Wow, the timing is crazy. I'm just getting instance through my Union & I may need to get a check up on my shunt...
Ruptured brain aneurysm/hemorrhagic stroke survivor
- Thread starter Lithe
- Start date
What do you mean instance through your union, and you have a shunt?
Amerikan Melanin
Veteran
So you are a female? You dont sound American. Can you live a normal life now? Do you have any pics of your brain during the trauma and after? Is this at all hereditary?
I am a woman, an African American woman. I can live as normal of a life as possible, which for me means no alcohol at all since it caused my last grand mal (tonic clonic) seizure in April 2013 the day after I drank 4 oz of Moscato, which I had the "OK" to do and I measured it in a liquid measuring cup just for safety purposes, appointments with my neuro team (neurosurgeon and neurologist) and managing my stress levels to avoid seizures and not exacerbate the migraines. I will likely always have to write notes, have a quiet work environment (when too much noise is around me at once, it literally sounds like a foreign language even though I know it's English--it's very weird), and lots of rest. Sometimes my migraines caused strictly by barometric pressure though, and I can't control the weather. I can predict weather changes days in advance, especially rain. It feels like my skull is contracting while my brain is trying to expand and it's so painful, I will actually cry. No I don't have pictures of my brain, but I have pictures of me in ICU and when I first came home. I asked my neurosurgeon when I last saw him in December 2012 to see my aneurysm, and he showed me the angiogram CT, but I don't know how to read it and he said it was only 2 mm and "should have never ruptured, but it caused a massive bleed." For me, we believe it's hereditary, as I did not have any of the common stroke risk factors. I was 24, never did any drugs, didn't have high blood pressure. As I posted in my original post to open this thread, two other women on my mother's side have experienced ruptured brain aneurysms, one survived and one did not. So yes, there may be something genetic. I've also read of kidney disease somehow linking to a cranial aneurysm, but I do not have kidney problems! It's all been very random.
At the time of my angiogram (where they feed a catheter through the femoral artery up to the brain and inject a contrast dye to highlight the brain to show where the bleed is originating so they can correct it) I only had one aneurysm/weak spot in my brain. My next angiogram is at the 5 year mark, and it's made a very real impact on how I'm living my life (i.e., no sex, no children yet, I will be high risk when I am pregnant, no rollercoasters or anything that could impact the pressure, no sky diving, I just flew for the first time post stroke, December 2015 and home January 2016 and had to get clearance for that) today. I am very much in touch with my neuro team and make sure I run anything by them to see how it will impact me. I'm waiting on clearance to get back into weight lifting, actually.
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I'm copying and pasting from the the Mayo Clinic website as for the risk factors, and to tell if you have an aneurysm before it ruptures, it's really uncommon because most people don't know that they have one until it ruptures. It really is somewhat of a hidden disease! The only thing I can think of is maybe if you've had headaches or it's grown large enough to press into the brain tissue and cause a deficit somehow (like severe migraines, or loss of a cognitive function like memory problems, difficulty concentrating, etc.) then you could have a CT and/or MRI done with contrast that might highlight it if it's large enough. I was told mine must have been growing for 10 years (and still it only got to 2mm, so the MRI with contrast I had in Summer 2008 for some neurological issues I had with numbness/sensory loss on the right side did not show the aneurysm at all) before it ruptured.
I have some survivor friends who have found theirs before rupture, but just by chance! In that case, they have usually been able to have theirs repaired by an endovascular method called coiling, where little titanium coils are inserted by catheter (in the groin area, fed up to the brain) into the aneurysm to fill it up that way the blood can't flow into it anymore. You can read about that procedure here Endovascular Coiling for Brain Aneurysms | Treatment | Johns Hopkins Aneurysm Center I had a craniotomy and you can read about that here (but there are pictures of an exposed brain and clip, so I'm warning y'all now if you're squeamish, it does show graphic material on the microsurgical clipping link) Microsurgical Clipping for Brain Aneurysms| Treatment | Johns Hopkins Aneurysm Center
Here's the copy and paste risk factors for you!
A number of factors can contribute to weakness in an artery wall and increase the risk of a brain aneurysm. Brain aneurysms are more common in adults than in children and more common in women than in men.
Some of these risk factors develop over time; others are present at birth.
Risk factors that develop over time
These include:
- Older age
- Smoking
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis)
- Drug abuse, particularly the use of cocaine
- Head injury
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- Certain blood infections
- Lower estrogen levels after menopause
These include:
- Inherited connective tissue disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, that weaken blood vessels
- Polycystic kidney disease, an inherited disorder that results in fluid-filled sacs in the kidneys and usually increases blood pressure
- Abnormally narrow aorta (coarctation of the aorta), the large blood vessel that delivers oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the body
- Cerebral arteriovenous malformation (brain AVM), an abnormal connection between arteries and veins in the brain that interrupts the normal flow of blood between them
- Family history of brain aneurysm, particularly a first-degree relative, such as a parent, brother or sister
Edited to add: I had a craniotomy with clipping surgery, which is open brain surgery. I have a question mark shaped incision from the center of my forehead to right in front of my right ear. You can't see it now because my hair covers it up, but there is a small indentation in my forehead where the surgeon began the incision, so my middle part is all messed up now!
I'm not mad tho, that helped save my life and I love my neurosurgeon. I had surgery at UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas! I have 3 little clips in my head that have stopped blood flow to where the aneurysm was, and I guess it just deflated itself. I'm still not entirely sure about that part, but I trust that my surgeon's 20+ years of experience was enough to ensure I can live as full of a life as possible with some adjustments made just to keep myself in good health. I'm very, very blessed and extremely grateful.
