Jessie Mae Lambert, 28, was initially told her hallucinations were related to anxiety and was given medication
A woman whose hallucinations were dismissed as anxiety has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Jessie Mae Lambert, 28, began experiencing hallucinations in October 2023, but her local GP attributed them to mental health issues and prescribed anxiety medication.
The hallucinations persisted, yet Jessie said she was brushed off once more and told she needed to alter her diet. At her most severe, she endured seven hallucinations daily, but it wasn’t until her mum, Trish, 56, witnessed Jessie suffer a seizure that medics took action and referred her for an MRI and EEG scan.
Jessie underwent brain debulking surgery where 40 per cent of the tumour was extracted and examined. The examination confirmed she had a grade two astrocytoma – a low-grade brain tumour – and epilepsy.
She received radiotherapy to reduce the remaining mass. Now Jessie has scans every three months, with the most recent scan revealing the tumour had diminished.
Jessie, a nail technician from Derby, said: “I was having weird episodes. I just had the feeling of fear and I was hallucinating.
“I went to the doctors and they thought it was mental health, so they put me on anxiety medication. The hallucinations continued. It got to the point where I was having up to seven of them a day.”
Following a seizure in front of her mum, Trish, at a work Christmas party on December 21, 2023, Jessie was referred for an MRI and EEG. The results revealed a mass on the brain, though doctors at Royal Derby Hospital were uncertain what it was.
She was then whisked off to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, for a brain debulking operation. Surgeons were unable to remove more of the tumour as it was perilously close to Jessie’s main nerve and there were fears she could suffer a stroke if they removed too much.
Jessie said: “They took 40 per cent of the tumour out and sent that off for a biopsy to determine what the mass on my brain was. All I remember was waiting for those results.
“I saw a woman on TikTok who had the same seizures as me, who was then diagnosed with a brain tumour. I sent it to my mum and she said not to think the worst.”
In April 2024, Jessie received the devastating diagnosis of a grade two astrocytoma and epilepsy.
She said: “It took me so long to be diagnosed; it was horrendous to see my family like that. I remember crying for three days straight.”
Once Jessie had fully recovered from the surgery, she underwent six weeks of gruelling radiotherapy, five days a week.
Jessie added: “It was mentally draining more than anything. Having the mask fitted, being strapped in was very depressing.”
Now, Jessie will have MRI scans every three months, with her last scan showing promising signs that the tumour is shrinking. Since her diagnosis, Jessie said the treatment and operation have taken a toll on her memory and attention.
She explained: “My memory, attention and grammar have been massively impacted for me. It has led me to struggle with my old job and get further employment. I am training to be a nail technician.”
Jessie expressed regret over what she feels were “wasted years” following her diagnosis, and is encouraging anyone with a tumour diagnosis to continue living their life to the fullest.
She said: “I feel like I have had wasted years because it took up a lot of my energy and I was obviously distraught at the news. My advice to people is try to make the most of your life, have your time to cry and heal, but don’t let the diagnosis take over your life.”