Her sodium levels dropped so low that she developed hyponatremia, causing her brain to swell.

This is important to do after any surgery on the brain. After saving her life, the hospital nurses and physicians failed to monitor her serum sodium levels. Unfortunately, her hospitalization did not end well. A surgeon took her to the operating room, did a craniotomy (drilled a small hole in her skull), and drained fluid from the abscess. They transferred her to a hospital in the Texas Medical Center, where doctors quickly figured out that she had a golf ball-sized abscess in the right frontal lobe area of her brain.Īn abscess is an accumulation of pus caused by an infection. Doctors there thought she might have a brain tumor. Her parents took her to a northwest Houston emergency room, where they did a brain scan. Over a few days, the cold symptoms got worse and she started to have nausea and vomiting. A healthy, active teenager started having symptoms of a bad head cold. Jackson is now doing fine.Īs a Houston, Texas medical malpractice attorney, this reminds me of a case that I handled several years ago. They successfully plugged the leak and Ms. When there is a CSF leak, the patient has an increased risk of developing meningitis and other brain or spinal infections.Ī surgical team took her to the operating room to repair a tiny hole between her skull and nostrils. Most people have about 125 mL of CSF at any given time. The choroid plexuses in the brain produce about 500 mL of CSF per day. Instead of having drainage from a cold or allergies, brain fluid was leaking out through her nose.Ĭerebrospinal fluid is a clear liquid that acts as a mechanical and immunological buffer for the brain and spinal cord, and also plays an important role in regulating blood flow to the brain. There, she was finally correctly diagnosed with a cerebrospinal (CSF) fluid leak. Jackson went to see specialists in the Nebraska Medicine hospital system. The medications and treatments that these doctors offered did not work and, for years, her nose kept running, causing her to sneeze, blow her nose, have headaches, and lose sleep every day. Other doctors concluded that she was suffering from seasonal allergies. Some doctors told her that she had a cold. Her runny-nose symptom persisted for years. She described her nose as running “like a waterfall, continuously, and then it would run to the back of my throat.” Jackson used the word “constantly,” she was speaking literally. Our experienced team work together and will go the extra mile to help you get the answers and solutions you need to any hearing, nose, and balance problem you have.Ĭall or text the Austin Ear Clinic’s Austin office to schedule an appointment today: 51.The Washington Post recently published a story about Kendra Jackson, a woman who went to doctor after doctor to try to find out why her nose was running constantly. And it’s our unique combination of experience and cutting-edge technology, combined with a true concern for each one of our patients and their health that brings folks back whenever they struggle with problems like hearing loss, sinus pain, and balance. Patrick Slater and our experienced team work together to help people in Austin hear, breathe, and express themselves more comfortably and effectively. Our Neurotologist and Otolaryngologist Dr. Contact us at Austin Ear Clinic in Austin (51) and schedule an appointment. But if you do struggle with these essential life activities and enjoyments, then it’s time to take action today. In short, you should be able to enjoy hearing, smelling, breathing, talking, and singing-whatever you can do with your ears, nose, and throat.

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