A Michigan woman who thought she had an ear infection was shocked when doctors discovered her symptoms were being caused by a brain tumor.
Annette Courtier, in her 50s and from Lansing, went to the doctor complaining of pain in her head and around her ear.
However, scans showed she had a benign growth on her pituitary gland, a pea-shaped structure at the base of the brain. Doctors said the disease had probably been on the rise for five years.
Annette Courtier, 50, of Lansing, Michigan, was diagnosed with a brain tumor because she thought she had an ear infection
Girl has a brain tumor that stunts her growth
A girl who was thought to be “small for her age” has been discovered to have a brain tumor that is stunting her growth.
She underwent surgery to remove the growth and returned a week later to do homework for her university course. Despite the diagnosis, she completed her year on time.
The pituitary gland plays a critical role in regulating hormones in the body that are involved in functions such as growth, reproduction and appetite.
Each year, approximately 10,000 Americans are diagnosed with a pituitary brain tumor, accounting for 17 percent of all registered brain tumors.
The vast majority of patients survive; 97 percent live more than five years after their diagnosis.
Ms Courtier lost her sister to stage four cancer in 2019, which led her to a “very dark place” as her sister was “the person closest to me”.
But in 2022, she decided to go back to college 35 years after dropping out of high school and enrolled at the University of Michigan-Flint to study digital communications.
However, a week after the course, she started having headaches, which led to the diagnosis.
Most pituitary tumors are removed by transsphenoidal surgery, in which doctors insert an endoscope and special surgical tools into the nose and through the sphenoid sinus (an area behind the nose) to access the gland.
The tumor is then completely or partially excised.
After her operation, Ms Courtier said: “I had brain surgery, recovered from brain surgery and went back to work. All these things.
“I don’t think I would have done anything else.”
“I didn’t give myself time to think about it because it wasn’t necessary.”
The above shows how Ms Courtier operated on a brain tumour, which is usually removed using devices inserted through the nose to access the tumour.
She added: “A brain tumor doesn’t stop your life. “Your life is what you do with your life and that’s what I did.
“Brain surgery, working full time, going to school full time, losing a hundred pounds in six months: it was a whole year.
“I am a completely different person than I was when I started the program.”
Symptoms of a pituitary tumor include weight loss, headaches, excessive sweating and changes in appetite.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
