Crookhorn teenager undergoes six-hour op to remove mass from behind eye

WHEN Megan Barker's eye started to swell before Christmas, she thought she was allergic to eyelash extension glue.
Megan Barker  Picture: Malcolm Wells (180228-8329)Megan Barker  Picture: Malcolm Wells (180228-8329)
Megan Barker Picture: Malcolm Wells (180228-8329)

But when the swelling continued to get worse, the 19-year-old knew something more serious was wrong.

CT and MRI scans revealed she had a mass behind her eye which fortunately was benign, but was crushing her eye socket.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On February 20, she underwent a serious six-hour operation to have the tumour, which doctors still do not know the origins of, removed.

The scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's headThe scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's head
The scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's head

Megan, from Crookhorn, said: ‘At the beginning of December my eye started to swell. By Christmas it was really bad and I was advised to go to the walk-in centre.

‘They checked my sight which was normal and could not see anything wrong.

‘I was referred to Queen Alexandra Hospital and had a series of scans.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘The results showed a white mass behind my eye and I was sent to see a specialist in ear, nose and throat.

The scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's headThe scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's head
The scar where surgeons had to cut open Megan's head

‘I was assured it wasn’t cancerous or anything life-threatening but because of the damage it was doing to my eye socket, it had to be removed.’

Megan, who works as a travel agent, had the operation at Southampton General Hospital less than a fortnight ago.

Surgeons had to cut open her head from ear-to-ear and remove part of her skull to take out the mass.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Her skull was pinned back into place and the large cut stapled.

The teenager is now home recovering and said once the swelling from the surgery goes down, she will be fully healed.

She added: ‘The whole experience of what happened hasn’t really hit me yet.

‘First when I was told it was a mass I worried in case it was cancer, but it wasn’t.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘Then I was told I had to undergo a serious operation and my hair would be shaved.

‘It sounds weird but for me, everything I loved about my life was being taken away from me.

‘I am not allowed to drive for six months, work for two months and I had a part of my hair shaved, although thankfully the surgeons took away the smallest amount they could.’

Nearly two weeks after her operation Megan still is not sure what condition she had, but she has written a blog about her experience hoping someone who has gone through something similar will see it.

Her mum, Wendy, said: ‘It would be good to know what Megan had, but whatever it was she dealt with it amazingly.

To follow Megan’s story visit mystory-megb.co.uk.