My ‘pregnancy headache’ was a tennis ball-shaped brain tumour – which could have exploded and killed us both
A MUM has revealed how her ‘pregnancy headache’ turned out to be a tennis ball-sized brain tumour which could have exploded in childbirth, killing her and her unborn baby.
Shannon Capps, from Hemel Hempstead, Herts, was five months pregnant when she started suffering from severe headaches – which made her throw up every morning.
Doctors dismissed the pain and sickness as pregnancy hormones, but she was finally referred for an MRI scan at seven months pregnant.
This revealed the now 24-year-old had a 5cm mass growing on her brain, which could have burst during the stress of labour.
Luckily, doctors were able to perform an emergency C-section a week later – and Edison was born at 34 weeks weighing 4lb 9oz.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital, Shannon said: “My pregnancy hormones caused my brain tumour, which doctors think I’ve had since a child, to grow at a rapid rate.
“If it wasn’t for Edison, I have no doubt that one day I could have dropped down dead. It could’ve ruptured or burst at any moment.
“It’s a miracle that I was diagnosed at seven months pregnant, doctors think the strain of giving birth could have killed me.
“It was five centimetres wide and five-and-a-half centimetres long. I was terrified but my main priority was making sure our baby was delivered safely.”
If you suffer from worrying headaches then always push for further tests, especially if you’re pregnant
shannon Capps
Shannon and husband Tim, 28, captured the entire thing on camera – after they started filming a ‘one second a day’ video ahead of Edison’s birth in 2016.
They planned to record the final weeks of Shannon’s pregnancy and Edison’s first moments.
But the mum received her MRI scan on January 6, sending the video down a totally different path.
She said: “We started filming in my final months of pregnancy as we wanted to capture Edison’s first year.
“The video ended up capturing a rollercoaster of emotions, Edison’s premature birth, my five brain surgeries and recovery.
“I’m so thankful we have it to look back on now though, it was a crazy year.”
When Edison was just five days old, Shannon was operated on again – this time to remove her tumour.
After an eight-hour op, Shannon woke to a pounding headache and with a scar down the back of her head, held together with 33 staples.
But there was good news – the tumour wasn’t cancerous.
I never in a million years thought the film would be capture my own journey with an illness. I thought it was all going to be about Edison
Shannon Capps
Despite this, Shannon’s trauma wasn’t over. She had developed a build-up of fluid on her brain, meaning more ops were needed.
She said: “I had three more smaller surgeries to help my body drain the fluid, but during this time I picked up an infection.
“All I wanted to do was spend time at home with my baby but I was in hospital for six weeks.”
Headaches in pregnancy
Headaches are common during pregnancy, but doctors have warned they can ‘mask’ serious health conditions.
Kirsty Revell, a specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Anne Hospital, said 90% of mum-to-be headaches were caused by migraine or tension.
But a small percentage were caused by potentially life-threatening neurological conditions – the third most common cause of death among pregnant women.
In a review published in the journal The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG), Dr Revell said she didn’t want to panic mums, the majority of whom would have nothing to worry about.
But she urged them to discuss concerns with a GP or midwife.
Headaches can also be a symptom of pre-eclampsia, a potentially serious condition affecting 6% of pregnancies.
During this time, Shannon relied on a wheelchair and walking frames to regain her strength.
And just days after getting home, she was rushed back to hospital for yet more surgery, to fit her with a shunt and keep the fluid off her brain.
She said: “Thankfully it was a success and I started to get my mobility back thanks to my physiotherapist.”
If it wasn’t for Edison, I have no doubt that one day I could have dropped down dead. It could’ve ruptured or burst at any moment
Shannon Capps
Shannon went onto marry Tim and Edison is now a healthy three-year-old.
She said: “I never in a million years thought the film would be capture my own journey with an illness. I thought it was all going to be about Edison.
“We’ve been told that it would be too dangerous to have any more babies as my tumour is still there.
“But Edison will be extra spoilt. I’m sharing my story to give others hope and to show them that whatever you’re faced with you can get through it.
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“If you suffer from worrying headaches then always push for further tests, especially if you’re pregnant.
“Things could have been a lot different for me if I hadn’t.”
Earlier this week, we reported on a mum-to-be who smokes cannabis daily – because she says it’s the only way to stop morning sickness during pregnancy.