Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Woman Thinks She Has Allergies For Years, Turns Out It's Actually Brain Fluid. WTH Is Brain Fluid?

Woman Thinks She Has Allergies For Years, Turns Out It's Actually Brain Fluid. WTH Is Brain Fluid?
BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

A Nebraska woman got the shock of a lifetime when doctors realized that her "allergies" were actually something but more disturbing.


Kendra Jackson began experiencing symptoms that mimic common allergies a couple years after a severe car accident in 2013. Having hit her head on the dashboard, Jackson started suffering from chronic headaches and a constant nasal drip, which caused her to cough and sneeze incessantly. Speaking with KETV in Omaha, Johnson detailed her affliction.

"Everywhere I went I always had a box of Puffs, always stuffed in my pocket...[it was] like a waterfall, continuously, and then it would run to the back of my throat. I was like a zombie.

But the sheer amount of fluid Jackson was losing every day, which totaled roughly half a pint, and her general feeling of malaise made Jackson realize that her condition was probably more series than normal allergies. So she sought help from an ear, nose, and throat doctor, who then made a startling diagnosis.

Jackson had a cerebrospinal fluid leak—that is, fluid from her brain was leaking into her nose through a hole in her skull. Mind you, this was recurring every day, for three years. If left untreated, a leak of brain and spinal fluid can lead to serious infections, including meningitis, vision changes and hearing loss.

Nebraska Medicine rhinologist Christie Barnes explained to KETV how she was able to solve Jackson's problem. First, a camera was inserted into Jackson's nose to identify the location of the leak. Next, Barnes plugged the hole, which was located between Jackson's skull and nostrils, with fatty tissue.

In the week since her minimally invasive procedure, Jackson said she has been feeling much better. "I don't have to carry around the tissue anymore, and I'm getting some sleep," she said, laughing.

In less surprising news, Twitter was fascinated with the story.


Apparently, there was a Grey's Anatomy episode that featured a cerebrospinal fluid leak.


Some concern, however, was over how Jackson's doctors missed what is usually a simple, albeit uncommon, diagnosis.

The lesson here? Trust your instincts, and listen to your body. Seek help if you feel something is wrong, because you just could be right.

More from Trending

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less