This is my story as I told it for my son's recent biology research paper on "The Advancements of Brain Aneurysm Research in My Lifetime"
I had a ruptured brain aneurysm on my right temporal artery on May 29, 2007, at the age of 40. I was life-flighted to UPMC Presbyterian, where I spent 3 weeks in the ICU, followed by a week in a rehab hospital. I was in critical condition and I went through a lot of complications, from allergic reactions to medications and blood transfusions to pneumonia. I also had to have a tracheostomy to help me breathe because I was so heavily sedated. My aneurysm was first coiled, and then 3 years later due to regrowth, was clipped. I have to have a CT scan with intravenous dye done every 3 years to check for new aneurysms. Deficit wise, I lost the hearing in my left ear and can't stand any kind of loud noise. I had to learn to walk again. I don't have quite the strength and dexterity with my left-side extremities that I used to. I have trouble with my memory as well, especially when I'm really stressed about something. My emotions are all over the place all the time. I can go from being happy and content one minute to being angry frustrated the next. The Dr.s can tell you what the physical effects of a rupture and recovery will be, but they can't describe the pshychological aspects of it. Like the change in how you think or do things, the questions of why?, things you used to be able to do but can't now, and just the missing of the person that you used to be in general.There are days that I feel great, and then there are days when it feels like my brain is spinning around inside my head like a shaken snow globe. I often describe it like you have too many pages open on your web browser and they're all trying to work at the same time but they can't, so they just lock up. That said, I know that I wouldn't still be here without the Grace of God, the surgeons at UPMC; Dr. Horowitz (an Interventional Neuroradiologist) and Dr. Gardner (a neurosurgeon), and countless other medical personnel. I'm still alive to tell the tale, I continue to work full-time, I run daily and function as normally as most people, just maybe not at the level I used to be able to. My post-rupture 100% isn't the same as it used to be, and that gets frustrating. To look at me, you wouldn't know any difference. The only visible scars I have are from the tracheostomy and a depression in my skull that is covered by hair. The other scars are on the inside, and they're harder to deal with because most people just don't understand that I can look totally normal, but not be.