{"id":370819,"date":"2026-01-15T06:23:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T06:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/370819\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T06:23:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T06:23:12","slug":"bristol-mum-needs-brain-surgery-as-blocked-ears-and-headaches-from-flying-dismissed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/370819\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol mum needs brain surgery as blocked ears and headaches ‘from flying’ dismissed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amy Frankcom saw doctors ‘numerous times’ before one ordered an MRI scan<\/p>\n

Howard Lloyd Regional content editor<\/p>\n

11:20, 14 Jan 2026<\/p>\n

\"Amy<\/p>\n

Amy first noticed her symptoms after a family holiday to Lapland(Image: )<\/p>\n

A woman thought she had blocked ears due to a flight until doctors found a tumour growing on her brain. Amy Frankcom says her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed as a blocked ear and headaches following a flight home from Lapland with husband Simon and daughter Olivia.<\/p>\n

However, the issues turned out to be something much more serious. At just 31, she was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma \u2013 a rare, benign tumour \u2013 the size of a lime, after four months of symptoms.<\/p>\n

\u201cHearing the words, \u2018you have a brain tumour\u2019 was utterly terrifying,\u201d Amy, from Bristol, told NeedToKnow. \u201cIn that moment, everything stopped, my mind went straight to the worst-case scenarios and the fear completely took over. It\u2019s something I will never forget, and it changed my life in an instant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within days of her diagnosis, in February 2024, the mum underwent emergency brain surgery to remove the 6cm tumour. While the operation was successful, she has been left with complete hearing loss in her right ear.<\/p>\n

\"Amy<\/p>\n

Amy Frankcom says her symptoms were repeatedly dismissed(Image: )<\/p>\n

Now 33, Amy, who runs her own pet business called Love Loui, said: \u201cAfter we returned from a holiday, my left ear felt blocked. The doctor said it was probably due to flying.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen, I started getting shooting pains on the right-hand side of my neck and the top of my head \u2013 quick, sudden pains. I went back to the doctors numerous times and was told they were headaches caused by the flight.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy February, there was still no resolution but then a student doctor suggested an MRI, just to be on the safe side, as the symptoms had been going on for a while. I got an urgent referral to South Bristol Community Hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me they weren\u2019t expecting to find anything but wanted to check just to be on the safe side. I didn\u2019t think much of it and waited for the results. Then I got a phone call one evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cStraight away, I knew it must be serious. The doctor said she didn\u2019t know whether to wait and book an appointment, but felt it was best that I knew immediately. She told me they had found a brain tumour.<\/p>\n

“Early diagnosis is so important. I would tell anyone not to ignore their symptoms, no matter how common they seem. I have lost my hearing completely on my right side. I\u2019ve been fitted with cross hearing aids, a microphone in my right ear and a receiver in my left.”<\/p>\n

\"Within<\/p>\n

Within days of her diagnosis, Amy underwent emergency brain surgery to remove the 6cm tumour.(Image: )<\/p>\n

Despite everything she has been through, Amy is determined to turn her experience into something positive, and is taking on the iconic 26.2-mile TCS London Marathon to raise money and awareness for Brain Tumour Research. She added: \u201cBeing able to run the London Marathon means so much to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter everything I\u2019ve been through, it will feel incredibly special to stand on that start line and show that a brain tumour diagnosis doesn\u2019t define what\u2019s possible. If my journey can give even one person hope or encourage someone to listen to their body and seek help, then every mile will be worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amy<\/p>\n

Amy after surgery(Image: )<\/p>\n

Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, yet just 1 per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumour research since records began in 2002. There are more than 100 types of brain tumour, making them one of the most complex cancers to treat.<\/p>\n

Carol Robertson, national events manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: \u201cAmy\u2019s determination to take on the London Marathon after everything she has been through is truly inspiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrain tumours are indiscriminate and devastating, and stories like Amy\u2019s highlight why greater investment in research is so urgently needed. We are incredibly grateful to Amy for turning her experience into action and helping us raise vital funds and awareness as we work towards finding a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amy Frankcom saw doctors ‘numerous times’ before one ordered an MRI scan Howard Lloyd Regional content editor 11:20,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":370820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,39543,2205,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-370819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-london-marathon","tag-real-life","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/370820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}