A California college student attributed her throbbing headache and distorted vision to a hangover, never suspecting that the true cause was a fatal brain tumor.
Allison, 20, woke up one morning in July with what she believed were the effects of one too many drinks she had the night before while partying with friends.
She said she felt like she was on a boat and unable to steady herself or stay on her feet; the world around her seemed to spin.
But despite experiencing symptoms, she waited several days before visiting a doctor on August 2.
The throbbing pain in her head and distorted vision, especially in her left eye, “got to the point where I couldn’t read the form they gave me at the doctor,” she said.
Her doctor in Newport Beach performed an MRI that same day and immediately noticed a mass in the occipital lobe of her brain.
This visual processing center determines how we see color, depth and distance and allows us to recognize faces.
The tumor had caused her brain to swell as it took up valuable space in her skull, increasing pressure, blocking normal fluid circulation and compressing her optic nerves – which was the cause of her symptoms.
Allison believed her shaky vision and throbbing headache were due to a drunken night out with her friends. She could never have imagined that the cause would be a brain tumor
Allison underwent a three-hour surgery to remove the tumor in her brain, which was about the size of a ping-pong ball
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Allison was shocked: “I thought my doctor was going to tell me I have a vitamin deficiency or a headache. I never thought it could be a brain tumor.”
Just a week later, on August 8, she underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor, which in this part of the brain can affect overall function and lead to headaches, nausea and vision changes.
Doctors performed a three-hour procedure called a craniotomy, which involves making an incision in the scalp and removing part of the skull to get a better view of the brain.
Surgeons do this while performing advanced imaging scans of the brain to expand their field of view and protect healthy brain tissue in the area.
Once the relevant part of the brain is visible, the tumor is gently extracted.
Allison’s mass was four centimeters, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and tests showed the tumor was cancerous.
It was classified as stage three, meaning it was growing rapidly and aggressively and posed a significant threat to other parts of the brain.
There were no signs that the cancer had spread to other parts of her body, although the disease affected other parts of her brain.
To ensure that any cancer cells that might have spread unknowingly from the original part of the brain would be killed, doctors referred her to chemotherapy and radiation.
All around 208,000 teens and young adults 15 to 39 people live with a brain or spinal cord tumor.
Although relatively rare, these tumors, known as central nervous system (CNS) tumors, are the most common cancer within this age group.
They are also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among teens and young adults and the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24.
They are also responsible for about one in four cases of childhood cancer. They are the most common types of tumors in children.
The student said she felt like she was on a moving ship and the world was spinning around her, a sensation known as visual dizziness
Looking back on the experience now, Allison can identify some warning signs before her night out in July.
Doctors made an incision in her scalp and removed part of her skull. They then extracted the tumor, taking care not to damage the healthy tissue around it
She had been experiencing headaches since December 2022, during her freshman year of college, but they were inconsistent and had no apparent cause.
So she dismissed it as menstrual problems or drinking too much caffeine.
Meanwhile, about a month before her diagnosis, Allison had pins and needles on one side of her body and felt unwell, but brushed those symptoms aside once they passed.
Although the tumor was located in the visual processing center of the brain, it likely also affected other areas of the brain, such as the adjacent parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as tingling and numbness and, in Allison’s case, tingling and needles.
She said, “I had a feeling something was wrong and I’m glad I trusted that,” adding that the hangover that morning “saved my life.”
“You never think it’s you, you think you have to be older or unhealthy to have health problems.”
Since doctors were able to completely remove the tumor and Allison is otherwise healthy, the risk of the cancer coming back is small, but not zero.
Allison had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation to ensure that any cancer cells that had spread from her occipital lobe would be killed
Allison’s tumor was located in her occipital lobe, the visual processing center of the brain.
For a while she was in a state of anxious anticipation that the cancer would strike her a second time, but said, “I had to take a step back and realize that I can’t spend my whole life being afraid of that.”
‘I’m very grateful to be here because I couldn’t have been here. It has certainly given me a new sense of appreciation.”
She hopes her experience will encourage others to be proactive about their health and get checked by a doctor if they feel something is wrong.
Alison also urged people to stand up for themselves, as people may fear their doctors will talk down to them or not believe them.
Allison said, “So often we ignore the symptoms and think we’re making it up. If I hadn’t gone in, I might not be here today.
“If your doctor doesn’t take you seriously, try finding another doctor.”