Body Talk: Corrie's Sunita has the same rare brain illness as me; Louise Ongley is delighted that her rare brain condition is finally getting a higher profile - thanks to a soap plotline.

Byline: JANE PURCELL

WATCHING her favourite soap one night, Louise Ongley suddenly found a way for her friends and family to understand the hell she'd been going through for five years.

As four doctors had failed to realise Louise had a rare brain tumour condition, it's hardly surprising her loved ones had difficulty understanding she was truly ill.

But a Coronation Street plotline involving doe-eyed corner shop assistant Sunita Parekh made everything clear. In the soap, Sunita had been feeling ill with bad headaches and dizzy spells. Because she'd missed a period, she thought she was pregnant following a one-night stand with Danny Baldwin.

Millions of viewers tuned in as an anxious Sunita, played by Shobna Gulati, carried out a home pregnancy test that turned out to be negative.

Not feeling any better, she had tests including a brain scan that revealed she was suffering from a pituitary tumour.

Such tumours are very rare and notoriously difficult to diagnose - it took three years and five different doctors before Louise was taken seriously.

"The way I was treated was appalling," says Louise, 29, from Basingstoke, Hants. "The first doctor told me I should take more exercise. Another said I should eat more healthily, while a third commented on the size of my boobs and told me to get a decent bra. I've never been so embarrassed."

Just like Sunita, Louise was shocked when she was finally told two years ago that she had a prolactinoma - the most common type of pituitary tumour.

"I thought I had cancer and was going to die. But the doctor called Simon, my boyfriend, into the room and explained to us that this kind of tumour was benign and treatable."

Louise had put on four stone over three years and gone from a size 10 to a size 16, while her bust increased from 32D to 36FF. And she went from having heavy periods to none at all, despite still getting PMT every month.

"Because I was overproducing the pregnancy hormone prolactin, I had all the signs of pregnancy but no baby," she says. Louise also suffered from headaches and dizzy spells, caused by the half inch tumour pressing on her optic nerve.

Five years ago, Louise blacked out and cracked her head open. Then she saw a sympathetic female GP who suspected a hormonal problem.

Blood tests confirmed a high level of prolactin and Louise was referred to a consultant who ordered an MRI scan of her brain to determine the size and position of the tumour.

Because it was not affecting her eyesight, it was decided to shrink it with a drug called Cabergoline rather than operate. But the side-effects were very unpleasant. She recalls: "I became very depressed and aggressive and would lash out and throw things at Simon."

Louise and Simon got married last June, but the medication continued to cause problems. "I'd become an emotional wreck. My GP said I needed a break and took me off the Cabergoline after I broke down in tears during a check-up. Because my hormones are always in overdrive, I get upset over the silliest little things and can feel very weepy.

"The tumour may have shrunk for now but it could start growing again at any time."

Louise, a trainee accountant, says: "I'm so pleased that Coronation Street has raised awareness of my condition. I just hope that doctors are watching so they'll be able to recognise the symptoms and not treat women as moaners the way I was."

Pituitary tumours: the facts

SYMPTOMS include extreme tiredness, headaches, excess weight gain and loss of libido. But because it's such a rare condition, sufferers are often unwell for years before a correct diagnosis is made.

Almost all pituitary tumours are benign. They're most common in the young or middle-aged and account for 10 per cent of all brain tumours. The cause is unknown.

The pituitary gland, about the size of a pea, is found in a bony hollow beneath the base of the brain. As the tumour grows it puts pressure on the optic nerve and this often causes headaches and sight problems. There are different kinds of pituitary tumour, but both Sunita and Louise have a prolactinoma. This type of tumour causes excess levels of the pregnancy hormone prolactin in the blood, which in turn often leads to infertility.

Prolactin levels increase naturally during pregnancy in preparation for breast-feeding, which is why women with a prolactinoma may notice that their periods stop and they produce small amounts of breast milk. A blood test will detect high levels of pituitary hormones and a brain scan can confirm the presence of a tumour.

Surgery is rarely needed for prolactinomas, which usually respond well to drugs. There is a danger, however, that the tumour may recur if the treatment is stopped too early. For an info pack send an SAE to PO Box 1944, Bristol BS99 2UB or log on to www.pituitary.org.uk

CAPTION(S):

TUMOUR SHOCK: The Street's Sunita; RELIEVED: At last Louise's condition is getting publicity