Tears of Joy Shed by Patient When Brain Surgery Performed at Merit Health Biloxi Restores Her Vision
7/20/2022
BILOXI, MS—(July 20, 2022) Vision was the first big symptom for Britney Le, a 27-year-old resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. While doing her makeup one day, she noticed the inability to see out of part of her eye. Over the next two months, her vision worsened until she had no peripheral vision at all. After visiting a specialist, a mass was identified on her pituitary gland.
Britney was referred to Miguel Melgar, M.D., a board certified neurological surgeon specializing in minimally invasive surgery for brain tumors and an independent member of Merit Health Biloxi’s medical staff. She admitted feeling a bit scared walking into her first meeting with Dr. Melgar, but through his clear explanations of what to expect, he made her feel comfortable about the procedure and helped ease her anxiety.
The surgery was performed at Merit Health Biloxi in June 2022 and, amazingly, her vision didn’t just return to normal, it is sharper than before her vision declined.
“Everyone at Merit Health Biloxi was amazing and made me feel I was well taken care of,” Britney explained. “They weren’t just there to do a job–they treated me like family. It was my first time staying in a hospital, so I was nervous, but from the nurses to those who cleaned the rooms to the staff who brought me food, everyone was friendly and made me feel very comfortable.”
After returning home, Britney is still marveling at all the things she didn’t realize she was missing over the last two years. She reports being able to read captions on the TV, notice small details like a spider making a web in the corner of her bedroom, and how vibrant the color green is.
Because the pituitary gland affects many things in the body, including hormones, fertility, and weight, Britney is experiencing an improvement in many areas of her life besides vision. One example she described was how she used to cry every day for seemingly no reason at all.
“I haven’t cried since the surgery except for tears of joy,” she stated cheerfully. “I thought I had mental issues and depression I needed to seek help for, and it was such a relief to identify the cause and know it was my hormones being affected by the tumor.”
Britney expressed being so grateful for this whole experience and encourages others, especially young people, to seek medical help when issues arise.
“When we’re young, we don’t think about things like getting sick or needing surgery. Don’t avoid issues even if it's just a stomach ache or irregular periods. Still bring it up with your doctor, and remember to put your health first!”
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