My Brain Aneurysm Blew Out of The Blue

It's kind of odd how you can remember some things and wipe clean other memories from your mind. I have absolutely no memory of anything after my brain aneurysm burst. (Note: A brain aneurysm and cerebral aneurysm are actually one and the same.) However, I remember the actual minute it blew as if it were yesterday. (Yesterday being 4/3/2002 at 7:45 am)

The brain aneurysm, technically a Cerebral Aneurysm , hits hard and hits fast. Your chances of surviving are pretty slim if the conditions aren't just right. The right conditions are left to chance, or fate, and God. You better hope you're very lucky if you've PO'd God lately.

Here's a broad brush stroke of the event without going into nit-picking details. It was my misfortune of being a bit constipated for a few days prior to the event. I had taken one of those little magic pills you see advertised on TV that is supposed to cure a binding problem like that. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

Let me touch briefly on What Are The Symptoms? **

Most cerebral aneurysms, brain aneurysms, do not show symptoms until they either become very large or burst. Small, unchanging aneurysms generally will not produce symptoms, whereas a larger aneurysm that is steadily growing may press on tissues and nerves.

Symptoms may include pain above and behind the eye; numbness, weakness, or paralysis on one side of the face; dilated pupils; and vision changes. When an aneurysm hemorrhages, an individual may experience a sudden and extremely severe headache, double vision, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, and/or loss of consciousness.

Patients usually describe the headache as “the worst headache of my life” and it is generally different in severity and intensity from other headaches patients may experience. “Sentinel” or warning headaches may result from an aneurysm that leaks for days to weeks prior to rupture. Only a minority of patients have a sentinel headache prior to aneurysm rupture.

Other signs that a cerebral aneurysm has burst include nausea and vomiting associated with a severe headache, a drooping eyelid, sensitivity to light, and change in mental status or level of awareness. Some individuals may have seizures.

Individuals may lose consciousness briefly or go into prolonged coma. People experiencing this “worst headache,” especially when it is combined with any other symptoms, should seek immediate medical attention.

**Articles courtesy of National Institutes of Health and Strokes - NINDS

I got hit with just about every one of the symptoms outlined above. If misery were a million dollars I'd be very rich today. As luck had it that day, I was just on my way out of the bathroom when all hell broke loose. I staggered a bit and then smacked up against the wall and mumbled to my wife that I had some sort of real problem.

Here's where fate, or God, I prefer God, stepped in and took over. My wife is a third shift nurse and was waiting to say she was going to bed. This is where I give a hearty "Thank You God every day" because had she gone to bed before I came out of the little room I would not be here telling you this story.

My wife has a friend that suffered the same type of brain injury three weeks earlier. She knew what to do and did it. She is indeed a pro! Fast action is essential to surviving a brain aneurysm; any brain injury for that matter.

That's about it for today. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor for some special attention if you have unusal, or sever headaches. A simple MRI may just save your life.

Untill next time
Dick...


[Note: Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult your physician before you begin any nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.]

A Brain Aneurysm and me.

The biggest mystery for me when I had the brain injury was the Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)that took over my personality. This is also known as a Multiple Personality Disorder. I call it an event but you can call it what you want. It can also be considered a sort of amnesia I guess but that goes a little beyond what I care to get into.

Anyhow, somehow the brain takes control and protects you from having to suffer all the anguish and pain that comes with the brain injury or trauma by bringing forth your dual personality; alter ego is another good term. I was totally oblivious to anything that was going on.

My wife tells me that I was acting like someone completely different than the man she had spent the past 40 odd years with. It seems that I'd prowl the halls of the hospital and when I ran across an older woman in a wheel chair or strapped to an IV tree I'd take her hand and give it a tender kiss and then sing her a get-well song.

The nurses on that floor took a real shine to me when I'd do a little Irish dance and sing them an Irish tune. It was okay; I am Irish after all. I guess I was considered a real charming little entertainer for all the ladies. Unfortunately, the real me is quite, shy, and stays in the shadows.

I still do not know how I pulled these little stunts because I still had some tubes sticking out of me in places where tubes are not supposed to be. All the Ginkgo in the world couldn't have help me in this situation.

Here's todays short lesson on Cerebral Aneurysms

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Can Cerebral Aneurysms be prevented?

There are no known ways to prevent a cerebral aneurysm from forming. People with a diagnosed brain aneurysm should carefully control high blood pressure, stop smoking, and avoid cocaine use or other stimulant drugs. They should also consult with a doctor about the benefits and risks of taking aspirin or other drugs that thin the blood. Women should check with their doctors about the use of oral contraceptives.

