Ayrshire woman hopes language test will speed up brain tumour diagnosis after waiting 18 months
35-year-old Heather Dearie, who now has facial paralysis, visited her doctor over 10 times before being diagnosed
Last updated 17th Jun 2022
A woman who waited 18 months to be diagnosed with a brain tumour is hoping a language test will help speed up the diagnosis process for other people.
Heather Dearie, 35, from Ayrshire, visited her GP over 10 times before being diagnosed - she now has facial paralysis and no tear function in her right eye.
By the time Ms Dearie's tumour was diagnosed, she required emergency surgery to relieve pressure on her brain from a build-up of fluid.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh believe the "Noah's Ark" test could help diagnose brain tumours earlier.
The task asks people to name as many animals as they can in one minute and could help GPs identify patients with common symptoms such as headaches.
Speaking about the test, Ms Dearie said:
"This could be a really significant advance. We urgently need to find new tools to support GPs and I really hope this test will help speed up the diagnosis process and help enable more people to get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.
"Having my brain tumour diagnosed earlier could have changed my life completely and meant I would have had little to none of the lifelong side effects I have now.
"I was misdiagnosed for 18 months before my tumour was finally discovered and by then it was too late for any alternative treatment to surgery, which caused facial paralysis, 50 percent deafness, balance and vision issues, fatigue, nerve damage, muscle spasms.
"I've had to have four corrective surgeries which I wouldn't have needed had the tumour been found earlier. I'm in constant pain and it's affected every aspect of a normal life."
The university research was funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and the study involved 270 participants.
Those with brain tumours were found to have significantly lower scores than those who had headaches but did not have a tumour.
The test is already used in assessing cognitive function for patients with neurological conditions but researchers say this is the first time it has been investigated as a way to speed up the diagnosis of brain tumours.