Her Sinus Infections Got So Bad That She Was Left With Just Half Of Her Skull
Natasha Gunther is a TikToker who has been through a wild medical ordeal in the last few months and chronicled her journey through videos.
When she had six sinus infections in a single year, Natasha’s parents knew something strange was happening.
And though she had been taking antibiotics, it didn’t seem like the course of treatment was working. So when she started having migraines and vomiting, Natasha’s parents brought her to the hospital for a CT.
Doctors made a shocking discovery, which she shared on TikTok. “Turns out I need emergency brain surgery [because] the sinus infection went to my brain.”
Doctors removed a portion of her skull, known as a craniotomy, and found that Natasha had staph and sinus infections that had infiltrated her brain.
Natasha explained the full story in another TikTok. Doctors discovered that the massive infection had moved her brain 9 millimeters to the right.
Then she explained that she needed a craniectomy, meaning that doctors removed her skull without replacing it, storing it in a freezer.
After losing 12 to 14 centimeters of her skull, Natasha remained in the hospital for five weeks. First, she had sinus surgery to remove the infection, then another surgery to open her sinus.
TikTok; pictured above is Natasha before her surgery
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The surgeries came with complications, and Natasha shared that her speech skills were “almost non-existent.”
However, she shared that her vocal abilities were returning with speech therapy. In addition, her boyfriend has helped with her physical therapy exercises since she lost a great deal of motor function during her weeks in the hospital bed.
Natasha revealed that she is due for another surgery, and doctors will either reinsert her skull or use a 3D printed model.
TikTok; pictured above is Natasha after her surgery
The current difference in her skull shape is evident in the before-and-after videos she posted to TikTok.
Finally, she left viewers with an essential piece of advice in her follow-up video. “Go see an ENT if you keep having sinus infections, don’t just depend on your primary doctor.”
This strategy could keep others from experiencing the same medical emergency Natasha went through.
@natasha_gunther97 I feel like a complete different person lol Y’all knew I had to join this trend ? #timeflies #braininjury #tbi #brainsurgery #sinusinfection #sinusinfectioncheck #timefliesby #timepassing
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