Though medical science has progressed by leaps and bounds, there are still many medical conditions which remain mysterious. The situation is made worse sometimes when diseases and health challenges manifest in symptoms that are either little-known or even confused with other less-serious ailments.
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Lack of proper diagnosis can leave people scared and traumatised, like this woman who complained of severe headaches before learning the real horrific issue going on inside her body. Again, most people are also not fully aware of little-known symptoms for diseases such as Parkinson's diseaseor cancer.
In one such instance, as reported by Daily Mail, a man from Cornwall, Mr. Jonathan Plummer, grappled with extreme thirst that saw him drinking 10 litres of water a day, and then was left stunned to learn the underlying medical condition that was the cause for this.
Doctors expected diabetes
Mr Plummer suffered from extreme thirst and fatigue. He recounts to the Daily Mail about the severity of his symptoms at the time, saying,
I felt a constant thirst that I couldn't quench and got to the point where I was passing as much water as I was drinking.
It was an awful time which caused me to miss days of work at a time and I experienced extreme fatigue.
Since these symptoms are normally associated with diabetes, that was the first guess for the doctors who he approached. But his diabetes test turned out negative, confounding him and medical professionals alike.
The shocking results
Mr. Plummer and his doctors were in a state of utter confusion regarding his symptoms, when luckily, during a routine eye test, a mass was spotted. He was then referred to another hospital for an MRI scan that revealed the devastating news that he had a brain tumour.
This was a germ cell tumour which required him to go through 30 rounds of radiotherapy to finally be tumour-free. He is now committed to create awareness for brain tumour through his work with the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Mr. Plummer's story is a good reminder that brain tumours are a real health scare, that not many people are vigilant against, and can surface in many unexpected ways. Thus, it is necessary to always remain proactive and careful about your body and health.
Read more:
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Sources used:
Daily Mail: 'I was drinking 10 litres of water a day – doctors thought it was diabetes but the truth was much worse'