Good Morning! We have a bit of a sprinkle this morning, every drop counts in a drought! I noticed that the local churches aren’t as good as where we used to live on their message boards. Nope not going to help them out, last year one got pretty well blasted for a ludicrous message, right down the road from us! It was something BH, myself and the neighbors we know took great offense to with the wording such that it declared someone with cancer was not under their belief of being a Christian. Not sure why that is in my brain today. That church usually keeps the same message up for at least a month if not two. However that specific message didn’t even make it two weeks.
This past week has made me acutely aware of how many shows use the word “aneurysm” in lines. We all know that aneurysms can happen anywhere in the body, but as we are centered around cerebral aneurysms here, that’s where my mind goes, each and every time. Go figure LOL. So what type of aneurysms are these writers thinking of, I will never know. Usually it’s in the context of giving someone an aneurysm. We know that others cannot control our arteries this way, it’s just our own malfunction. Are they even aware of how offensive that can be? Are they fully aware that these can often times be devastating or is it just something they’ve heard and use to fill the space? I’ve got no clue. Sometimes it’s written as a joke and sometimes as a warning. I’d sure love to ask the writers their intent. Honestly, before I ruptured, it either never registered as something important or may not have been used as much, again I don’t know.
What I do know is the importance of communication. It’s important we communicate accurately and honestly with others. When I worked, I had a saying that went something like “Secrets are only good for birthdays and Christmas. Today’s not my birthday and it’s not Christmas.” I came up with it because of working with children and families who had a lot of issues that they had to work through, some extremely serious, others just needed a bit of attention and a bit of education. Everyone has things to work through, no matter what, no one gets a pass in life.
Often times in our world of aneurysms, we don’t want to worry our loved ones, we are afraid of potentially losing our jobs, it doesn’t fit with our ideal life plans. Stress increases exponentially because of the unknown I think. But stuff happens and we need to be prepared. For us who have experienced a rupture, the cat’s out of the bag and our loved ones get slammed by it. They get to deal with the aftermath well before us as we lay in the NSICU bed. They’re the ones that get told by the medical staff things they most likely don’t comprehend due to the stress they are overwhelmed with in that time.
Education always seems to come after the fact in our world. Incidental finds or ruptures usually precede the desire for knowledge on what a cerebral aneurysm is, what it can do, what type of surgery is required and what the difference is between the two. Ruptures get the added knowledge of physical, occupational and speech therapies. A lot of us require talk therapy of some sort to work out our issues. If we’ve had past issues pre aneurysm knowledge, they need to be addressed as well because it may just be those issues that make our current ones worse. Honest and open communication is needed if it’s to be successful.
Can you imagine being a family member or loved one that isn’t told what is going on with your loved one? How would you feel? Would you feel as if your relationship didn’t have trust in it? If they had experienced a rupture, would you understand fully what that could mean to the person who ruptured? Either way, would you use placating words or honest words? Would you be brave enough to share what is really going on or would you try to ignore it, fight it on your own, put your head in the sand?
We all have different family dynamics. We all have different levels of friendship from best friend to acquaintances. We have family members who we would do almost anything for to those we tolerate. We learn to keep the chaotic ones from draining our energy and the unsupportive ones drift further away. Do we help to educate them? Are they willing to learn and maybe educate themselves? Are we all afraid? Maybe it’s a bit of all three. We won’t know unless we have a “sit down chat” as they say. Unless you’re like either of my parents and grab a beer or a cup of hot tea. 
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Just things I’ve been pondering on this week. BH and I have had to have some serious health issue chats with each other. Perhaps that’s why I’m pushing for open communication with the world. So enough of that, let’s get to the welcomes for our ever growing family. Yes I do see us as a family, extended communal family or in the Hawaiian sense ‘Ohana.
First up this week is @mdrobles1973 Marlena is out in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is on a few medications due to her stent and coil placement for what I think was a ruptured aneurysm in August 2024 and she had another stent placed in November 2025. Marlena shares she has a wonderful husband and a special needs son with her son taking up most of her time. Both are the loves of her life! Marlena is on the ball and started a new topic already! Please take some time to show the support we do so well here This is my story how my brain aneurysm started and affects me now
@Gmon is up in Chicago, Illinois Gabby had a brain aneurysm in the middle of a musical improv rehearsal. Friends immediately called the EMT’s and had a procedure to seal the aneurysm the next morning. Gabby says they’re an official survivor (yes you are and I’m presuming you aneurysm ruptured thus the call to 911) It must have been recent as Gabby is now trying to survive the recovery (I chuckled on this one). Gabby shares they love to sing, do stand up and improv, can’t wait to get back on stage. I imagine Gabby is going to have a lot of new jokes! Please start a new topic so we can help you in the recovery process, we may even have experiences that will give you more material!
So that’s it for this week. Please think about using honest, open and accurate words when communicating with others this week. Dealing with stressors is not so good for us whether we’ve an incidental find or rupture, open communication can help in the long run. Also do your breathing exercises often, every day, hydrate etc.
For new members, if you have problems navigating this site reach out to me @Moltroub or the kind hardworking folks who make up @ModSupport and one of us will help you out. Remember we do cover all time zones which may seem to be a big delay before a response is given, even if it’s something you’ve asked in a topic or you’ve started a new topic.
For everyone who took time to respond to others big hugs! It’s been really nice to see long time members come to help. You all are amazing and I can’t thank you enough! I hope everyone has a nice peaceful, exciting week. Do something for yourself, see the beauty in each day, count the positives!