we ignore symptoms and we think we’re making it up. If I hadn’t gone in I might not have been here today.
“If your doctor is not taking you seriously, try to find another doctor.”
The most common symptoms of a brain tumour
More than 12,000 Brits are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour every year — of which around half are cancerous — with 5,300 losing their lives.
The disease is the most deadly cancer in children and adults aged under 40, according to the Brain Tumour Charity.
Brain tumours reduce life expectancies by an average of 27 years, with just 12 per cent of adults surviving five years after diagnosis.
There are two main types, with non-cancerous benign tumours growing more slowly and being less likely to return after treatment.
Cancerous malignant brain tumours can either start in the brain or spread there from elsewhere in the body and are more likely to return.
Brain tumours can cause headaches, seizures, nausea, vomiting and memory problems, according to the NHS.
They can also lead to changes in personality weakness or paralysis on one side of the problem and problems with speech or vision.
The nine most common symptoms are:
- Headaches
- Seizures
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Memory problems
- Change in personality
- Weakness or paralysis on one side of the body
- Vision problems
- Speech problems
If you are suffering any of these symptoms, particularly a headache that feels different from the ones you normally get, you should visit your GP.
Source: NHS