Information courtesy of National Institute of Neurological Disorders
and Stroke -- NINDS


I'm told that I had a pretty good time during the memory lapse. I hope so. Until tomorrow stay healthy, get the right nutrition and stick to a good diet plan
.
Dick...


[Note: Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult your physician before you begin any nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.]

Some dangers of a Cerebral Aneurysm.

This is a bit on the serious side. Lots of people have an aneurysm and are never bothered by it. Their health is generally good and they have an active lifestyle. They take their vitamins and try to stick to their diet plan never suspecting that they can get wiped out in the blink of an eye. That's about the way it went for me.

A Cerbebral Aneurysm can be caused by a couple of things. The one that bothers me is that it's been found that it could be caused by a genetic disorder; it runs in the family. I've shook my family tree and couldn't find anyone that's had this problem. I've got childern and grand children. I'm pushing them to get a good checkup.

What makes an aneurysm burst? The worst offender that causes the aneurysm to burst is high blood pressure. Think about it for a minute. The inner-tube in your bicycle tire has a weak spot. You can watch it buldge out when you pump air into it. Guess what happens when you over inflate the inner-tube. POW! It burst. That's the same thing that high blood pressure does to the aneurysm.

I highly recommend that you have your doctor check your blood pressure. Get it taken care of if it's high. You can find some good generic brand prescriptions here that cost a lot less than name brand prescriptions if you don't have a good health insurance plan that covers prescriptions. Don't wait. Get your blood pressure in check!

I'll sneak these in. Quit Smoking! Need to lose some weight? eDiets has   over 20 diet and fitness programs!

To me a brain injury is the worst thing that can happen to you. Take some common every day precautions and you may just avoid some of the things I've experienced.

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Here's some more facts on Cerebral Aneurysms.

What are the dangers?

Aneurysms may burst and bleed into the brain, causing serious complications including hemorrhagic stroke, permanent nerve damage, or death. Once it has burst, the aneurysm may burst again and rebleed into the brain, and additional aneurysms may also occur. More commonly, rupture may cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage—bleeding into the space between the skull bone and the brain.

A delayed but serious complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage is hydrocephalus, in which the excessive buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull dilates fluid pathways called ventricles that can swell and press on the brain tissue.

Another delayed postrupture complication is vasospasm, in which other blood vessels in the brain contract and limit blood flow to vital areas of the brain. This reduced blood flow can cause stroke or tissue damage.


How are cerebral aneurysms treated?

Not all cerebral aneurysms burst. Some patients with very small aneurysms may be monitored to detect any growth or onset of symptoms and to ensure aggressive treatment of coexisting medical problems and risk factors.

Each case is unique, and considerations for treating an unruptured aneurysm include the type, size, and location of the aneurysm; risk of rupture; patient’s age, health, and personal and family medical history; and risk of treatment.

Two surgical options are available for treating cerebral aneurysms, both of which carry some risk to the patient (such as possible damage to other blood vessels, the potential for aneurysm recurrence and rebleeding, and the risk of post-operative stroke).

Microvascular clipping involves cutting off the flow of blood to the aneurysm. Under anesthesia, a section of the skull is removed and the aneurysm is located. The neurosurgeon uses a microscope to isolate the blood vessel that feeds the aneurysm and places a small, metal, clothespin-like clip on the aneurysm’s neck, halting its blood supply.

The clip remains in the patient and prevents the risk of future bleeding. The piece of the skull is then replaced and the scalp is closed. Clipping has been shown to be highly effective, depending on the location, shape, and size of the aneurysm. In general, aneurysms that are completely clipped surgically do not return.

A related procedure is an occlusion, in which the surgeon clamps off (occludes) the entire artery that leads to the aneurysm. This procedure is often performed when the aneurysm has damaged the artery. An occlusion is sometimes accompanied by a bypass, in which a small blood vessel is surgically grafted to the brain artery, rerouting the flow of blood away from the section of the damaged artery.

Endovascular embolization is an alternative to surgery. Once the patient has been anesthetized, the doctor inserts a hollow plastic tube (a catheter) into an artery (usually in the groin) and threads it, using angiography, through the body to the site of the aneurysm.

