After visiting multiple doctors, a woman finally received the proper medical diagnosis for her leaky nose, a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF).
Kendra Jackson of Omaha, Nebraska suffered from a bad car accident in 2013 when she was hit from the rear and slammed her head into the dashboard. The runny nose and sneezing began shortly after.
“Everywhere I went I always had a box of Puffs, always stuffed in my pocket,” Jackson told KETV. “[It was] like a waterfall, continuously, and then it would run to the back of my throat.”
Jackson initially thought it was cold symptoms and several doctors told her for years it was just bad allergies, but she knew something else was wrong.
“[It was] like a waterfall, continuously, and then it would run to the back of my throat,” she said.
Jackson visited “Nebraska Medicine” and discovered her (CSF) leak. According to doctors, brain fluid was literally pouring out of her nose about a half of pint per day, which explained her runny nose.
The patient said she “couldn’t sleep” and felt “like a zombie.”
CSF leaks can cause severe infections and symptoms may include: a runny nose, liquid in the ear, headaches, vision loss and more. Doctors no longer perform brain surgery due to modern technology.
“We go through the nostrils, through the nose,” Nebraska Medicine Rhinologist Dr. Christie Barnes explained as they used Jackson’s tissue as a plug to prevent fluid from spilling out. “We use angled cameras, angled instruments to get us up to where we need to go.”
Jackson told the news station, she’s in better health and the surgery has made a big difference in her life.
“I don’t have to carry around the tissue anymore, and I’m getting some sleep,” the patient said.
Doctors said Jackson is recovering well since her follow-up appointments at Nebraska Medicine.
