After my brain aneurysm

I definitely don’t feel like the same person. It’s been 3 months and I don’t seem to be thinking the same way but I used to. And it’s hard to explain to people. Don’t know what to do

Hi Todd! I'm living with an unruptured annie so I can't be of much help. In which ways are you different? from some of the stories I've read, I liken it to the brain of a veteran returning from war with PTSD. People seem to understand that concept better?

Todd, The first time I remember meeting my doc, she asked me how I was feeling. My reply, “It seems my synapses aren’t crossing my Corpus Collustrum correctly”. Synapses are what takes messages to different areas of the brain and the CC is the big valley between hemispheres- the Left and the Right.

When a person has a brain trauma, there’s a bit of healing to do. For some it’s not so much, for others, it’s a great deal. Your brain will learn to process, it takes time. Think of it like breaking your dominant arm and have to do everything with the other one. It’s awkward, doesn’t feel quite right, it’s slow but with practice it gets better. If you don’t believe, try swinging a hammer and hitting the nail on the head, then change hands - it’s sorta what’s happening in our brains after rupture.

Then for many there’s the “Jeesh, I lived through that?” phenomena. It takes time to wrap your emotions around things that can kill and it makes us face our own mortality. Some people don’t want to face it, others embrace the chance to keep living, and others see it as an opportunity to make a difference, that’s just a comfort level thing. I think it was about 18 months - 2 years before I started feeling things emotionally. It was about the time I heard a thought in my head and was able to visualize that I started feeling things like happy, sad or mad. It was right before my doc told me my brain had healed all it was going to.

It took meeting one of the old moderator’s and her husband last year to find an answer. He gave me the words for what I couldn’t find. That little act of kindness was a whole area of healing for me. I can’t wait until they come back to the States so I can give him a big high five or a hug :slight_smile:

Hang in there, you will find a way to explain it so others understand. But you have to understand what’s going on in a brain. Educate yourself at easy levels. The brain is a complicated organ.

Hi, Todd. I felt the same as you. I was coiled/stented in October 2011 and I wasn't prepared for my slow recovery, although I had some existing health problems. I had bad headaches for almost a month, but then luckily those disappeared. Fatigue was really bad in the beginning and it kept lessening, but it was probably a year before I felt back on my feet. I did have 2 side effects - my back was evidently injured while they were transferring me sometime within the first 24 hours (I was not conscious for 24 hours) and I had pretty severe breathlessness, which to this day my doctors and I never figured out why. The breathlessness has been gone for a long time, thank heavens.

My memory and some thought processes were affected and a year ago a Neuropschy diagnosed me with Neuro Cognitive Disorder (new word for dementia). He said he definitely thought it was the annie/coiling/stent that caused it. I have been in OT/Speech therapy since mid December and my numbers have gone up, some substantially. I have a lot more hope - in the back of my mind I did worry about Alzheimer's, which I don't now since I am doing so much better.

I don't mean to go on about me, but I wanted you to know that it's normal to not feel "normal" afterwards. Anytime your brain is touched, it can affect the electrical impulses and pathways that the brain knows. It takes a while to find new pathways and connections is what has been explained to me.

In what ways do you feel different? People see us and think we look the same so we must be all right and 3 months is not a very long time for recovery, especially the brain. Having other survivors for support was a huge relief and I hope you use it also - it really makes a difference. Take care, Sherri

Hi Todd

I know what you mean and I struggled with it for a long time (a year and a half at least). Then my neurosurgeon convinced me that I needed a neurologist. When I first went to see her I could not quite explain what was different (tastes, numbers, anger, using the wrong word, etc.) She took a pencil and broke it in half. She told me "See it still writes, so it works just fine, but where the break is, it's splintered. It never fits back exactly as it was before. That's your brain." Holy crap! That was it for me and it all made absolutely perfect sense.

