on the mend
Davina McCall’s best friend shares health update and new snap as she visits her after major brain surgery
The star previously opened up on how her short-term memory had been affected by the operation
DAVINA McCall's best pal has shared a health update on the former Big Brother host following her major brain surgery.
The TV presenter could be seen smiling and playfully sticking her tongue out in a new selfie taken during her recovery.
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The 57-year-old left her fans shocked as she revealed she would be undergoing a brain tumour operation just over a week ago in order to remove a "very rare" cyst - believed to only affect three in a million people.
Now, the star appeared to be in good spirits following the surgery as she posed alongside close friend Sarah Hiscox.
Sarah captioned the sweet snap: "1st Home visit. Major brain surgery but still serving style. I love you so much."
In response, Davina replied to her close pal's Instagram post to say: "What a tonic x."
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She then quickly followed it up to say: "You are the best Sarah. Thru thick and thin."
The presenter was diagnosed with a benign but very rare tumour purely by chance after being offered a scan a few months ago.
She underwent a gruelling six-hour operation to remove the tumour.
Yesterday, the star shared a brand new video to her social media pages as she addressed her surgery and recovery for the first time.
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Davina said: "Hi, I just thought I'd check and say an enormous and heartfelt thank you to everybody who's messaged me or been in touch.
"It's meant the world. It's been mad. And it's just really nice to be back home, I'm on the other side.
Davina McCall opens up about huge 14mm tumour 'with nowhere to go' days before brain surgery which put her in ICU
"My short-term memory is a bit remiss. But that's something I can work on.
"I'm writing down everything I'm doing to keep myself feeling safe and I'm being brilliantly looked after by Michael and my mum.
"I'm on the mend, I'm resting, I'm sleeping loads, I feel really good -and very lucky.
"When something happens like this, I feel so grateful. I've always been grateful.
"I've been really lucky in my life but I feel unbelievably grateful right now."
Davina had said the 14mm growth was a rare colloid cyst, with a “three in a million” chance of having one.
Symptoms of a benign brain tumour
A benign brain tumour is a mass of cells that grows relatively slowly in the brain.
Benign means it in not cancerous.
Non-cancerous brain tumours tend to stay in one place and do not spread.
Some slow-growing tumours may not cause any symptoms at first.
When symptoms occur, it's because the tumour is putting pressure on the brain and preventing a specific area of the brain from working properly.
As the tumour grows and increases pressure in the skull, you might experience:
- New, persistent headaches that are sometimes worse in the morning or when bending over or coughing
- Feeling sick all the time
- Drowsiness
- Vision problems, such as blurred or double vision, loss of part of your visual field and temporary vision loss
- Epileptic seizures that may affect the whole body, or you may just have a twitch in one area
See a GP if you develop any of these symptoms.
They'll examine you and ask about your symptoms.
If they suspect you may have a tumour or are not sure what's causing your symptoms, they may refer you to a brain and nerve specialist for further investigation.
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NHS guidelines suggest it can take six weeks for a full recovery.
Experts say more people are being diagnosed with Davina’s extremely rare brain tumour type due to advances in testing.
Brain Tumour Research said the three in a million people found with a colloid cyst each year is rising thanks to MRI and CT scans.
Colloid cysts form in the embryo and go unnoticed until symptoms such as memory loss or headaches begin to show.
Continued growth can cause a build up of fluid in the brain, which can be life-threatening and requires urgent surgery.
Brain Tumour Research boss Dr Karen Noble said: “Colloid cysts are thought to be rare, with around 255 people in the UK diagnosed each year.
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“Diagnosis is increasing due to widespread use of MRI and CT scans, as in Davina’s case.”
She added: “Early diagnosis is key to a positive long-term prognosis.”
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