Man diagnosed with ear infection later learns it was a sign of a rare brain tumor
A man was told that his ear infection was actually a sign of a rare brain tumor.
David Dingley, 76, noticed he wasn’t hearing properly in June 2023, but assumed he had a bad cold.
His earing issues persisted, and after multiple visits to his GP, he was diagnosed with an ear infection, and later diagnosed with a blocked eustachian tube and referred to an ear, nose, and throat clinic.
The blockage continued for a year, and by September 2024, the issue was unresolved, so David was referred for an MRI scan at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
The scan revealed a lesion on his brain, and in November 2024, David underwent two more MRI scans at Southampton General Hospital and confirmed that the lesion was an oligodendroglioma – a rare type of brain tumor.
Currently, David is undergoing six-monthly scans due to the tumor’s minimal blood supply.
David, retired, from Winchester, Hampshire, said: “I felt absolutely fine, no symptoms whatsoever.
“That’s what surprised me the most.
“I had no loss of balance, difficulty with language, no slurred speech, headaches, or blurred vision.
“The diagnosis was shocking.”
David had made multiple visits to his GP since he noticed that he wasn’t hearing properly.
He was first diagnosed with an ear infection and later a blocked eustachian tube and referred to an ear, nose, and throat clinic.
Despite exercises to ease the blockage, the symptoms continued for more than a year.
By September 2024, with the issue still unresolved, David was referred for an MRI scan at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.
Although the original symptoms had subsided, the scan revealed something unexpected: a lesion in his brain.
David said, “Lesion initially conjured up an image of something quite small.