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Mother of a 24 year old boy who is ten years old Brain Surgery after benign discovery tumor He has expressed uncertainty over how much of his life his son will be able to get back, as he is now experiencing memory loss and vision problems.
Rachel Wilson-Glover, 56, from Bedhampton, hampshirereported that his son, Flynn Brooks, began feeling unwell in July.
After two weeks of persistent headaches and blurred vision, she urged him to seek medical attention.
A subsequent CT scan revealed a mass in his brain, which was diagnosed as a non-cancerous tumor, leading to surgery in August.
However, there were several complications after the initial operation, Ms Wilson-Glover explained.
These included a dangerous accumulation of fluid in Mr Brook’s brain, pain, confusion and vomiting. The young man, who studied game programming and worked in data entry, “crashed” twice and required life support.
He then underwent nine more procedures to have drains and shunts fitted aimed at correcting these issues.
Mr Brooks, who lived at his own flat in Southsea, Portsmouth, is now battling memory loss and vision problems as he slowly begins to recover.
“He’s still my Flynn, he’s still my boy, he’s still got a sense of humor – he’s just got to adapt to a different way of life now,” Ms Wilson-Glover told PA. real life,
“We don’t know if his eyesight will come back properly, we don’t know if his memory will come back or not.
“We don’t know how much of his life he’s going to get back or what he’s going to need in the future – these are scary things and it’s all unknown at the moment.
“Flynn didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke, he’s polite.
“He is a beautiful young man who has faced the most difficult period of his life so bravely and I am very proud of him.”
Ms Wilson-Glover said Mr Brooks felt unwell in July this year, which she initially attributed to the virus.
After suffering from headaches for two weeks, Ms Wilson-Glover said she encouraged him to seek medical help, and he went to A&E where it was thought he had a migraine.
When his symptoms did not subside, and when his vision began to blur, Ms Wilson-Glover said she urged him to visit his GP.
Mr. Brooks then received a referral CT scan on 24th July Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, where a mass was discovered in his brain.
“I was at work, sitting in a meeting, when Flynn called me to tell me they got something from him CT scan – I was completely shocked,” Ms Wilson-Glover said, adding that she went straight to the hospital to be with her son.
He said that both were then transferred University Hospital Southampton In an ambulance.
Following further testing there and an MRI scan, on July 26, Mr. Brooks was diagnosed with a non-cancerous brain tumor.
He was scheduled to have surgery to remove the tumor, but the procedure was postponed because he was in “endless pain”.
“He was suffering a lot – he came to live with me because he was very unwell at the time,” Ms Wilson-Glover said.
Ms Wilson-Glover said she and Mr Brooks were told to return to hospital on August 4 – his 24th birthday – and he underwent a craniotomy to remove the tumor on August 5.
“It was very, very scary but he endured it all, he was very brave,” Ms Wilson-Glover said.
After the operation, Ms Wilson-Glover said Mr Brooks began experiencing a number of complications, pointing to hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain, as well as pain, confusion and vomiting.
To correct the problem, Ms. Wilson-Glover said Mr. Brooks had to undergo nine more surgical procedures.
These included eight operations to install and replace drains in Mr Brooks’ head after they became blocked, and one operation to fit two internal brain shunts – a thin tube that allows excess fluid to flow to another part of the body, usually the abdomen.
“Things just keep going wrong,” Ms Wilson-Glover said.
Mr Brooks developed a brain infection, leading to further complications, Ms Wilson-Glover said.
He also “crashed” twice where he was placed in intensive care on life support after his condition rapidly deteriorated – first on 22 August and again on 16 September.
“They were the most terrifying moments of my life, every day I prayed I would get him back,” Ms Wilson-Glover said.
“He survived and survived both accidents, which was incredible.”
She added, “At the end of the day, Flynn is still here because of the hospital, but when I kept saying ‘he’s not okay’ I initially felt like people weren’t listening to me and it felt like his condition was getting worse.
“However no one expected all these complications and this is a very unusual case.”
Ms Wilson-Glover said she eventually contacted University Hospital Southampton Through their Call for Concern service, established in line with Martha’s Law, to highlight their concerns about their son’s unstable condition.
According to the NHS, the Martha Rule is a patient safety initiative to aid early detection of deterioration in condition, where patients, families and carers are actively encouraged to tell staff if they are concerned that a health condition is worsening.
They may notice small changes that may be early warning signs of deterioration before they show up in regular measurements.
The NHS says that if they are still concerned after speaking to the care team and feel their concerns are not being addressed, they can call a dedicated number for a quick review from a different team.
“It’s there for a reason,” Ms. Wilson-Glover said.
“Flynn remained brave the whole time, he never complained and he did everything he asked.
“I was his lawyer because he was a gentle, polite young man and I was a very strong woman.”
Ms Wilson-Glover said her son now suffers from short-term memory loss and vision problems.
“He gets confused but he still knows a lot of things, his long-term memories are present, he knows who people are and he can identify things,” Ms Wilson-Glover explained.
“For his short-term memory, he’ll do something and he won’t remember what just happened.”
Ms Wilson-Glover said her son is “up and walking”, but she thinks he is becoming “unsteady on his feet” because of his vision.
“His last surgery was on October 1, so it’s still pretty early and his body is still healing,” he said.
Mr. Brooks is recovering now Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, where he is awaiting referral to a rehabilitation program aimed at improving his cognitive and motor skills.
Ms Wilson-Glover has launched a gofundme The page is meant to give her “a really good fresh start”, having raised over £6,500 so far.
University Hospital spokesperson southampton Said: “We are always saddened to hear that a patient or their family feels dissatisfied with the care they receive at our hospital.
“We want our patients and their relatives to listen to us and actively encourage people to raise concerns so we can address any issues.
“We have a dedicated Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to help resolve cases.
“However, where complaints are made by or on behalf of a patient, we always recommend that matters be communicated directly with the medical teams involved in the first instance to help resolve matters faster.
“Our Trust was one of the first to implement Call for Concern, incorporating Martha’s Law – a system that enables patients and their families or carers who are concerned about a patient’s condition worsening to seek immediate review from a separate clinical team.
“Although we never comment on individual cases to protect patient confidentiality, the Trust is committed to working with any patient, their family or carer who has concerns and concerns that they feel are unresolved.”
To learn more, visit the fundraiser for Flynn here: gofundme.com/f/help-my-recovery-for-flynn-brooks