Hunter’s Headache-A Story of Brain Surgery


Hello all! ☺️ My few social media friends and family will understand my embarrassment in regards to hosting my first crowd sourcing fundraiser, especially my own. However, I’ve hit some bumps along the road and I thought I could reach out to my community for help. 

A little about me: My name is Hunter Brantley (Crumpler). I’m the proud wife of Cpl Crumpler, a 10 year veteran of the Rocky Mount Police Dept. I work as a Certified Medical Assistant in Wake Forest for over six years now in a family care practice. I love my patients, coworkers, family,
& friends. I love cracking jokes and making other people smile. My husband and I have three small children: Silas (7), Logan Faith (4), and Rose (2). 

My story started when I contracted viral meningitis in April of 2018. I stayed at Duke Raleigh for six days. I was soon diagnosed with intracranial hypertension as a result. IH is the nickname I’ll using for this illness.  It’s former nickname is Pseudotumor  Cerebri.  It is a collection of my CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) which mimicks a brain tumor, hence the nickname “Pseudotumor.” My brain over produces CSF and there is nowhere for it to go. It is only in the spine and brain. Therefore, fluid continuously builds up squishing my brain causing terrible pain. Pressure of the CSF causes my optic nerve to be “squished” which not only causes severe eye pain, but was also taking my vision. I went from seeing 20/15 with glasses to 20/80 in a 3 month time period. Before modern imaging, doctors assumed patients had a brain tumor because they would suffer vision loss (sometimes blindness), severe head pain, ringing in the ears, along with a host of other symptoms. The only way to relieve the pressure is to have an emergent spinal tap. I’ve had so many in the last year I’ve lost count. They are so painful. It’s a 10” needle shoved up your spine to drain the extra fluid.

After multiple admissions to Duke Raleigh (& big Duke), as well as seeing multiple specialists (Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuro-Ophthalmology) it was determined to just “wait and see.” The operation that I needed was a shunt placed in my brain to reroute the spinal fluid through a valve and tube all the way to my abdomen. My last ER visit was in November 2018 at Duke University Hospital. I was told my care was too complex and to follow up with Duke Neurology, who sent me there. The ER resident said I needed surgery and that I could no longer come back to big Duke for spinal taps due to the risks (meningitis, sepsis, paralysis). I was deveststed. Thankfully, I qualified for Duke’s Charity Care program so anything my insurance didn’t cover, Duke paid. Even though I was unhappy with my care, I am extremely grateful for the Charity Care.

My mom and I left big Duke devestated in November. I prayed so hard asking God to show me the path. I decided to change surgeons for a second opinion. It is hard to find a surgeon for a rare illness (about 1 in 100,000).  I made an appointment with. Dr. Rashid Janjua of Novant Brain Surgery in Winston Salem. I cannot say enough good things about him. He truly saved my life. The excess CSF was causing cerebral stenosis and unbearable pain only relieved by spinal taps. I could’ve had a stroke. It was confirmed my optic nerves were dilated and swollen which is what was causing my vision to go downhill. It was truly impossible at this point to be the mother, wife, sister, daughter, and employee I needed and wanted to be. 

I finally had my shunt placed 2/5/19 at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Ctr in Winston Salem. I never thought I would be begging for my skull to be drilled in, but alas there I was. I had 3 large incisions on the right side of my skull, one incision behind my right ear/neck, & four incisions in my abdomen. If you had told me this time last year I would be begging for spinal taps and a hole drilled in my head I would’ve laughed. I had a seizure after I was transferred to recovery. Because of this I was placed on a ventilator and taken to CT to make sure there was no brain bleed. Thankfully there wasn’t! It was determined it was a reaction to the medicines they use to reverse the anesthesia. The new plan was to wake me up much slower over a 12-24 hour period in the Neuro ICU. After about 8 hours, I woke myself up. I was on a ventilator with wrist restraints and scared out of my mind. The Respiratory therapist got there within 15 minutes or so and extubated me. Being on a ventilator alert and oriented is SCARY. 

Things have been going slow and steady with just a few bumps in the road. I developed cellulitis and an allergic reaction to some of my tubing. I was placed on steroids to help. I’ve been on topical, oral, and IM antibiotic shots for awhile. There was a meningitis scare last week, so I was admitted 3/15-3/17. I had another spinal tap. I’m also being treated for a lung infection.  My CSF cultures did show a staph bacteria growing, but the microbiologist thinks it was a contaminant. However, the Infectious Disease doctors want me to repeat the spinal tap to make sure. It also showed the pressure setting in my shunt was wrong and it was not draining anywhere near the amount of CSF that it should. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

I am grateful to qualify to be out on FMLA leave at work since 2-1-19. I do not have short term disability. My leave is unpaid. I owe money towards my health insurance arrears, the hospital, the radiologists, and the anesthesiologists who bill separately. I have created a GoFundMe to help with meeting my deductible and out of pocket maximum. If I raise enough, the rest will go to my my health insurance arrears, which will be taken out of my first few paychecks when I return. 

Thank you everyone for your love, encouragement, and support along this journey.  

Please feel free to ask me any questions.

Best Wishes,
Hunter

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