Callum Jones
A 26-year-old man with an inoperable brain tumor has explained some of the first subtle symptoms he noticed before being diagnosed with cancer.
Earlier this year, Michael was diagnosed with a diffuse midline glioma (DMG) in his brain stem, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer that can't be removed with surgery.
As a result, Michael is involved in a clinic trial that focuses on short rounds of radiation that will hopefully minimise the tumor.
Sitting down with The Patient Story, Michael revealed the symptoms he first noticed prior to receiving his devastating diagnosis.
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He explained: "I first started noticing symptoms back in early February. My family and I went to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to go to the Mall of America.
"We also saw a hockey game while we were up there. And that’s when I started waking up in the mornings and started randomly feeling very, very nauseous for some reason.
"I just thought I had eaten something bad. After we got back from Minnesota, I ended up calling in for an entire week, because I couldn’t lie flat any longer without getting a really bad dizzy spell. It was as if I stood still and spun in a circle and just stopped, and just let my equilibrium go.
"Around the end of February or the start of March, the right side of my face started to get weaker, and I couldn’t smile or blink very well any longer on that side."
Michael was sent for further tests with an ENT doctor, who specialises in ear, nose and throat conditions.
He added to The Patient Story: "I went up to an ENT doctor in South Dakota, who ended up finding my eye nystagmus. If I looked completely to either side, my eyes would bounce back and forth.
"They were the ones who told me I should get an MRI done. But I didn’t actually get it done until closer to April. That’s sad to say, but it’s just how things went."
An MRI scan ultimately confirmed Michael had cancer - a health diagnosis that turned his life upside down.
Micheal admitted to feeling 'numb' when he was told the news and took off all the 'medical stuff' hooked up to him and went for a walk, much to the shock of doctors in the room.
"I had my best friend, Kevin, and my wife, Becca, with me, and we ended up walking down to the church," Michael said. "There, it all hit me, and I just broke down."