A healthy martial arts instructor returns to teaching after having half of her skull removed – following a near-fatal sinus infection.
Natasha Gunther Santana, 26, a native of San Jose, California, suffered from five separate sinus infections in 2021 that have been consistently successfully treated with antibiotics, the second most recent infection.
She knew the drugs had stopped working because she was plagued by strange symptoms. She vomited constantly and had severe migraines and mood swings that made her unusually angry and irrational.
When doctors ordered a scan of her brain, they were alarmed to discover she had a mutated version of a gene that blocks the production of a protein that triggers an immune response against foreign invaders, meaning the antibiotics could no longer do their job.
It was discovered that her sinus infection had spread to her brain, which is separated from the sinuses by a group of thin, small bones, creating an abscess that doctors could only treat by removing a large portion of her skull.
Natasha Gunther Santana, 26, had to give up teaching martial arts after doctors found an abscess in her brain linked to persistent sinusitis. To fix it, they had to remove part of her skull
By removing part of her skull, doctors had better access to the brain to drain the abscess
Now, with the support of her husband and infant son, Mrs. Santana has returned to teaching.
Ms Santana said, ‘I have a beautiful baby boy named Raiden, my husband and I are about to celebrate our one year marriage. I’m teaching martial arts again. Life is Beautiful.’
Brain surgery in December 2021 that removed half of her skull left Ms. Santana with a scar that runs the circumference of her head and a diver on the left side of her ear.
By removing part of the skull, doctors can get a better look at the condition of the brain and the progression of the infection.
Once the surgeon had easy access to the brain structure, the abscess was drained of the pus and infected material and the damaged tissue around the abscess was removed.
After that, Mrs. Santana had to wear a helmet for five months to protect her extremely delicate head.
But her serious health problems did not stop there. After the craniotomy, Mrs. Santana had a seizure and acute deep vein thrombosis, which occurs when a blood clot forms in the large blood vessels deep within the muscles and tissues.
If left untreated, the blood clot resulting from deep vein thrombosis can migrate through the bloodstream and become lodged in the lungs, causing a potentially life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism.
She said, “I wore a helmet and tried my best not to go out. I went out of the house for doctor visits and maybe less than five times to places like the mall.
“I was also very traumatized and afraid of people passing by accidentally bumping into me. It took me about a year to get over the trauma and the fear of being accidentally hit by someone.”
In the five months following her craniotomy, Ms. Santana felt anxious in public, afraid that the slightest contact with a stranger could harm her weakened health.
Ms. Santana attributes her ability to recover from her terrifying ordeal to the love and support of her young family
Ms. Santana also had to learn to walk and talk again through intensive therapy, which she says was made easier thanks to the unwavering support of her husband, a fellow martial arts instructor, and their infant son.
Still, the harrowing medical experience left her feeling threatened at all times, fearful that an accidental blow or contact with a passerby would damage her already fragile head.
Doctors advised her not to even look at her reflection in the mirror, as the shock of her appearance would be too much to bear.
Last year, in the heat of her recovery, Ms. Santana feared she would never return to teaching. Indeed, her ordeal caused her to never again be able to do martial arts moves such as grappling – where you grapple or grab your opponent.
The exact cause of the onset of the abscess in her brain after persistent sinusitis remains unclear, but it may be related to the body’s ability to adapt to certain antibiotics.
Sinus infections are usually treated with antibiotics to clear the bacterial infection in the brain. However, it is possible for the infection to become resistant to the antibiotics used, especially if they are given frequently, leading to recurrent or chronic sinusitis.
If the infection persists, it can affect the thin bones that separate the sinuses from the brain, eventually invading the brain to generate a collection of inflamed tissue and pus that must be urgently removed by a surgeon.
In addition, the faulty gene responsible for activating the immune system makes Ms. Santana more susceptible to infections, including those in the sinuses that can spiral out of control and reach the brain. And a weakened immune system inhibits the body’s ability to keep an infection in one place, such as the sinuses.
A few months after the procedure that replaced a large part of Ms. Santana’s skull, the swelling subsided and she is in a better state of mind.
Mrs. Santana said, “I’ve had a headache every day since then, it hasn’t gone away.”
But she added, “I’ve come to the conclusion that this is my new normal and I’m just glad I’m alive.”