Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi - (Page 4)

Po Brain Power Neurology consultants treat a variety of conditions I n spring 2011, Michelle English of Booneville noticed something suspicious that looked like an infected mosquito bite on her son Sam’s waist. It concerned her enough to take Sam to see Erik Dukes, M.D., at Booneville Medical Clinic, who determined it was staphylococcus aureus, or “staph” infection, and prescribed an antibiotic. “We were so Michelle English 4 Spring 2 013 careful—he bathed in a different tub, we washed his clothes separately,” English says. But about three weeks later, daughter Sara Kate developed staph infection on the back of her leg. By the first week of June, it was their mother’s turn: staph infection developed on English’s face. “It followed the same course as my son’s and daughter’s infection and seemed to clear up with treatment,” English says. A month later, English began suffering from a toothache and went to see her dentist. “I fully expected to get a root canal,” she says. “But they couldn’t find anything wrong.” The pain persisted and then turned into a headache that was unbearable at times. But the family had vacation plans the following week, and she didn’t want to spoil their fun. Persistent Pain By midweek, her pain was excruciating, so the family packed up and headed back. Thinking the pain must be caused by sinus issues, they called Dukes, who sent her straight to North Mississippi Medical Center for a CT scan. “Before we even got out of the parking lot they called to say the CT scan was clear,” she says. By that weekend, English was back at NMMC with what she thought might be a migraine headache. She had double vision, an elevated white count, and one side of her face was drawing upward. She was taking pain medicine around the clock with little relief and still had no idea what was causing the symptoms. All along, Dukes was consulting with Sam Newell, M.D., of Neurology Consultants in Tupelo about how to treat English. Newell was on call in late July when English made her third trip to the ER in extreme pain. She was admitted to NMMC’s Acute Stroke Unit, and after a battery of tests and research by her team of physicians, diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening infection known as intracranial abscess. Brain abscesses can originate from infection in contiguous structures, like an ear infection, sinus infection or tooth abscess. Newell explains that in English’s case, the staph infection on her face traveled through the bloodstream to the top of her brain, resulting in a large mass underneath the membranes that cover the brain. Because the skull cannot expand, the mass put pressure on delicate brain tissue and blocked several large blood vessels. Left untreated, a brain abscess is almost always deadly.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Brain Power
No Bones About It
You're the Star
Heart-to-Heart
Lighten Up!
Have No Fear
Work It!
What Are the Chances?
9 Symptoms Never to Ignore
When Allergies Attack
Virtual Health
Botox: A New Miracle Drug?
The Doctor Will See You Now
Catch the Spirit

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2013 - North Mississippi