After living 68 years without serious health issues, Kathleen Gutierrez woke up and her world seemed to be spinning out of control.

“Oh my gosh. Everything was just upside down,” the homemaker from Houston said. “I couldn't get my balance. I called for my husband, and I told him, ‘I have no balance, everything is spinning, the whole room is upside down. It just happened so quickly.”

She saw her primary care physician who told her she had Vertigo. By then, Kathleen began feeling numb on the right side of her tongue and lips, and her taste was off. Her symptoms were not resolved after a course of steroids. She then went to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor and asked him to order an MRI of her head, which revealed a large tumor and several cysts. She was referred to Neurotologist Dr. Alex Sweeney at Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center because of his extensive practice and research in the field.

Dr. Sweeney attributed some of Kathleen’s neurological changes to a Vestibular Schwannoma, a benign tumor on one of the two vestibular nerves located in the internal auditory canal near the brainstem. These tumors can also be called Acoustic Neuromas. “A Vestibular Schwannoma doesn't need to grow much before it starts to compress surrounding cranial nerves, the cerebellum and the brainstem.” As a part of a skull base surgery team, Dr. Sweeney referred the patient to Dr. Akash J. Patel, a Neurosurgeon at Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, who has medical, surgical and scientific expertise with skull base tumors. 

The team was very clear about the options. “Some Schwannomas are slow growing and asymptomatic, making observation a reasonable option in some cases. However, intervention is necessary in many cases, and radiosurgery and microsurgical resection are also options available to our patients.” Dr. Sweeney explained. Kathleen understood there was no guarantee that feeling would return to her tongue and lips or that her taste would return. And there was a chance she could lose her hearing through any approach.   

Still, the thought of living with a tumor inside her head was too much to bear. “I said, that's okay. My main thing is I don't want it to grow bigger,” she said.

On August 6, 2024, Dr. Patel and Dr. Sweeney worked together in surgery to remove the tumor.

“Vestibular Schwannomas form near where the brain meets the ear, on the nerves that help regulate hearing and balance,” said Dr. Patel, who worked with Dr. Sweeney to remove the tumor. “It’s like trying to empty a room full of critical structures through a keyhole,” Dr. Patel explained.

The surgery was long but successful, and Kathleen was discharged the next day. After about a week of recovery at home, the numbness and tingling in her tongue were much improved and she did not lose any of her hearing.

Vestibular Schwannomas are considered rare but Drs. Sweeney and Patel specialize in their management. “We see a relatively high volume of these cases, and that has allowed us to gain expertise and achieve good outcomes,” Dr. Patel said.

Reflecting back, Kathleen said she made the right decision.  “God forbid, if it happens again, I'd have the surgery,” Kathleen said. “I couldn't have asked for anything more. I got up and walked on the second day, and that evening I went home to heal in my own surroundings.  I thank God all the time that I had two great doctors.”