I am going in for a clipping ….
I read how people say that a personalities change. I will become more aggressive or lose their ability to process I am a teacher that cannot happen. I was wondering if there are any other teachers on here and how they dealt with things after this procedure? I’m getting it done at the end of June after school gets out which will give me about 5 to 6 weeks to heal. We missed days or summer is a little short of this year.
Violence, true, that I can be impatient in my life, I am very patient tolerant with my kids. I cannot lose that.
Amy suggestions?
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Hey Abby,
I too was a teacher
This is not a forgone conclusion. I think it’s better to say there’s a ‘possibility’ this may occur. I was teaching people with disabilities, some who had very challenging behaviours. Symptom wise I had good days and bad days. On the good days I had no issue, but on the bad days my ‘fuse’ was rather short. To be honest I didn’t really think too much about it, but then one day my fuse ignited at a client and my reaction set off their reaction and it was all rather messy to say the least. He made a complaint and rightly so. He had made an error but my reaction to the error was disproportionate.
I had to learn to read myself, read my signs, much better. I had to also check my environment from my safety point, physical, psychological and emotional, as well as from the clients. This was new for me. Previously my focus was solely client related, keeping the client safe, but to keep the client safe I had to now keep myself on a level and that was very foreign. Previously that ‘level’ seemed to come naturally, post surgery I was using as much energy managing the client as I was managing me. 1/2 way through the day I was beyond exhausted. If I had 2 difficult clients to see in the afternoon, I was in trouble. So, I changed my roster/routine so those clients whom I knew had behavioural issues, where I was guaranteed to require the patience of a saint, were all seen in the morning. I had to plan ‘better’, have stratergies to manage within my limits and learn to de-stress at the end of the day. The stresses of today + the stresses of tomorrow was overwhelming, I couldn’t carry that ‘load’. Deal with today, then I could move on.
I too was patient with clients, but when the ‘load’ overwhelms me it didn’t matter who was around. As I often say ‘My cup, it overfloweth’ (over everyone).
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Thank you! Normally, I am so laid back back with my kids……
I did not mean to say violent. I have never been violent in my life!
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It was not taken as ‘violence’. But rather ‘volatile’. I really do understand. I couldn’t be physically violent. I mean sometimes I would have liked to ‘bash a couple of heads together’ but that’s metaphorically, not physically. My tongue could be violent enough and if a client crossed ‘that line’, they got told. They were never left in any doubt that a line had been crossed. Don’t cross me again. Only once did I have a client cross that line again and the word spread like wildfire. 'Don’t cross Mr Merl ’ 
. It only took that once.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Hi there! I don’t have your exact situation but can share my story. I am a SPED teacher working with kindie through 2nd. I had a flow diverter stent placed in my brain right after school got out last year so I had the whole summer to heal. Super helpful to have all that time to rest and heal. I know flow diversion is different than clipping but I didn’t have any change in personality. I would say I’m more anxious about the what ifs, and a bit more emotional when I talk about my experience(cry very easily) but no anger or aggression. With that being said what has changed for me is my endurance. I get very tired. My focus also has changed, being in special education you have so much to multitask between meetings and paperwork and supporting kids and lesson planning. That has been really hard for me to manage. But my team knows what i have gone through and just give me gentle reminders. I also have some vision issues due to vestibular dysfunction (had a TIA during the balloon occlusion with a vasospasm)so I had to adjust the lighting in my room, take breaks from my computer, etc. I also have to take a day off here and there due to headaches or brain fatigue. My brain just gets so tired and overwhelmed by the end of the week. I did fill out FMLA at the start of the year and I highly recommend that. It’s just being proactive and it protects you. I think being open and honest with your team and admin is super helpful. I wish you lots of luck:)
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Hi all! I am an educational assistant in a high school. I have not returned back to work as I did not receive rehab right away after a rupture and a clipping. It has been almost a year and a half since my rupture and clipping. I still need to go to speech therapy because if I get stressed or frustrated I can’t get the words out. I have noticed that I would not be able to go back into the classroom because of the lights and the noise, but I could work with the students one at a time in a separate setting. I really don’t know how long because I do suffer from brain fatigue and when that happens, body shuts down and I need to sleep. I am hoping that the school where I work is able to give me the adaptations, I need to do my job. Right now is Spring Break so my boss would like me to come in and talk about options to come back. I am not sure if I can do it but I will try. No guarantees! I do know that I am less patient and I get overwhelmed easily, but that is just me.
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I am a SPED. Teacher too!
