Seizure leads to brain tumor diagnosis Coordinated care surrounds patient from diagnosis, treatment to recovery
D
arlene O’Brian was enjoying the trip of a lifetime when, seemingly out of the blue, she had a seizure. The 73-year-old Shellsburg woman had never had one before. Darlene was wrapping up the week-long trip to Ireland with her husband, Larry, daughter, Denise and son-in-law, Brian, when she had the seizure. The year was 2011.
A computed tomography or CT scan uses X-rays to create pictures of certain areas of the body. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a way to take pictures of sections of the body using a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy.
“Darlene mentioned she had a seizure in Ireland,” said Hoffmann. “She wondered if the episode was caused by her blood sugar. I told her I did not think it was related to her diabetes and suggested she get a CT scan.”
“I had to tell Darlene over the phone that the doctors saw something,” recalled Hoffmann. “I don’t like to deliver this type of news over the phone but she wanted to know right away. I remember telling her it could be a benign tumor and that we would get her in to see Dr. Mary Hlavin, a UnityPoint Clinic neurosurgeon as soon as it was possible to find out what the mass was.”
“We were enjoying our lunch,” recalled Darlene. “There was really no warning that anything was wrong and I suddenly had a seizure. After it passed we went back to our hotel room so I could rest. I am diabetic so we thought maybe it was related to that, coupled with jet lag.” Darlene said she felt fine and had no other episodes. A short time after Darlene returned home she had a routine check-up with Julie Hoffmann, a nurse practitioner at UnityPoint Clinic – Shellsburg.
Mary Hlavin, MD, UnityPoint Clinic neurosurgeon
“I had the CT scan and was told the doctor saw a mass,” said Darlene. “I was then sent for an MRI, so the doctors could get a better image and determine what it was they were seeing.”
“I typically see these patients within 24 hours of when I am contacted by their doctor,” said Dr. Hlavin. “I want to get them in here, talk about what I see and discuss treatment options.”
Unexpected diagnosis “Dr. Hlavin was wonderful to us,” said Larry O’Brian, Darlene’s husband. “She sat down with our family and explained that Darlene had a meningioma brain tumor, which had formed outside of her brain. Dr. Hlavin told us it was most likely benign. It was unexpected news.” “This type of brain tumor has a certain look and typical appearance,” said Dr. Hlavin. “The vast majority of meningioma tumors are benign. Over 25 percent
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