Wow! Autumn is right around the corner, we need the break from the heat and humidity here in NC but I must say this morning is beautiful! Can you believe we’ve had 4 ¾” rain this week? Sadly we’ve only had three foggy mornings so far. When I first moved to NC in the winter of ‘86 I think it was, could have been ‘87, old folks used to say to count the foggy morning in August so you’ll know how many snow days will happen. I wasn’t here in August that year but it we did get snow and a good bit of it. 18” on that first one and it snowed every week on the same day. For those of you that live in areas up North or up in the mountains that may not seem like much but here it’s enough to keep people off the roads due to the lack of snow removal equipment. Most of the operators just pile it at the end of people’s driveways which makes for harder work. They also used to not put anything down for the ice which over the years we had more of than snow. I had a dog back then that loved the snow, she’d bury herself in it so just her nose stuck out and jump up when someone would walk by her. A neighbor had a tractor and would pull everyone around on an old piece of carpet. Gladys, the dog, preferred to grab the end with her teeth than to actually be on the carpet itself. The kids around us loved to watch her, as did the adults. She loved it most when the tractor would make lots of turns. I even had to play with her during a blizzard, she loved it too much to say no. Yes, she was skunked, but only once in her 12 ½ years. Smart dog! Gosh, I must really want the cooler weather, for some odd reason my allergies have been bad this Summer, odd because Summer is usually my good time of year, next to Winter. May be that I’ve had Gladys on my mind a lot lately.
When I went to work at a group home, we had a teen come in that wouldn’t talk at all. The girls and I were playing with the basketball a bit and the young teen just sat on the grass. I’d asked BH to bring Gladys over as I was needing a “Gladys fix”. We had an odd set up for staff and I was usually by myself with 8 teenage girls for up to 3 weeks. It was difficult. Hardly any adult interaction and no dog.
BH brings over Gladys who immediately went over to the new girl. Laid down and put her head in the girl’s lap. That young’un cried and cried on Gladys’s neck and shoulders. She cried so much, Gladys looked like she had been given a bath. She must’ve cried for an hour. I had gone over and sat near them due to the way she was holding my dog and not knowing the young lady. When she stopped, Gladys gave her a lick on the cheek. Gladys wasn’t much into licking people, so another oddity. Wouldn’t you know it, the young lady began talking!
Sometimes we all need a compassionate shoulder to cry on without anyone telling us to “stop crying it will be okay”. Sometimes we just need to be allowed to cry without anyone saying a word. I hope you have that somebody, I hope you can be that somebody. On to our welcomes!
@Tjwell1 starts us off this week. Todd is down in Florida and is waiting for treatment. He thought he was having a stroke and the imaging found a 6mm x 7mm on his anterior communication artery. He shares his father died of a rupture when his father was only 40. I imagine there’s some relief and fear both going on for him right now. Todd also shares he’s a proud father of a “brilliant 25 yr old PhD student” and enjoys his job as a manager of an ACE hardware store. So besides having a brilliant child, he must be pretty smart himself.
@Lauram is out in Arizona. Laura had what I think was an aneurysm that was leaking on April 28 as she did not require any surgery as it stopped bleeding on its own. Nevertheless, she had to spend 8 days in ICU. Like many of us, Laura was sent home without any support, she did not even get a follow up with her Neurologist. Laura has been navigating recovery on her own and it has been super frustrating. She’s also angry about the lack of support in her area for post recovery aneurysms. Laura is still able to enjoy tennis and her four dogs (Boxers are my favorite). She’s Ben married to her best friend for 45 years and they have two grown daughter and two granddaughters. We get it Laura! For any member who ruptures or not and lives in a rural or semi-rural area there is usually nothing except online support groups. Seems large cities have more avenues for help. We are really happy you found us!
@taylorb is joining us from the BAF staff up in Massachusetts. I imagine Taylor needs to be able to post news for the BAF.
@Aneurysm1967 is joining us from up in New Jersey. Lisa had an incidental finding of a 4mm Ophthalmic ICA and has seen both a vascular neurologist and a vascular neurosurgeon who are both recommending stenting. Wonder which one she’ll get…
@SusanD is over and up in Oregon and has had a flow reduction stent used on her large aneurysm that was pressing on her left optic nerve. She’s been having terrible migraines now that sometimes last for two days. Susan shares the migraines she has now are worse than the ones she used to get. Sorry to read that Susan, curious to what the doctors say…
@Piglet is also up in Massachusetts (love the user name). Cynthia had a pipeline that she shares was recently put in.
Last up for the welcomes is @marieLJ way over in Wales across the pond. Marie had a wide necked 13 mm aneurysm in the left MCA that was treated with stent and coils. She has had 2 strokes since then one being diagnosed as a lacuna infarct. Since then she’s been diagnosed with migraine due to continued symptoms of right weakness, numbness and tingling. Marie is worried about this diagnosis.
So that’s the new folks who checked their automatic message and replied. Remember if you want to join, you do need to follow through with the automated reply. I’ve literally never seen it, I’ve been here a while. If you don’t see it, check your junk or spam mail, it might be there. If you wait too long, you’ll have to start the process over I understand.
Usually I tell everyone individually to come talk to us. I thought this week I’d say it all at once. I really look forward to everyone starting a new topic under the General tab! It’s how we get to know and help each other. I also thought I’d wait until you do to give you a suggestion or two 
. If you know me, you’d know I can come up with something…I write too much! If you have any problems navigating the site reach out to me @Moltroub or the very kind folks @ModSupport and one of us will help you out. Remember we are in different areas of the globe, so give us time. @ModSupport also provides help at all the other Ben’s Friends Support Groups. I’m only on in the mornings, so it may be the next day before I reply.
I also need to make a correction to something I posted last week, our new intern, @Kayla is not part of the ModSupport group. Sorry for that!
Have a great week y’all! Find the positive in something everyday. Be like Gladys, empathy and compassion helps each other, pass it forward!
