A California college student attributed her throbbing headache and distorted vision to a hangover, without suspecting the true cause was a deadly brain tumor.
Allison, 20, woke up one July morning to what she thought were the repercussions of too many drinks she had the night before while celebrating with friends.
He said he felt like he was on a boat, unable to steady himself or maintain his balance: the world around him seemed to be spinning.
But despite her worrying symptoms, she waited several days before visiting a doctor on August 2.
The stabbing pain in his head and distorted vision, particularly in his left eye, ‘got to the point where I couldn’t read the form they gave me at the doctor,’ he said.
His doctor in Newport Beach performed an MRI that same day and immediately noticed a mass lodged in the occipital lobe of his brain.
This visual processing center determines how we see color, depth and distance and allows us to recognize faces.
The tumor had caused his brain to swell because it was taking up valuable space inside his skull, increasing pressure, causing a blockage of normal fluid circulation and compressing his optic nerves, which was causing his symptoms.
Allison believed her shaky vision and throbbing headache were due to a drunken night out with her friends. She would never have guessed that the cause was 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.
Allison was surprised: ‘I thought my doctor would 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, he underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor, which, in this area of the brain, can affect overall function and cause headaches, nausea and vision changes.
Doctors performed a three-hour procedure called a craniotomy, during which an incision is made in the scalp and part of the skull is removed to get a better view of the brain.
Surgeons do this while performing advanced brain imaging scans to expand their field of view and protect healthy brain tissue in the surrounding area.
Once the relevant part of the brain is exposed, the tumor is carefully removed.
Allison’s mass measured four centimeters, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and tests revealed the tumor was cancerous.
It was classified as stage three, meaning it was growing rapidly and aggressively and posed a significant threat to other areas of the brain.
There were no signs that the cancer had spread to other parts of his body, although it was affecting other regions of his brain.
To ensure that any cancer cells that had spread undetected from the original area of the brain were eliminated, doctors referred her for chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Around 208,000 adolescents and young adults Between 15 and 39 years old 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 in this age group.
They are also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among adolescents and young adults and the leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24.
They also account for approximately one in four childhood cancers. They are the most common types of tumors in children.
The college student said she felt like she was on a moving ship and the world around her was spinning, a sensation known as visual vertigo.
Reflecting on the experience now, Allison can identify some warning signs before her night out in July.
Doctors made an incision in his scalp and removed part of his skull. Then, they removed the tumor, making sure not to damage the healthy tissue surrounding it.
He had been experiencing headaches since December 2022, during his first year at university, but they were not constant and had no clear trigger.
So she dismissed it as period problems or drinking too much caffeine.
Meanwhile, about a month before her diagnosis, Allison had tingling on one side of her body and felt sick, but she ignored those symptoms once they went away.
Although the tumor was located within the brain’s visual processing center, it likely affected other regions of the brain as well, such as the neighboring parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as tingling and numbness and, in Allison’s case, pins and needles.
She said, “I had a gut feeling that something wasn’t right and I’m glad I trusted that,” adding that the hangover that morning “saved my life.”
“You never think it’s going to be you, you think you have to be old or unhealthy to have health problems.”
Since doctors were able to remove the tumor completely and Allison is healthy, the risk of the cancer coming back is low, but not zero.
Allison had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation to ensure that any cancer cells that had spread from her occipital lobe were killed.
Allison’s tumor was located in her occipital lobe, the visual processing center of the brain, with a red circle above.
For a time, she was in a state of anxious anticipation that cancer would strike her a second time, but she said, “I had to take a step back and realize that I can’t spend my whole life being afraid of that.”
‘I’m really grateful to be here because I might not have been here. “It definitely gave me a new sense of appreciation.”
She hopes her experience influences others to be proactive about their health and get examined by a doctor when they feel something is wrong.
Alison also urged people to advocate for themselves as they may be nervous that doctors will belittle them or not believe them.
Allison said: “Too often we ignore the symptoms and think we’re making it up.” If I hadn’t come in, I might not have been here today.
“If your doctor doesn’t take you seriously, try finding another doctor.”