A woman has revealed her horror after discovering a tumor in her brain had caused her chin and nose to double in size. Rebecca Churan, 29, from Ontario, Canada, said her self-esteem had begun to plummet because she thought she was getting uglier by the minute. Churan, who works with children in deprived areas, says she spent her birthday celebrations in tears as she tried to explain to friends that she believed her face was changing. Rebecca saw more than 10 doctors to address the signs she was noticing, including weight gain, fatigue, rapid growth in her feet. Doctors misdiagnosed Rebecca with borderline diabetes, depression and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Rebecca had questioned her unexplained growth for a few years, particularly after her feet grew by a size and a half to a size 10. She was sure her chin and nose were growing, especially after looking back at old photos of herself and seeing that her face looked smaller. By the end of March 2019, one of the doctors she saw finally issued Rebecca with an IGF-1 blood test which measures the quantity of insulin-like growth factor in the body. The typical measurement of the growth hormone should be between 97-297, depending on age, however Rebecca's measurement was an astonishing 1015. The blood test confirmed that Rebecca had a pituitary tumour which was releasing the growth hormone. Needing to have the tumour removed through her nose was terrifying for Rebecca, but less so than avoiding surgery and continually growing and becoming disfigured. The tumour was removed on April 6, but before going into surgery Rebecca traced the outline of her hands to see if they changed size. Since the surgery, Rebecca's hands have shrunk by an inch, her feet have gone down a size and a half, she has lost 2st 5lb in weight and her nose and chin are smaller. "I went out for my birthday with a group of friends but during the evening I was unable to stay awake and needed multiple naps before going out with the girls. "They all tried to cheer me up, but I was crying uncontrollably, and I knew something was wrong," said Rebecca. "My best friend, Anisa, held my hand while we went from pub to pub and I remember her asking me where my confidence had gone since we met at university. "Thankfully she was there for me because I would have never made it through that night without her cheering me on. "The next few days were awful, I slept most of the day and still required more than ten hours of sleep at night. I went to see a doctor for an opinion in the hopes of any sort of answer. "I have seen more than ten doctors over the years who would just address my symptoms. I have been misdiagnosed with borderline diabetes, generalised anxiety disorder, depression and PCOS. "I told this doctor that my face was changing, and I was getting uglier, and that I didn't understand why I was gaining weight since I was barely eating. "She issued me a blood test and then called me back in and told me I ha
Woman horrified to discover what was making her face 'uglier and uglier'
A woman has revealed her horror after discovering a tumor in her brain had caused her chin and nose to double in size. Rebecca Churan, 29, from Ontario, Canada, said her self-esteem had begun to plummet because she thought she was getting uglier by the minute. Churan, who works with children in deprived areas, says she spent her birthday celebrations in tears as she tried to explain to friends that she believed her face was changing. Rebecca saw more than 10 doctors to address the signs she was noticing, including weight gain, fatigue, rapid growth in her feet. Doctors misdiagnosed Rebecca with borderline diabetes, depression and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Rebecca had questioned her unexplained growth for a few years, particularly after her feet grew by a size and a half to a size 10. She was sure her chin and nose were growing, especially after looking back at old photos of herself and seeing that her face looked smaller. By the end of March 2019, one of the doctors she saw finally issued Rebecca with an IGF-1 blood test which measures the quantity of insulin-like growth factor in the body. The typical measurement of the growth hormone should be between 97-297, depending on age, however Rebecca's measurement was an astonishing 1015. The blood test confirmed that Rebecca had a pituitary tumour which was releasing the growth hormone. Needing to have the tumour removed through her nose was terrifying for Rebecca, but less so than avoiding surgery and continually growing and becoming disfigured. The tumour was removed on April 6, but before going into surgery Rebecca traced the outline of her hands to see if they changed size. Since the surgery, Rebecca's hands have shrunk by an inch, her feet have gone down a size and a half, she has lost 2st 5lb in weight and her nose and chin are smaller. "I went out for my birthday with a group of friends but during the evening I was unable to stay awake and needed multiple naps before going out with the girls. "They all tried to cheer me up, but I was crying uncontrollably, and I knew something was wrong," said Rebecca. "My best friend, Anisa, held my hand while we went from pub to pub and I remember her asking me where my confidence had gone since we met at university. "Thankfully she was there for me because I would have never made it through that night without her cheering me on. "The next few days were awful, I slept most of the day and still required more than ten hours of sleep at night. I went to see a doctor for an opinion in the hopes of any sort of answer. "I have seen more than ten doctors over the years who would just address my symptoms. I have been misdiagnosed with borderline diabetes, generalised anxiety disorder, depression and PCOS. "I told this doctor that my face was changing, and I was getting uglier, and that I didn't understand why I was gaining weight since I was barely eating. "She issued me a blood test and then called me back in and told me I ha
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