A young mom was cured of heart-racing anxiety after doctors found a hidden tumor causing rushes of adrenaline

• A young mom who had lifelong anxiety saw it get worse after the birth of her son.
• She woke up sweating and dizzy one morning, and her heart stopped upon arriving at the ER.

Elizabeth Craioveanu was sick a lot as a child. While her twin sister was typically healthy, Elizabeth was always nauseous and fearful, she told CBS Boston.

Craioveanu, from New Hampshire, was eventually diagnosed with anxiety, she said, because doctors couldn't pinpoint a physical source of her symptoms.

As her anxiety ramped up in her early adulthood, Elizabeth said she had trouble doing her job and caring for her newborn son. Her episodes of panic would result in trips to the emergency room, and at her worst point, she was going to the hospital once a week, she told CBS.

"There were definitely times where I honestly felt like I was dying," she told the outlet.

One ER visit finally led Elizabeth to get a diagnosis: a non-cancerous tumor on her adrenal gland, near her kidneys, was causing excess production of the hormone adrenaline.

Now 27, the young mom told local news that she is tumor-free and able to live a normal life.

Elizabeth's fight-or-flight hormones were through the roof

Things came to a head one morning in December 2014. Elizabeth said she woke up soaked in sweat, and she felt faint and dizzy.

"My heart rate must have been jacked," she told CBS.

Elizabeth said her heart stopped shortly after her parents brought her to the ER. Doctors managed to revive her, and upon ordering further tests, they finally found what was causing her symptoms.

A tumor called a pheochromocytoma triggered a constant release of adrenaline, the hormone that makes you want to fight or flee in the face of a threat. The adrenal glands typically release adrenaline in response to danger, but the tumor caused an excess of the hormone to course through Elizabeth's body at all times.

The effect was like a panic attack played on a loop. Symptoms such as rapid heart rate, headaches, elevated blood pressure, and sweating are typical for pheochromocytoma cases. Elizabeth's lifelong nausea and anxiety could be explained by the tumor as well, according to the Mayo Clinic.

She was airlifted to see a specialist

In the most severe cases, pheochromocytomas can be deadly. Fortunately, Elizabeth was transferred to Tufts Medical Center, where a team that specializes in adrenal tumors was waiting.

At Tufts, neuroendocrinologist Dr. Ronald Lechan guided Elizabeth's care. After administering medications to restore her heart function, the team was able to remove the tumor that was the root of the young mom's symptoms.

Elizabeth told CBS that she's now able to lead a normal life. There's a small chance her tumor could return — 6.5 to 16.5%, according to a 2020 review — but her doctors know what to look for in the future.

"This is a treatable disease," Lechan told CBS. "We can make these people better. They have a life-threatening disorder. It's just a matter of recognizing it and taking proper care of them and really restoring them to full health."