Mum told she had vertigo was later given 'brutal' diagnosis

CARRIE HOWARD WAS GIVEN MEDICATION FOR VERTIGO WHEN SHE STARTED EXPERIENCING HEADACHES AND LOSS OF BALANCE 07:42, 22 May 2025Updated 16:13, 23 May 2025 A mum who was told she was cancer-free

discovered the disease was still hiding in her brain years later after doctors repeatedly dismissed her symptoms as vertigo. Carrie Howard, 43, was given the all-clear for triple-negative

breast cancer in 2023 when scans from her neck down showed no sign of cancer. After undergoing a mastectomy, months of chemo and radiotherapy, the 43-year-old from Wigan said it "felt

like life could begin again". Almost two years later, in December last year, Carrie said she started experiencing headaches and losing her balance so visited her GP three times, where

her doctor repeatedly gave her medication for vertigo. But her symptoms persisted and she went to Wigan Hospital A&E where doctors revealed her cancer was still lurking in her brain and

had progressed from stage three to four. The family are now fundraising for alternative treatments for Carrie to give her more time with husband James, 43, and their sons Theo, 14, and

Ruben, 10. Carrie said: “When I rang the bell thinking I had beaten cancer, it felt like a weight lifted and life could begin again. We thought the chemo had mopped up cancer anywhere else

in the body and I was cancer-free. “But the brain tumour was there all along. “It was very hard having to sit the boys down again and say ‘mummy has to go through more treatment’. If I knew

at the time, I would have had a private MRI scan to check my entire body.” Carrie’s health ordeal began in July 2022 when she noticed a pea-sized lump in her left breast while putting on her

pyjamas. At Wigan Hospital, an MRI scan from the neck down confirmed that she had stage three triple-negative breast cancer, a more aggressive and faster-spreading type compared to others.

The cancer was also detected in her lymph nodes but doctors assured her it was treatable and immediately initiated a six-month course of chemotherapy. “It was a shock,” Carrie said. “I

thought they would run some tests and send me home but they said the chemo would mop it up and rid me of it. “It was brutal – I lost my hair, my eyelashes, my eyebrows – but I could see the

light at the end of the tunnel and was fighting to beat it.” In January 2023, Carrie had a mastectomy on her left breast and radiotherapy to ensure the cancer was gone. Three months later,

another hospital scan from the neck down showed no sign of cancer and she rang the bell to celebrate getting the all-clear. “It felt worth it,” Carrie said. “We’d put our lives on hold and

now it was over.” Carrie slowly returned to normality, resuming work, attending football practice with her sons and enjoying a family holiday to Turkey. In December 2024, she began getting

headaches, feeling as though she was going to fall over and veering to the right when walking. Her GP prescribed Carrie with vertigo tablets on three separate visits until she took herself

back to A&E for further tests this February. “Doctors did an MRI and then took us into a separate room and told us there was a shadow on the scan,” she said. Further tests revealed

Carrie’s triple-negative breast cancer had moved to her brain before chemotherapy and managed to withstand the treatment, she said. A blood-brain barrier protects the brain from harmful

substances in the blood stream, meaning not all chemotherapies are effective. Doctors diagnosed Carrie with stage four metastatic brain cancer and performed a seven-hour surgery to remove a

large tumour from her brain. Soon after, she underwent targeted radiotherapy to shrink a second, smaller tumour that was trickier to access. Now the family are awaiting results to find out

whether Carrie really is cancer-free. Husband James Howard, a 43-year-old sales manager, said: “We’re hoping that it’s all been removed and that Carrie gets to ring the bell again. “But we

also have an anxiety of whether it will come up somewhere else. Carrie still has a lot of fight in her but you can only withstand so much in one go.” If Carrie does not get the all-clear,

her family are researching alternative treatments and clinical trials in the UK and abroad. However, options are limited due to there being limited data and people with her type of cancer.

James added: “Wigan Hospital has only treated two other people who had triple negative cancer that moved to the brain so the data just isn’t there. We don’t know what comes next so we need

to be prepared.” Best friend Rebecca van der Lee, 41, has launched a GoFundMe page which has so far raised £17,540 towards Carrie’s treatment and recovery. This includes a fundraising event

of live music and karaoke at The Farmers Arms in Bispham, Lancashire, on June 6. “The support has been amazing, it’s just incredible,” Carrie said. “Friends are giving support and everyone

is rallying together.” The family is raising awareness of breast cancer, secondary cancers and the importance of checking for lumps regularly. Carrie is also advocating for full-body scans

for patients where cancer has reached the lymph nodes as this often leads to a faster spread. A link to Carrie’s GoFundMe page can be found here: gofundme.com/f/mhfbw4-carries-cancer-battle

A spokesperson for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) said: "The well-being and experience of our patients at WWL is paramount and we understand

the stress and fear that comes with a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Article continues below "While current national guidelines do not make recommendations for routine brain imaging

unless symptoms are present, we are committed to addressing any concerns Ms. Howard may have. "We encourage Ms. Howard to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service at 01942 82237

or [email protected] for a thorough review of her care."