Teenage boy is lucky to survive after dentist spots warning sign of brain tumour during routine check
You often hear about life-saving doctors, but a Perth dentist has hit the headlines after spotting warning signs of a brain tumour during a routine dental check on a 13-year old patient.
Konah Brown had seen a number of doctors after complaining of headaches and dizziness, but was told that his pains were caused by poor posture and spending too long sitting in front of computer games. Konah’s mother, Shirley, was told time and time again by doctors and chiropractors that there was nothing to worry about and in October last year, she took him to a different doctor and was advised to wait for a referral. Two weeks later, Konah went to the dentist, and alarm bells started ringing for Dr Richard Brown when he asked Konah to stick his tongue out at the beginning of the appointment. Konah’s tongue was veering to one side, and this immediately made Dr Brown worry.
Combined with the symptoms Konah told Dr Brown about, the sight of the tongue going to one side suggested to Dr Brown that his teenage patient could have a brain tumour, and he advised him to go to hospital immediately.
Scans revealed that Konah had a tumour wrapped around the brain stem, which was applying pressure to the top of the spine and causing Konah’s symptoms. Shirley was told that if he wasn’t treated urgently, he could die within a month.
Konah has now had two operations and he is responding well, although the position of the tumour means that it is technically inoperable. The family is now trying to raise money for Konah to undergo treatment in the USA.
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