The Third Chair: Laura’s Journey—from Border Patrol to BSN—and Choosing Pineal Cyst Surgery

Content note: Pineal Stories shares patient experiences for information and education only. Nothing here is medical advice. Always consult a qualified clinician for your own care.

Guest: Laura — retired U.S. Border Patrol agent, newly minted BSN nurse, and pineal-cyst surgery patient.

Summary: Laura has lived with symptoms since age 17—fainting spells, severe migraines, visual changes, a left-hand tremor, possible CSF leaks, nausea/vomiting, and profound sleep disruption. After years of dismissals and “watch and wait,” a nursing-school sidebar about Depo-Provera and meningiomas led to an MRI—and, eventually, to Dr. Patel. Laura found him the same way many of us found help: searching relentlessly online. Her consult (July 18) validated her full symptom picture; surgery is scheduled for September 8. She shares how ICU overstimulation made life unlivable, how a tight handkerchief briefly eased pressure, why family support matters, and her dream to help build an advocacy network so no one navigates this alone.