A Netflix star has shared the symptoms he experienced while believing he was dehydrated before being diagnosed with a heartbreaking condition.
Craig Russell, who played Marc Antony in the Netflix show African Queens: Queen Cleopatra, was first made to believe that his ‘intense headaches’ were down to anxiety or not drinking enough water until the devastating truth came out.
The 47-year-old shared that he had suffered from a ‘shooting pain’ across the back of his skull in 2022, and while he had a history of migraines for years, this wasn’t the same.
That’s because when the pain began, it also led to a ‘whooshing’ sound too.
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The father-of-one shared to The Telegraph that he was becoming ‘more and more clumsy’ and ‘forgetful’.
He said: "Kate [his wife] was concerned that it could be early onset dementia, though I’m only 47."
It was closing in on Christmas, and to keep up with the festivities, they tried to put it behind them until the symptoms caught up with him.
In one instance, he entered the spare room and panicked, not remembering how to exit the room, only to remember that the door was right there, behind him.
He also began to get lost while in the car, and he started needing to take pictures of his hotel to remember the path back to his room.
Craig said: “Shortly before Christmas I started bumping into things. I’d walk into things or kick stuff on the floor I hadn’t seen.
"My wife, Kate suggested I get my eyes checked which I put on a list to do in the new year."
While his mates said it could be a ‘viral’ problem, anxiety or dehydration, he and his wife thought otherwise.
Craig was then diagnosed with low-grade meningioma in February 2023, a tumour that grows between the brain and spinal cord.
He explained to Brain Tumour Research: "I told the GP everything that had been happening, suggesting I could have anxiety or maybe a virus.
"She checked my eyesight and found I was going blind in my left eye.
"I’d never needed glasses and was in my mid-40s, I thought maybe this was a sign of ageing and I was referred for a CT scan."
As per the NHS, symptoms of a tumour are dependant on the area, however it is common to experience nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, seizures, vision or speech issues, weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, behavioural or mental changes and headaches.
The page advises: "See a GP if you have these types of symptoms, particularly if you have a headache that feels different from the type of headache you usually get, or if headaches are getting worse.”
During Craig’s evaluation, he was told that his ‘lime-sized’ tumour was causing his skull to bulge after '15 years' of slow growth.
But it was safely removed and Craig had ‘only had two migraines since the tumour was removed, as opposed to almost one a week in the build up to its discovery’.
The actor said: "I’m amazed by my own recovery, and especially by the fact that my eyesight is now perfect again."
After his one year anniversary of the tumour removal, he wrote a touching tribute on Instagram: "On this day last year the NHS saved my life.
"We must do all we can to keep it. We must love it, cherish it and respect it at all costs.
"There will never be another National Health Service.
"Massive shout out also to my superhero wife, my family and my friends. I love you all more than you could ever know and I’m nothing without you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx."
Britt Jones