Authored by: Patrick Smith, Content Strategist for Methodist Health System
In 2022, Lori Sofio was having unexplained severe headaches that left her and her doctor puzzled. But an unrelated medical event was about to expose the cause.
Lori Sofio was stopped at an intersection in August 2022 when a distracted driver slammed into her vehicle. At a nearby emergency room, she was treated for whiplash and a concussion. A CT scan and an MRI found something else: a 21-millimeter tumor in her pituitary gland.
She was referred to Guy Music, MD, a neurosurgeon with MD West One, who determined that the growing tumor was causing her headaches. He and Andrew Coughlin, MD, a head and neck surgical oncologist at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center, planned a transnasal endoscopic resection – a minimally invasive approach to accessing and removing the tumor through the nose.
During the procedure at Methodist Hospital, doctors encountered a new problem. Lori Sofio also had a cerebrospinal fluid leak – leakage of the fluid surrounding her brain – and needed another surgery to repair the condition. After more than eight hours in surgery, she was admitted to the Critical Care Unit. Her condition initially had stabilized, but she soon developed diabetes insipidus. The condition, while not uncommon after a pituitary surgery like hers, causes serious fluid imbalances and can be life-threatening.
Lori Sofio ultimately spent 20 days in the Critical Care Unit, and the experience made an impact on her and her daughters – driving home their decisions to pursue health care careers.
“Her health in the past few years has not been well, so that's been my inspiration to get through nursing school,” Ashley Sofio said. “I mean, there are times where it's really hard, and there's always that one thing that keeps you going. She’s definitely it.”
Alexis Sofio added: “I was just really scared that I was going to lose her, but it also made me realize I want for sure to do nursing. Up until that point, it sounded good in my head to want to help people. That was my eye opener that, yes, I have to do this.”