Woman Went to ER With ‘Low Blood Sugar,’ Then Came the Brain Scan - Newsweek

When Destiny Amos first went to the emergency room, she thought the dizzy spells and brain fog she was struggling with were because of low blood sugar. What she wasn't prepared for was what would show up on a CT scan of her brain.

Amos, from Jacksonville, Florida, can't remember when her symptoms first started, but she remembers things beginning to "get bad" this past June.

"I began feeling very dizzy and like I was swaying even while standing still. I had constant brain fog, pressure in the lower left side of my head, and episodes where the left side of my face felt numb," Amos told Newsweek.

Amos remembers feeling unusually anxious and having a general sense that something, somewhere in her body, was seriously wrong.

Matters finally came to a head one night when she woke up and didn't recognize where she was.

"I was extremely unsteady and dizzy, felt nauseous, and felt like my heart was beating out of my chest," she said.

Amos's mom called 911, and she was taken to a nearby ER.

When Amos spoke to her doctor, she explained that she had been experiencing what felt like "episodes of low blood sugar." She had been diagnosed with blood sugar issues before and wondered whether her dizziness and nausea could be linked to them.

Her doctor ordered a CT scan of Amos's abdomen as well as her brain. Amos said that when he eventually returned with the results, he told her: "Well, this certainly explains your symptoms."

"The CT scan showed an approximately 3 cm suspected meningioma in the posterior fossa area of my brain that was pushing against my cerebellum and causing mild mass effect," Amos told Newsweek.

A meningioma is a tumor that forms in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. While usually noncancerous, it is the most common type of primary brain tumor in adults, accounting for around one-third to 40 percent of cases in the United States.

According to the American Brain Tumor Association, women are affected by meningioma more often than men, and the risk increases with age. Though meningiomas are classed as brain tumors, they do not grow from brain tissue but rather the meninges, the three thin layers of tissue that cover the brain and spinal cord.

Following the scan, Amos was transferred to a larger hospital, where she underwent an MRI so doctors could get a better look at the tumor. She ended up spending the next month in the hospital before undergoing surgery.

"I never really had time to fully process the diagnosis because I never left the hospital after finding out," Amos said. "I remember feeling shocked and scared, but at the same time, so many of the symptoms and things I had experienced over the years suddenly started to fall into place."

Over the years, Amos had experienced symptoms she was told were related to anxiety, low iron, or thyroid issues. She struggled with extreme fatigue, to the point where she would sleep for hours on end. Amos had also dealt with blurry vision, heat intolerance, brain fog, pressure headaches, pins and needles in her hands and legs, occasional temporary numbness, forgetfulness, and clumsiness.

"I learned that a tumor in the posterior fossa, near the cerebellum, can affect coordination and balance, and that the area can also be associated with pathways involved in things like alertness and the body's stress response," she said.

Amos can't say with certainty that the tumor caused every symptom she experienced over those years, but knowing it was there helped her understand that there may have been a neurological component to some of what she had been experiencing.

"It was overwhelming to take in, especially while preparing for brain surgery, but finally having an answer also brought some sense of relief," she said.

Amos underwent surgery on August 24. Doctors later informed her that the tumor was partially calcified, indicating it had likely been there for a long time. Her surgeon believes he was able to remove it completely.

Three weeks after surgery, she received biopsy results confirming more good news: the tumor was benign.

Amos said the recovery has been a "slow process," but she feels blessed that the surgery was completed without any major complications.

"I have trouble with concentration and short-term memory sometimes. I get some shooting nerve pain around my incision, ringing in my ear, and headaches," she said. "Some days I feel like I'm doing really well, and other days I feel like I've taken a step backward."

Her doctors have told her she should be back to feeling more like herself within three months. Amos is still struggling to process how quickly everything happened.

"I have random crying spells, especially when I get overwhelmed or think about everything that has happened," she said.

However, she's been able to talk to other people who have gone through brain surgery and hopes that sharing her story can do the same for others.

"I'm still healing and figuring things out myself, but if sharing my story can make someone else feel a little less scared or alone, then it's worth it," she said.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Marc Vargas and Anthony Murray.