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Cherish your health y'all. Do not take that shyt for granted
Facts only! I say it all the time, "tomorrow is a privilege, not a promise." and I genuinely mean that. I've experienced it firsthand.
Family Man
Banned
I had mentioned in that same thread that my mom went through the same thing about 10 years ago. She has regressed significantly in the past year. She's a fighter but I think she may have loss her will to live now.
Yes, I remember your response. It's just so difficult to deal with, and I imagine you have difficulty too, seeing as that's your mother. I have an incredible neuro team, but I also have a great therapist, awesome vocational counselor who has helped me formulate a plan that I can actually do, to give me a "normal" life. If you'd like, you can PM me if you want to talk about it. I'm not trying to get in your business and I know this is a public forum/the internet, so you may not feel comfortable sharing, but I'd like to know more about your mother if you're willing to share. I respect it and understand, if not.
I know for a fact, the hardest thing was for my family and friends not really seeing "me" in myself once I came home. I didn't smile, I didn't feel well, I was terrified of death every single day, my heart was broken, I felt like a failure. I cried all the time! I am not the crying type, so for them to see me just so down everyday, they were scared. I was scared, I was furious. I was still determined somewhere in my soul to make a comeback. I just remember praying a lot and I said I wanted to be able to use this someday for a greater good. I didn't really start recovering (emotionally) until almost 5 months later when I started journaling my thoughts. After that and finding a therapist, I started making good strides.
I have never been suicidal, but I remember thinking "I don't want to die, but I do not want to live like this. This shyt sucks." I meant it too.
A torsion at that age is unusual. They are unusual in general but especially after puberty. Unless you have the "bell clapper" thing where your balls are quite attached right in the scrotum, then it's more likely.Bro you have my utmost respect for that attitude
I went through testicular torsion and a kidney stone in the same year. 22. No warning. Just sudden pain and confusion both times. This shyt is real.
Dont say your plans out loud or God will hear them an laugh.
I had a brain tumor removed, soon it will be my 1 year anniversary.
One day i didnt even know wtf an acoustic neuroma was and the next day i was an expert
Its funny, there rly are 6 million ways to die. One day you laughing, arguing about pawgs, the next day
I had a brain tumor removed, soon it will be my 1 year anniversary.
One day i didnt even know wtf an acoustic neuroma was and the next day i was an expert
Its funny, there rly are 6 million ways to die. One day you laughing, arguing about pawgs, the next day
What's your coping mechanism, if you feel your situation is out of hand? If the basic treatment cycle doesn't work, would you feel like you can cope with the issue significantly?
In other words, do you feel that the situation can be too big for you?
In other words, do you feel that the situation can be too big for you?
Dont say your plans out loud or God will hear them an laugh.
I had a brain tumor removed, soon it will be my 1 year anniversary.
One day i didnt even know wtf an acoustic neuroma was and the next day i was an expert
Its funny, there rly are 6 million ways to die. One day you laughing, arguing about pawgs, the next day
Hey, I heard that. I was texting right before the rupture like "yeah I'll come meet y'all, bring some whiskey because you know I gotta have my J&G, we can just watch the game and chill" with all of my friends. Yeah, completely false. Instead, I was nearly dead and now I can't even drink at all. I miss alcohol sometimes, and yes I'm really a female whose favorite drink was Jack and ginger.
Glad you pulled through that! I don't know much about tumors, but I know how much damage they can cause, so I applaud anyone who experiences the fall and comeback from such an ordeal. My friend actually had an AVM rupture when we were just 15, freshmen in high school. She also had a hemorrhagic stroke. We had economic class together that afternoon, I remember talking about hanging out that weekend, and the next day everyone was talking about how she was really sick and probably going to die. She has been a great encourager and supporter for me, even though our bleeds were caused by two different abnormalities. It's tough, but we adapt and overcome.
There really are a number of ways to die, and sometimes it sneaks up on you with something so out of left field that you're really left in shock and awe. That's how I am, still, today. I still touch my scars and feel the small dents in my skull like "how am I even still here? Did this really happen?!" If I didn't have the scars, pictures, stories told to me, journals, I wouldn't believe it to be true.
Wah... Rass.... Sorry to hear that and big blessings to you for surviving. Jah know star----life is short. Life is short. 
The world we live in mon. I know this might seem weird to you and anyone as well, but I believe in conspiracies. I guess I watch too much Professor Griff videos.
Point is you're a survivor and a strong black independent women. I'm glad you're willing to share your story. Must be difficult. I'm still reading some of your post because you write too long.
Bless up mi girl and live yuh life. Jah know!
FYI: What are your thoughts so far about the Coli? Do you like the male environment? Are you a poster from LSA (Lip Stick Alley)? And why did you decide to join? Are you single?
Bless up empress.
The world we live in mon. I know this might seem weird to you and anyone as well, but I believe in conspiracies. I guess I watch too much Professor Griff videos.
Point is you're a survivor and a strong black independent women. I'm glad you're willing to share your story. Must be difficult. I'm still reading some of your post because you write too long.
Bless up mi girl and live yuh life. Jah know!
FYI: What are your thoughts so far about the Coli? Do you like the male environment? Are you a poster from LSA (Lip Stick Alley)? And why did you decide to join? Are you single?
Bless up empress.