Imaging during an emergency room visit confirmed the presence of a large brain tumor. Lisa was transported by ambulance to 黑料网 Health in Chapel Hill for surgery.
Lisa, a mother of four in her late 40鈥檚, experienced occasional sinus headaches and migraines. However, in the summer of 2022, she began having a different type of headache. These new pulsating headaches came on in the mornings, but were mild and only lasted a few seconds. Since she only had one brief headache with mild pain each day and since the headaches did not interfere with daily living, she did not seek medical attention.
One morning, about six months after the daily headaches started, Lisa woke from sleep to a pulsing headache. This time, the headache took longer to resolve and left her feeling 鈥渄azed鈥� and sensitive to light for several hours. She felt better as the day went on, but was concerned about her health.
The following morning, Lisa had a similar headache, but more painful. She could not drive because of the pain, so she had her husband take her to urgent care. 鈥淭he doctor said it looked like my nasal passages were inflamed and I likely had allergies that triggered migraines,鈥� Lisa recalled, 鈥淪o, she prescribed a nasal spray and Imitrex and sent me home.鈥�
Lisa went to sleep that night, but two hours after lying down, she woke up with what she described as the worst headache of her life. 鈥淭he pulses were excruciating and relentless, and nothing relieved the pain,鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淚t continued for hours, and I knew I couldn鈥檛 endure another night like that. I still wince when I think of that night.鈥�
Her husband drove her to the emergency room at 黑料网 Rex in Raleigh where she received IV pain medication and steroids to manage her pain. A scan showed that Lisa had a large brain tumor causing a buildup of fluid, causing her daily headaches. Lisa was told that the tumor had likely been growing for a while, and her emergency room physicians were surprised that she had not experienced more symptoms. 鈥淭hings moved pretty quickly at that point,鈥� she recalled.
Lisa was told that she would need to have surgery to remove the tumor. 鈥淭he ER doc told us that Dr. Carlos David would be our neurosurgeon. “He raved about him,鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淢y husband looked him up and was very impressed. Knowing this eased our anxiety and shock of having just heard the words 鈥榖rain tumor鈥� and 鈥榮urgery.鈥欌��
Lisa was transported by ambulance to 黑料网 Health in Chapel Hill and immediately taken to the neuro ICU. While in the ICU, Lisa and her husband met cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgeon, Dr. Carlos David. 鈥淲hen I met him, I felt like I was in good hands,鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淚 felt very confident that he was more than capable of performing this surgery, and I was grateful to have such a highly-skilled surgeon available when I needed one.鈥�
Dr. David told Lisa that she had a large skull base meningioma, a benign brain tumor, compressing her cerebellum and causing obstructive hydrocephalus. 鈥淭he normal fluid paths were blocked by the huge tumor and resulted in a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid, raising her intracranial pressure,鈥� explained Dr. David. 鈥淭his was in addition to the tumor compressing the cerebellum itself resulting in coordination and balance issues.鈥�
When Lisa was admitted to the hospital, she also tested positive for Covid, further complicating her hospital stay. 鈥淢y husband had to suit up when he came in to see me,鈥� Lisa said.
Despite needing to dress in personal protective equipment due to her Covid test results, Lisa noted that her care team still went out of their way to ensure that she had everything she needed. 鈥淭hey treated me as a person, not just as a patient,鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淓ven when they had to gown up, they were still very delightful. I really felt at peace the whole time that I was there.鈥�
Lisa underwent a retrosigmoid craniotomy to remove the tumor. The complex surgery required meticulous microsurgery to separate the tumor from the brain and critical nerves for swallowing, hearing, and facial movement. In addition to the complexity from the size and structures involved around the tumor, Lisa had significant swelling in her brain from the obstruction of cerebral spinal fluid.
Three days after surgery, Lisa was discharged. She struggled with her balance, and used a walker for a couple of weeks while she recovered. 鈥淭he pain was very mild,鈥� recalled Lisa.
鈥淚t still amazes me that Dr. David was able to drill into my skull and remove this huge life-threatening brain tumor.”
After a few months, Lisa was feeling back to normal and was able to drive again. Looking back, Lisa says that she is still shocked that she had a brain tumor. 鈥淚 remember sitting in the hospital thinking of all the things I was able to do, like learning to wake surf, unaware that a large tumor was growing in my brain,鈥� said Lisa.
Lisa is back to doing everything she did before her brain tumor, without struggling with daily headaches. She goes in once a year for scans to make sure that her brain tumor does not grow back. Lisa is two years out from surgery and there are no signs of reoccurrence. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful for the top-notch care I received,鈥� said Lisa. 鈥淚t still amazes me that Dr. David was able to drill into my skull and remove this huge life-threatening brain tumor. I have my life back thanks to him. He鈥檚 my favorite neurosurgeon.鈥