A mum-of-three was able to go home just hours after having major surgery to remove a brain tumour – and says she’s now thinking of applying for a job in the NHS.

Michelle Steers, 55, was discharged home the same day she underwent a craniotomy to remove a benign meningioma at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital in August.

Michelle, from Rotherham, who was diagnosed with meningioma, a common brain tumour that starts in the delicate tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord, last December, came in for her surgery at 7am.

She said: "I was taken down to theatre at 8.30am and I remember getting back on the ward and looking at the clock, and it was about 12 o’clock.

Michelle Steers, 55, who was successfully discharged home the same day as undergoing a craniotomy to remove a benign meningioma at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital in August this year.

placeholder image — Michelle Steers, 55, who was successfully discharged home the same day as undergoing a craniotomy to remove a benign meningioma at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital in August this year.

"Later on, I was up and about, and they said it was safe to discharge me home. I can’t tell you how good it’s been. It’s been absolutely brilliant.”

Michelle explained how her world fell apart after experiencing constant, pulsating pain in her head, with headaches, earaches and her speech affected too.

She had to give up her job of 20 years as a bus driver as she’s not currently able to drive.

She said: “It was my choice to have the surgery – it potentially could have been left where it was – but I felt I couldn’t carry on as I was.”

The four-hour operation, led by Consultant Neurosurgeon Veejay Bagga and a team of nurses, theatre staff and anaesthetists, was at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield

She says she feels “brilliant” since the surgery and is now starting to look for work again – and is even thinking about applying for jobs in the NHS.

“I’m back to normal now, I’ve had no pain and I’m building up my strength again.

"It’s like I’ve never had a brain tumour – I can’t even see the scar, it’s so tiny, and they didn’t even have to shave my head due to the surgical technique they used.

"The operation was fantastic – it was like having a tooth pulled. I’m so grateful to the team.”

The four-hour operation, led by Consultant Neurosurgeon Veejay Bagga and a team of nurses, theatre staff and anaesthetists, normally requires patients to recover in hospital for up to four days.

Michelle said she was “ecstatic” to be back home exactly 12 hours after having her surgery, which involves removing a small part of the skull to reach and remove the tumour.

She was helped by an enhanced recovery programme which included early mobilisation and counselling to minimise post-operative stress.

It is the first time a patient undergoing this type of complex brain surgery has successfully been discharged the same day as their operation at the Sheffield trust.

The only other centre in the UK known to have achieved this feat is Southampton.

Mr Bagga said removing the simplest tumours carried risks, however it was in a favourable position. Michelle was also fit and well, meaning that with the right support and counselling they were able to get her up and about and home the same day. The trust recently retained their accreditation as a Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for brain tumour care, and their latest achievement “further builds on our reputation as a leading centre for brain tumour care”.