A MOTHER who waited weeks to be diagnosed and treated for a brain tumour is calling for more help for people with the potentially fatal condition.

Lucie Stevenson says doctors took too long to diagnose and treat her for a tumour medics described as 'the size of two satsumas'.

And she claims she was offered little support after going home following major surgery.

But the 27-year-old blames the Government rather than medics, saying it needs to invest more money in staff, training and support services, such as home care and physiotherapy, to help those with the condition.

This could lead to quicker diagnosis, which would improve patients' chances of survival, and more help for those who struggle to see, hear, talk and walk following surgery.

Lucie, who lives in Scropton Road, Hatton, with husband Leighton and son Alfie, said: "It was not until I'd been to the doctor's about four times with my symptoms that I was referred for an MRI scan.

"Once I got home, I had lots of support from friends and family but there are people who don't have that.

"They rely on the Government to give them the help they need and the NHS is missing a service where people come and check you are all right."

Lucie has backed a campaign by the Brain Tumour UK charity to get the NHS to keep better records of the number of brain tumour cases in the hope this will result in more funding.

At the moment, only cancerous tumours are recorded in the official cancer registry, which monitors the number of patients with different forms of the illness.

But the charity argues that recording all cases, whether or not they are cancerous, would highlight the significant number of people with the condition. It hopes that would in turn result in more Government funding.

A spokesman for the charity said: "In the East Midlands, the charity calculates that 3,696 people are affected by brain tumours each year.

"But only around 616 are included in official statistics.

"Thousands of patients every year are getting inadequate care because no budget exists to pay for services for them once they leave hospital."

Lucie was diagnosed in November 2007 with a tumour that was not cancerous but still potentially fatal.

She had begun suffering from terrible headaches which she says her doctor put down to migraines and post-baby blues as she had given birth to Alfie three months earlier.

After four visits to the doctor, she was referred for a scan.

But it was not scheduled to take place for another month so she decided instead to have it done privately a week later.

Three days after that, she had seven hours of surgery at Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre to remove the tumour.

Aside from losing some sensation in her right side, she is now recovering well.