A story of tumor recurrence and a survivor’s persistence.
My name is Leigh Blair. In 2010, when I was 36 years old, I was very lethargic, had headaches, and, most importantly, I was leaking from my breasts. My child was 3 years old at the time; therefore, this was very strange. My doctor decided to send me for an MRI.
A tumor of 20mm was found, and even though my prolactin levels were high, which explained the leakage from my breasts, the tumor ended up being non-secreting. I was given cabergoline to reduce the tumor, but after 6 months, I still didn’t feel any better. This medication did not help, and I started to notice a reduction in my peripheral vision, which seemed to be declining rapidly. I then had surgery through my nose, which reduced the tumor to 11mm.
Luckily, my vision returned, which I was very grateful for. I was in the hospital for one week and seemed to recover very well. I continued to improve and was able to get in shape by exercising and attending the gym.
In mid-2015, I began to feel unwell again, and my tumor grew again to 13mm. I now needed to attend radiotherapy sessions, which included going to the hospital every day, Monday to Friday, for 5 weeks. I felt fine until halfway through when I began to feel very ill and slept from one session to the next. I received a laser procedure to the top of my forehead and below my temple on both sides of my head. I lost my hair around my ears. Since then, I have had a reduction of hormones, which include my thyroid, sex, growth, and adrenal, and I now have to take medication to help. Since the radiotherapy, I have also developed fibromyalgia.
