Mum of two who plunged 8ft down a cliff while out hiking is left partially paralysed after seven-inch cyst grew on her spine
Genevieve Lopez, 34, from LA was hiking with friends in Malibu when she fell. She began to suffer agonising pain, and was partially paralysed, before scans revealed the cyst
A MUM of two who plunged down a cliff while out hiking was left paralysed after a seven-inch cyst grew on her spine.
Genevieve Lopez fell eight foot while out walking in Malibu, California with friends.
When the 34-year-old started developing tingling sensations in her leg, doctors first feared she was suffering syringomyelia - a condition where the spinal cord is destroyed over time by a huge excess of fluid.
But, when her pain got worse, scans revealed a different truth.
A seven-inch arachnoid cyst was growing on Genevieve's spine, leaving her partially paralysed.
Once doctors identified the cyst, they were able to remove it - and three of the mum's vertebrae - in June last year.
But, it wasn't until recently that Genevieve was able to take her first steps unaided.
She suffered extensive nerve damage, which prolonged her recovery time.
Genevieve said: "When I fell off a cliff I still didn't think anything was seriously wrong.
All I remember is waking up in a pile of blood but a few months later I started to develop pains
Genevieve Lopez
"But the impact of hitting the floor had caused a cyst to form on my spine.
"All I remember is waking up in a pile of blood, but a few months later I started to develop pains and it took ages for doctors to diagnose my cyst."
Genevieve first realised something was wrong when she was unable to move her fingers properly.
Soon, any pressure on her back left her in complete agony.
"After a month I went to hospital and I stayed for ten days, the doctors said I needed a brain scan, I felt like I was having a stroke," she said.
"It turned out spinal fluid had built up in my spine to cause the cyst, and most of the time you can drain it but mine was so huge they had to find a different way.
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"They actually cut out a section of my vertebrae and replaced it with metal plates and screws.
"I've had another operation since to remove the cyst but it caused what could possibly be permanent nerve damage.
"I still don't know if I'm going to fully recover and I feel like I have half healed, the nerve pains in my arms are sometimes intolerable."
Genevieve revealed one of the reasons it took doctors a month diagnose her with a cyst was because they linked her pain to severe anxiety.
She said: "At the beginning I started having tingling feelings in my legs and I felt panicky all of the time.
"The doctors thought I had anxiety and I also thought that was the case until the pain started to worsen.
"It would be so bad that sometimes I couldn't move one side of my body, I knew I needed some kind of scan to reveal what was wrong with me."
Genevieve had an MRI scan which revealed an excess of spinal fluid in her brain, something brought on by the huge cyst on her spine.
She found out the impact from the cliff fall damaged an area of her vertebrae, which enabled the cyst to grow and cause her constant pain.
She said: "I had never heard of this kind of cyst before but it made so much sense, due to the amount of pain I was getting from my back.
"I'm so glad the doctors at the University of California were amazing, they've been helping me for over a year now and I still have to visit them frequently.
"I now have to use a heating pad for three or four hours every day which helps my body to function.
"I now suffer with a condition called fibromyalgia due to everything that has happened, this causes me to have fatigue and increased sensitivity to pain.
"I am so grateful for the help from my parents, they have fought for me the entire way.
"I know that my life will never be the same, but I'm thankful for the overwhelming love and support that I have received."
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