Using a guide wire, detachable coils (spirals of platinum wire) or small latex balloons are passed through the catheter and released into the aneurysm. The coils or balloons fill the aneurysm, block it from circulation, and cause the blood to clot, which effectively destroys the aneurysm. The procedure may need to be performed more than once during the patient’s lifetime.

Patients who receive treatment for aneurysm must remain in bed until the bleeding stops. Underlying conditions, such as high blood pressure, should be treated. Other treatment for cerebral aneurysm is symptomatic and may include anticonvulsants to prevent seizures and analgesics to treat headache.

Vasospasm can be treated with calcium channel-blocking drugs and sedatives may be ordered if the patient is restless. A shunt may be surgically inserted into a ventricle several months following rupture if the buildup of cerebrospinal fluid is causing harmful pressure on surrounding tissue. Patients who have suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage often need rehabilitative, speech, and occupational therapy to regain lost function and learn to cope with any permanent disability.

Information courtesy of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke -- NINDS

A side note. I suffered the subarachnoid hemorrhage and have been in therapy ever since.

Good luck. Good health. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor about having the inside of your head checked out if you are having serious or unusal headaches.

Until tomorrow.
Dick...

[Note: Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult your physician before you begin any nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.]

Does Smoking Cause Aneurysms And Ruin Your Health? YES!

Does Smoking Cause Aneurysms And Ruin Your Health? YES!

We all pretty much agree that smoking is not good for us. I smoked about two packs a day, for many years, before my aneurysm hemorrhaged. Now, I can't even remember smoking. This may just be the high side of my brain trama. One way to look at my ordeal is that it was a really tough quit smoking program. Smoking is one of the causes of an aneurysm. Throw those smokes out!.

I'm not going to preach on the health problems caused from smoking. Each to their own I guess. If your lifestyle calls for a cigarette, so be it. However, I am going to give a brief rundown on how my stay in the hospital cured me of the smoking habit. This is how it was told to me.

Each day, around 11:00 am, a medical technician fed a tube down my nose and into my lungs. They attached the tube to some sort of sucking device and sucked all the disgusting brown stuff from my lungs. My wife says this was spaced out over a week. My wife is a nurse and has seen just about everything. She reminds me every now and again of the yuk they pulled out and how it made her sick to her stomach. I've been off the weed for 4 1/2 years now.

I should mention somethng here. I have absolutly no memory of the three months I stayed in the hospitals. They tell me that I did a lot of crazy stuff. It was as if there was another person responding to the people in the hospital. I've talked to a couple of doctors and we came to the conclusion that I went through what's termed a "Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)"; sort of like a split personality. Here's a good article on it. Dissociated Identity Disorder My alter ego took over and made the best of a bad situation. (Better him than me I guess.)

Here's another little side note: My energy level took a real nose dive also. This is where I was introduced to vitamin B12. I've found that Vitamin B12 gives me some needed energy. I never leave home without my vitamin B12. It's a good source of nutrition and perks your health status up.

Okay, here's another lesson on what a "Cerebral Aneurysm" is all about.

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How are Cerebral Aneurysms diagnosed?

Most cerebral aneurysms go unnoticed until they rupture or are detected by brain imaging that may have been obtained for another condition. Several diagnostic methods are available to provide information about the aneurysm and the best form of treatment. The tests are usually obtained after a subarachnoid hemorrhage, to confirm the diagnosis
of an aneurysm.

Angiography is a dye test used to analyze the arteries or veins. An intracerebral angiogram can detect the degree of narrowing or obstruction of an artery or blood vessel in the brain, head, or neck, and can identify changes in an artery or vein such as a weak spot like an aneurysm. It is used to diagnose stroke and to precisely determine the location, size, and shape of a brain tumor, aneurysm, or blood vessel that has bled.

This test is usually performed in a hospital angiography suite. Following the injection of a local anesthetic, a flexible catheter is inserted into an artery and threaded through the body to the affected artery. A small amount of contrast dye (one that is highlighted on x-rays) is released into the bloodstream and allowed to travel into the head and neck. A series of x-rays is taken and changes, if present, are noted.

Computed tomography (CT) of the head is a fast, painless, noninvasive diagnostic tool that can reveal the presence of a cerebral aneurysm and determine, for those aneurysms that have burst, if blood has leaked into the brain. This is often the first diagnostic procedure ordered by a physician following suspected rupture. X-rays of the head are processed by a computer as two-dimensional cross-sectional images, or “slices,” of the brain and skull. Occasionally a contrast dye is injected into the bloodstream prior to scanning.

