I was 24 years old when my aneurysm ruptured in my sleep. It woke me up and I jump out of bed. I didn't know what was happening but I knew something was wrong. I went to my my mom's bedroom to wake her and let her know. I said "mom".... then it all went black. When I opened my eyes I heard my mom calling an ambulance and my dad holding me. I was so confused.....the headache was unbearable. I remember being taken in the ambulance but nothing else. It must have been a few days later when I found out what happened. My ruptured aneurysm had been coiled. I had a shunt placed as well. It was all new to me....I didn't even know what an aneurysm was! It was a hard reality to swallow but I recovered well and went home in 2 weeks. However my story doesn't end there.....
After a routine angiogram four years later, I was told the aneurysm was at risk of rebleeding. The exact words are a blur to me but for me it meant the coils didn't work. My only option was the craniotomy. I was so scared....I thought this aneurysm was taken care of. I came to except the inevitable. I had to. I was going to go in as an existing aneurysm survivor and a mom of a I year old that wanted to be healthy for her child. I was scared but also confident everything was going to go well. On December 3,2004 my craniotomy was performed successfully. However , the next day I experienced complications. According to my family, my brain became swollen causing it to press on my spine. Another surgery was performed to relieve the pressure. I stopped breathing a few times. I developed an infection. I stroked. Was unable to move one side of my body. I had tubes everywhere. I had lost so much weight I didn't recognize myself. I strongly thought I was going to die there. I saw no recovery in sight . I had complication after complication. It was a total of 2 months in and out of the hospital and rehab. I had to learn to walk again and get strong enough to take care of myself before I could take care of my son. It was years of recovery. I went through and still go through many ups and downs . When I tell people my story they ask me how I got through all this. It's always been an easy question for me. I survived because of .....my family, my faith and my will to live.
Its been 12 years since my rupture and first surgery and 8 years since my craniotomy. I look back sometimes and realized that I spent most of my 20's fighting for my life. Right before i turned 30 I had had a recent angiogram. Everything was perfect and I suddenly felt free. I was going to turn 30 and start fresh. I was leaving the aneurysm in my 20's and that's what I did. I am 36 now and I have a great husband, 2 sons and a great life. My family is very supportive of me. Although I am told how lucky I am by many, including doctors...I feel blessed. Of course, as we all know, we are never the person we were before. I do suffer from bad migraines, have some memory loss. I also still have the shunt. I must do angiograms every 5 years ...probably for a very long time....but I can do that. I'm just greatful every day of my life.