A Scots man diagnosed with a terminal 10cm brain tumour told how he was fobbed off by his GP five times before being sent away with headache tablets. For more than a year, Scott McBride experienced severe headaches and physical ‘episodes’ which were later determined to be seizures.
The 28-year-old, from Loanhead, Midlothian, trekked to his doctors' surgery on five separate occasions over the course of a year before eventually being referred for a CT scan in October 2021. Medics at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh discovered he had a massive glioblastoma which had been growing for several years and putting pressure on his brain.
Scott said: “The doctor said it was a terminal diagnosis and I wouldn’t recover from it. He said I had just a few short years, which was a big shock. I really wasn’t expecting to hear that."
The financial crime associate first noticed something was wrong in November 2020. He explained: “I was getting a small tingling feeling down the right side of my body. Then, one day while walking to work, my foot slipped as if it was on a wet leaf, but the pavement was clear and dry.”
He called his GP but was told “the mind can do funny things” and to ring again if his symptoms worsened. By January the tingling was a daily occurrence, and the physical episodes began.
He said: “At work, I’d be holding my computer mouse for 30 seconds and I was unable to let go of it, as if my hand was locked. I couldn’t speak. I had to hang up on customers because I couldn’t get my words out.
“I had to call them back after, pretending there had been a problem with the phone line. This would happen three times a day.”
But by June, Scott was from suffering seizures like this six times a day, as well as migraines. He said: “I’d never had headaches before, but these were so strong I had to go home from work. My manager thought I was depressed.”
When Scott visited his GP for a fifth time questioning if the headaches and tingling sensations were linked, he was told they were not. He was prescribed migraine medication but when he said the tablets did nothing to help, his GP referred him for a scan.
Scott has since had treatment to prolong his life, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but there is no cure for his tumour. In November 2021, Scott underwent an awake craniotomy.
He said: “I was awake for the part of the operation where the tumour was removed and asked to name a number of images. This helps the neurosurgery team to remove only damaged tissue.
“The operation went really well, and they managed to remove over 90% of the tumour. Afterwards, an MRI scan showed a big black space where the tumour had been. I felt really good, and I’ve not had any seizures since.”
Scott is now looking forward to his 10km walk for Brain Tumour Research. Together with family and friends, the group will go around Flotterstone reservoir, and up Scald Law, the highest of the Pentland Hills on October 29.
He said: “The brain controls your whole body and everything you do, yet so little funding is given towards researching brain tumours. More needs to be done to tackle this devastating disease.
“The walk will take in the lovely views of where I was brought up and it’s a good way to raise money for research to help others suffering from this disease. I think it will be emotional, but it will be great to see everyone, and it should be a good day.
Matthew Price, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research said: “We are sorry to learn about Scott’s diagnosis, but we are pleased to hear how well he is doing.
“We are extremely grateful to Scott for organising this great-sounding walk, as it’s only with the support of people like him that we’re able to progress our research into brain tumours, improve options and outcomes for patients like Scott, and ultimately, find a cure for all types of brain tumours.”
To donate to Scott’s JustGiving page, please click here.
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