Genie's Brain Tumor Recovery

Last October, Genie started to experience some unusual symptoms, including dizziness, headaches, and nausea. She also experienced exhaustion, moodiness and  sleeping problems.  A visit to her physician lead to a diagnosis of Vertigo.

Soon, her symptoms worsened, and an MRI was ordered on Dec 08, 2017.  The result prompted the doctor to send her to see a specialist, but before that appointment, her condition continued to worsen and she was taken to the ER, where a CT scan was ordered on Dec 17, 2017.

The CT scan resulted in a diagnosis on Dec. 22 of a midline cystic mass in the right cerebellum hemisphere.   This scan showed rapid growth since the original MRI. Her surgery date was set for Jan. 11, 2018, with pre-surgery testing on Jan. 5.  When Genie was taken in for pre-surgery testing , she was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration and pain control.  She remained in the hospital for the next 4 days, to monitor and control the pain, dehydration, high blood pressure and vomiting.  Her doctor soon returned from a trip out of the country and immediately ordered another MRI.  Genie was informed that the size of the mass had increased, causing Hydrocephalus, and her surgery date was immediately moved up to Jan.9, 2018.  The size of the mass was 33.2mm x 35.2mm, about the size of a walnut.  Post-surgery tissue samples were sent to the lab, and fortunately the results showed that the tumor was benign. Genie spent several days in ICU post surgery, and then was moved to a regular room. She was released from the hospital on Jan. 12.

Genie will need someone with her around the clock for 2 weeks and then will require help on an as-needed basis.  She won’t be able to drive for at least 2 months and has been instructed to engage in limited physical activity.  She will require physical and occupational therapy.  She will return to the surgeons office in 5 weeks to learn about her full recovery schedule and how long it will be before she can return to her beloved job as a flight attendant.  At this time she has been told it will be several months, at least.  She is taking multiple medications, including antibiotics, and meds for pain control, seizures  and swelling.

This is a woman who loves to stay busy, loves her passengers and fellow flight attendants and her many friends and family!

Genie is doing a little better every day. She feels like she has more clarity than she has felt in a long time. Her energy level and concentration is still very low, however, and she gets exhausted very quickly. Her wonderful neurologist has advised her to practice patience, get plenty of sleep, and just a tiny bit of exercise every day. His advice is to try and stick to a very light schedule and have some structure during the day, avoid stress and stay calm. Her prognosis is good, and she will have regular check-ups to make sure she is healing properly.

Unfortunately, last December(2016)  Genie had to undergo surgery on her knee to have an ACL replacement. The surgery prevented her from working for the first 5 months of 2017. She was working hard to pay off medical expenses from that surgery, and she was just getting back on her feet financially, when she became ill in October. y. She will not be able to work for at least the next several months. She has bills, rent and other monthly payments due, and her cash reserves are running low. Hopefully, Genie’s insurance will cover some of her medical expenses, but she will still have to pay her deductible, as well as 20% of her huge medical bills. We are setting up this Go Fund Me account as any help would be greatly appreciated.