Haha that’s funny! It’s definitely a lot trying to balance everything because as you know there is soooo much to manage as a case manager. Plus I have a lot of really tough behavior kids. I also had my doctor fill in the FMLA that I needed accommodations such as no restraints/holds or working closely with physically aggressive students. I’m still on dual anti platelet therapy and aneurysm is still there so one blow to the head could be devastating. Hopefully you have an understanding team and admin. That’s key. I’ve definitely needed a lot of grace this year🤪
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Your experience with the flow diverter sounds exactly like mine. I get a lot of brain fatigue. I’m going to post some mitigation here:
https://www.bafsupport.org/t/re-17-mm-aneurysm-in-anterior-inferior-cerebellar-artery-aica-treated-endovascularly-by-flow-diverter-10-13-22/16718/2
Yeah, the whole summer off sounds like a good idea.
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My sister seems to think I should be driving a week after the clipping. I think not.
Hey Abbycat,
Yea, sure, for some people that maybe OK, but for others, NO WAY!!!
It really can depend on circumstances. For example, I’m about 100km from the city and out here we have very little traffic, we have no traffic lights (probably 30km to the closest lights), so minimal stimuli. But driving past trees on the road side, the sunlight flickers and flashes, especially in the early morning and late afternoon. Too much of that and I get a banging headache.
If I need to travel to the city, I usually have a co-driver (Wifey). Sometimes I’m fine but then sometimes I can get there, but then find I’m so very over stimulated and symptomatic, it would be unsafe for me and other road users to be driving home. I avoid peak hour at all costs. I have driven longer distances, around 300km, but that’s a direct route, no lights and very little traffic.
In all honesty you could come out the other side thinking ‘I don’t know what all the fuss was about…’ BUT if you go into it with the expectation that you’ll be driving the week after, only to find that you are nowhere near recovered enough it can be REALLY demoralising.
DO NOT be measuring your recovery by what your mind (or others) expects. Listen to your body, it will tell you when it’s had enough. My body lets me know with milder symptoms when it’s had enough, if I ignore those signs, my body up and wallops me “Lay down or I’ll put you down” and it puts me down hard, sometimes for days with chronic symptoms.
This is a time to be kind to yourself. Other’s expectations don’t count. They can’t feel your pain, they can’t manage your symptoms. This is about you, not them. You will learn your signs and you will learn the best way to manage…FOR YOU!!!. Others are always going to have an opinion, but they’re not the ones living it, you are. You MUST look after you.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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Thank you. Since I live by myself my mom is coming to be with me for 2 weeks. I fall down a lot. She cannot do much ( she is 83) but she can call soneone if I need help. Get me water, give me my meds.
My doctor said he tells people not to even think about going back to work. for a month,Since it is a clipping not a coiling it takes longer.
My surgery is June 27th- I go back to teaching the 21st of august, 
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Hi,
I’ve had a brain hemorrhage.
A coiling which revealed 3 additional brain aneurysm’s.
Then two full frontal craniotomies. Three clippings.
I can’t speak for everyone but my experience with frustration/anger has taught me that having too much on my plate causes an overwhelming feeling.
Prior to all of my brain issues, I was a production manager. Always having
“10 balls in the air.” And thriving in that environment. That skill dramatically changed.
So now, I have learned to slow down my mental processing a bit.
Prioritize the things that are important to accomplish.
And work on those only.
The frustration was caused by me not acknowledging that I have had a serious medical affliction. And owning it.
Now that my focus has changed, I am much more content.
Hope this helps you!
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Oh my gosh Merl, so do I but it also stops my brain from working. Even as a passenger, I used to not only wear my sunglasses, I’d cover my eyes with a hat or my hands, anything to stop the flickering lights. I also don’t drive during peak hours and try very hard to avoid times when school buses are on the road or at night. Driving is a privilege, not a right and I certainly don’t want to be the cause of an accident.
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And that’s why I have a co-driver. She can take over if needed.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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Ohh, yea, me too. It took me many years to accept that those “10 balls in the air” days are no longer feasible. For me I found the change in focus to myself, looking after me, difficult. Prior to all of this I worked in community services, helping others. My focus was outward, on my clients. To be focusing inward, on self, it can be a little confronting. My initial attitude was ‘I could before, so I can now’ only I couldn’t and I had to learn to accept that. I don’t think I can say ‘I’m content’, accepting yes, but I do miss my former life.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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It can be a huge challenge for those of us who were or are in the helping field to have to focus on our needs and not others. I still have issue with that and knowing when to stop piddling around as I call it. Now I have to plan ahead for me and what activity is going to be difficult to do anything afterwards. Also have to keep an eye on temperature, I can do a bit more in the cooler temps than the hotter temps, so I try to do any outside work earlier and then when it gets hot, move inside to the AC.
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