This process, called CT angiography, produces sharper, more detailed images of blood flow in the brain arteries. CT is usually conducted at a testing facility or hospital outpatient setting.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses computer-generated radio waves and a powerful magnetic field to produce detailed images of the brain and other body structures. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) produces more detailed images of blood vessels. The images may be seen as either three-dimensional pictures or two-dimensional cross-slices of the brain and vessels. These painless, noninvasive procedures can show the size and shape of an unruptured aneurysm and can detect bleeding in the brain.

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis may be ordered if a ruptured aneurysm is suspected. Following application of a local anesthetic, a small amount of this fluid (which protects the brain and spinal cord) is removed from the subarachnoid space—located between the spinal cord and the membranes that surround it—by surgical needle and tested to detect any bleeding or brain hemorrhage. In patients with suspected subarachnoid hemorrhage, this procedure is usually done in a hospital.

Information courtesy of National Institutes of Health and Stroks
- NINDS

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An added note: My aneurysm could have been detected long before it burst. The really hard question is, would you let them go inside your head and fix it. I honestly do not know what I would have done.

Everything is affected when you suffer a brain trama. Your health is in serious jepordy. Your lifestyle changes. Your body needs all the right nutrition you can get. I still walk on egg shells.

Good luck. Good health. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor about having the inside of your head checked out if you are having serious or unusal headaches.

Until tomorrow.
Dick...

[Note: Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult your physician before you begin any nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.]

An Aneruysm Affects Your Health And Changes Your Lifestyle.

I was fairly healthy and held pretty close to the accepted weight for my height, a robust 5'4'' before I suffered a cerebal aneurysm that burst, (Cerebral is your skull). I have become excessively over weight; either that or I should be at least 6' tall to fit into the right weight class. I'm not sure, but I think the hospital had carved 8" off my frame. ;^)

I spent two months in ICU at the local hospital and one month at a rehab hospital before I could get back home. My health had taken a nasty down turn and my lifestyle, such as it was, was in shambles.

I've lost about 10 or so years of memory and I'm still having trouble with short term memory; short term is a couple of days or weeks. Here's a list of just a few of the problems you can get :

• Over weight
• Memory loss
• Hormone deficiencies. (That's sort of like menopause. That's really bad news for men.)
• Cholesterol problems. (Mine shot up and I can't seem to get it under control.)

These are just a few of the new things I have to learn to deal with. I'm fighting the never ending battle of weight loss, bodybulding, and trying different diet plans. Here's the first place I looked.
Award Winning Diet and Health News - eDiets.com

Brain Aneurysm Basics

Being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm is frightening. Having survived a ruptured aneurysm is a very difficult experience to have gone through and can be extremely unsettling. Gathering information about your condition can help ease this fear, help begin the healing process, and help bring a sense of comfort and support during a trying time.

What is a brain aneurysm?
A brain aneurysm is a weak bulging spot on the wall of a brain artery very much like a thin balloon or weak spot on an inner tube. Aneurysms form silently from wear and tear on the arteries, and sometimes can form from injury, infection, or inherited tendency

What are the two types of aneurysms?

Most common type of aneurysm. Also known as a "berry" aneurysm because of its shape. Has a neck and stem.










Less common type of aneurysm. An outpouching of an arterial wall on both sides of the artery. Does not have a stem.




Symptoms

Although people with unruptured brain aneurysms may have headaches, this is often not associated with the actual aneurysm. Most people with unruptured brain aneurysms are completely asymptomatic, have no symptoms, while others may experience some or all of the following symptoms, which suggest an aneurysm:
· Cranial Nerve Palsy
· Dilated Pupils
· Double Vision
· Pain Above and Behind Eye

People who suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm (subarachnoid hemorrhage) will often have warning signs. The following warning signs precede about 40% of major ruptures:
· Localized Headache
· Nausea & Vomiting
· Stiff Neck
· Blurred or Double Vision
· Sensitivity to Light (photophobia)
· Loss of Sensation

One other thing that happens after the aneurysm blowout is your ability to keep something going without taking a rather long break.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more about the problems of a "Cerebral Aneurysm Hemorrhage".

Good luck, good health, and take care.

Dick...

[Note: Specific medical advice should be obtained from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult your physician before you begin any nutrition, exercise, or dietary supplement program.]


Nutricraze has an excellent library. This book may be of some help for the hormonal imbalance that can take place after a "Cerebral Aneurysm Hemorrhage".