Carol

Hi Todd! was it a sah? thats what i had, take care and God Bless you and yours

I don’t know what that word is. So I’m not sure . But thank you so much



ronk said:

Hi Todd! was it a sah? thats what i had, take care and God Bless you and yours

Thanks everyone for your support. Currently I’m back in the hospital. They’re running some tests trying new medications and we’re going to go from there.

Todd, SAH means SubArachnoid Hemorrage, it’s when your aneurysm bursts or ruptures and blood enters the subarachnoid space in the brain. Hope you’re getting some rest in the hospital.

Carol, that Neurologist gave the best explaination I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing:)

I still don’t understand all the terminology. But yes that’s exactly what I had . I’m hoping that I get released from the hospital tomorrow. They think that I was having seizures. They say that’s what was affecting my memory and my forgetfulness and loss of time So the new medication should help hopefully .



Moltroub said:

Todd, SAH means SubArachnoid Hemorrage, it’s when your aneurysm bursts or ruptures and blood enters the subarachnoid space in the brain. Hope you’re getting some rest in the hospital.


Carol, that Neurologist gave the best explaination I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing:)

Todd

I hope you are feeling better and more importantly getting some answers. Hopefully you will be home soon. I have heard of others developing seizures after a craniotomy. (Actually my neurologist explained that to me too. She is great at helping it all make sense.)

I know Elaine it was the one thing that has been said during my entire recovery that helped me understand it all. I try and share it whenever I can. I find it actually helps others understand, those who cannot comprehend what we are going through because we "look fine".

Carol

Moltroub said:

Todd, SAH means SubArachnoid Hemorrage, it's when your aneurysm bursts or ruptures and blood enters the subarachnoid space in the brain. Hope you're getting some rest in the hospital.

Carol, that Neurologist gave the best explaination I have ever heard! Thanks for sharing:)

its a whole lot easier to write sah plus it raises curiosity and awareness to those who read our forms etc etc! tc have a nice weekend everyone!

Yes Ron it is, but be careful on those USA disability forms. My lawyer said Social Sexurity doesn’t have a number for SAH.

Carol, can I use your doctor’s example when I go to DC next month? I think if I take some pencils and have the aide break them, it may make it more meaningful.

Todd, here’s a link to the BAF on subarachnoid stuff http://www.bafound.org/subarachnoid-hemorrhage. I will try to get a picture off the web. Terminology confuses me too and I studied the brain in college. I often read that one of the problems with a rupture is when the blood from the brain and the cerebral spinal fluid mix which causes more pressure. Think of putting to much oil or grease in your lawnmower and the seal bursts, it’s kind of like that. But I thought the duramatter separated the cerebral spinal fluid and the subarachnoid space, so that membrane may burst as well. If you’re still in the hospital, ask the nurse or the doc

Todd, here’s a picture. https://ibgroup4group8.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/brain-hemorrhage-2.gif

I will do that thank you very much. Yeah they’re saying possibly Monday. They do not want me to return to work for 6 moths

Definitely! Bring a whole box of #2's :)

Moltroub said:

Yes Ron it is, but be careful on those USA disability forms. My lawyer said Social Sexurity doesn't have a number for SAH.

Carol, can I use your doctor's example when I go to DC next month? I think if I take some pencils and have the aide break them, it may make it more meaningful.

LOL I won’t be seeing that many! I have to find some that I can break. Thank you so much!



Carol said:

Definitely! Bring a whole box of #2’s :slight_smile:

Moltroub said:

Yes Ron it is, but be careful on those USA disability forms. My lawyer said Social Sexurity doesn’t have a number for SAH.

Carol, can I use your doctor’s example when I go to DC next month? I think if I take some pencils and have the aide break them, it may make it more meaningful.

no worries im in the system but thanks, im 7 yrs post sah, tc



Carol said:

Definitely! Bring a whole box of #2's :)

Moltroub said:

Yes Ron it is, but be careful on those USA disability forms. My lawyer said Social Sexurity doesn't have a number for SAH.

Carol, can I use your doctor's example when I go to DC next month? I think if I take some pencils and have the aide break them, it may make it more meaningful.

Todd, how are you?