A young woman who kept smelling bacon – despite being vegetarian – was later given a potentially fatal diagnosis.
Lucy Younger was just about to start university when she started experiencing the bizarre symptoms, which also included zoning out. After going to her GP three times she was misdiagnosed with panic disorder and given antidepressants.
Lucy, 23, was given a CT scan, blood tests and an ultrasound after doctors thought her symptoms may be due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). But the scans revealed she had a benign brain tumour on her frontal lobe – and needed surgery within a matter of weeks.
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The zoning out turned out to be seizures, due to epilepsy. Lucy, from London, said: “Doctors were telling me one thing – but it wasn’t until I Googled my symptoms that I realised, I think I have a brain tumour.
“I genuinely felt like I was going insane for so long, being told my seizures were panic attacks. When the symptoms first started I thought it was weird. But I was drinking a little bit, so I thought I must’ve been overdoing it.
“I calmed down on the nights out and adapted my lifestyle but once uni actually started, the symptoms only got worse. I was smelling bacon all the time. I’m a vegetarian, so I was like ‘What the hell is going on?’
“My friends would even joke – oh, Lucy’s having a moment again!”
Lucy, who is out of work due to illness, first started noticing her symptoms in September 2019. She started experiencing déjà vu, as well as visual hallucinations, like pink elephants and rollercoasters.
Lucy tried to downplay her symptoms at first, thinking they’d pass. But once she started getting sharp headaches, she decided to visit the GP for the first time – to be told she had anxiety.
She added: “I didn’t feel all that anxious, I felt really happy with where my life was at that point.” Despite taking things easy after her anxiety diagnosis, Lucy began to notice she’d zone out for long periods during lectures.
She found it impossible to concentrate during class, so she went back to her GP. Lucy said: “The doctor said, you’re really depressed, you’ve been having really bad panic attacks. But, I just wasn’t.”
Lucy doubted herself and “figured the GP knew what they were talking about”, and was prescribed 20mg of sertraline, an antidepressant also used to treat panic attacks.
In March 2020, when lockdown restrictions were put in place, Lucy’s symptoms started rapidly worsening. She said: “I had a couple of bigger seizures when I went home – I actually passed out with these ones. I started getting migraines so bad the entire right side of my body would go numb.
“I thought, I’m either going into psychosis or I’ve got a tumour. It definitely wasn’t depression or anxiety.”
Lucy sought medical help for a third time and a different GP told her she may have fluctuating hormones, possibly caused by PCOS. They recommended she track her periods and sent her for blood tests and scans.
A CT scan showed she had a benign brain tumour. Four months later, Lucy had to undergo a craniotomy, a type of brain surgery, to remove the mass.
She took a year out of university in order to do this, as her seizures and surgery had left her with short-term memory loss. Lucy said: “I was completely out of it during recovery. I remember not being able to walk very well. I had to go back to beginner ballet classes after learning since I was a teenager.
“I also realised, I’d been diagnosed with dyslexia when I’d just started university, all because of my brain tumour.”
In July 2021, Lucy returned to finish her English degree – and graduated one year late.
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Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
