gaynor

Hi Mollynjosie Thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult discision making time. Best Wishes Gaynor

Hi Sandy, I had a coiling surgery and have an annie being monitored, I flew 3 months post surgery, No headhurtys, during or after the flight. My doc told me no matter whether it was coiled or clipped or an annie being monitored the air pressure of a commercial airoplane does not effect inside the head. Hope this helps Best Wishes Gaynor

Hi Ryan, Welcome to the club from one newbie to another, I was very fortunate not to have a bleed, I had coiling surgery and still have an aneurysm being monitored, I am 6 months into recovery and YAAAAAY it gets better, You are still very early into your recovery, be patient with yourself and time, And time we now have Besty Wishes Gaynor

Thank you all for a wonderful welcome. I did reply to all but can't seem to work out if I posted the replys correctly... or I am blogging in the correct place.....durrrrrr.:confused: And not entirely sure how it works but guess you just post when questions arise or reply to those in need of advice. So after reading loads of stuffs on the site, I came to realise that 6 months into my annie coiling and wait n watch or watch n wait, never remember which comes first, that I have been doing very little to help my course. Still drink coffee, although decaf, taken with artificial sweetners, diet soda full of artificial sweetners. infact I had been told there were no diet restrictions wotsoeva... And I am shocked at the intensity of your water intake advice...not once has the importance of water intake been mentioned, on any of the USA support forums, doctors apts or even in my hospital stay. Am pleased to brag, I have now increased my water intake x 3, ask my chamber pot:lol: And that shall defo be my first word of advice for future survivors. Now for the next important question...wot is the take on the consumption of alcoholic liquids..... is that also the more your intake the better you shall feel:lol: I did ask my USA doc, but was told once again No dietry restrictions, so a celebratory sip is okay. helllllo does this mean yes I can slug that bottle of red I've been eyeballing or wot a little scared my definition of a wee celebratory sip maybe somewot different to his Best Wishes to all Gaynor

Hi annie, Totally understand you lack of love for my pet name, and Saying Hi to you kinda freaked me out (feel like i'm writting a letter to my brain, tee hee.) but had a good day today, so the ticking time bomb is tomorrows alarm clock, a wake up call that we are blessed and live the life the best we can. Best Wishes Gaynor

Hi Carolyn Yes not the best idea to google annie in a restaurant, but had exhausted googling other nearby restaraunts menus whilst waiting for my meal. terrible habbit picked up with traveling due to hubbys job and having way too much lunch alone times, and can also lead into very dissappointing meals, We are still in the states although moved to a new state 6 weeks ago. We were in Virginnia when I had my Annie scare and surgery and relocated to Dallas in Aug. So been a little busy of late, and earned a few extra head hurtys, Our short stay in Virginnia unfortunatly started bad and never really got any better, so have just been waiting until it felt I was good to move on . New start and all that..... And to be said this has been the least stressful move of 11 times in 12years by far, as post Annie I got stressed over every minute detail of relocating stuffs, Packing, shipping, new info on locations, schools etc. But to be honest post Annie, my outlook has changed and as long as We, my Hubby, daughter and I are all good and dandy the materials and logisitcis of things are no longer an issue. Infact my only concerns was as long my first post surgery flight was uneventful and the metal coils didn't set off the airport alarms what happened there after was of little importance. And I've now found this site so what more could a gal want Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi Michelle I know, googling it seems a crazy thing to have done, even to me, and yes it certainly scared the POO out of me. But when I say I'd never head of an aneurysm before I ain't joking so it was a case of having to. And to be honest with all the horrid knowledge that I did take with me to the pre op appt, it actually gave me the positive thinking of, I don't care what procedure it takes or what risks there are. Anything that may keep me from rupturing and surving with all the possible terrible deficients was the only option. For those who are blessed with ignorance are doomed with the bleeds, and for those of us doomed with the before hand knowledge are usually spared the bleed. But hey we are all winners in the end:razz: Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi Sandi, Thanks for the welcome, I'm sure that being outside of my homecountry certainly made my circumstances different, but at least they spoke kinda English:lol: I have lived in Asia, S America prior and dread to think how the language barrier have been frightful. although must admit wasn't too happy when the nurse said she may have to five me a jab in my fanny if they could find a vein in my arm And did get a little irritated of being told how cute my accent was whilst even shrieking out in pain. But hey always happy to amuse:lol: Best Wishes Gaynor

Hi WinB143, Thank you for the welcome I too try to live each day with gratitude and know how lucky I am to be alive to see my hubby and daughter each and every morning, not that I didn't like them before but I have learnt to have a new appreciation for the little things that they do. like breathe and exsist. Have a great day and keep taking them steps!!! Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi SaraLou, Thanks for the welcome , Twelve month, is this the unmentioned month between the 11th and 1st month????? just curious And thanks for the advice on the water, it was water you mentioned, right, ???? I'm getting a little puzzled actually as I'd always known it was generally advised to drink so many glasses as day for obvious reasons, but it has never been stressed to me in the USA after my annie's like you guys are doing. Infact the only time they mention water is when they are dishing out more pills, or run out of coffee lol:... but will defo start drinking more, wot was it called again Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi Kel Thanks for the welcome and advice on the Cafine, this is something that I really am going to have to look into. In the states (home of the double cafine shot drinkers) they bulk at decaf, even my surgeon said we all need a little caffine to give us a healthy boost. Infact the first morning of my hospital breakfast i was served coffee and diet coke for lunch and at my first Annie support group they served full strength coffee and no decaf available, I've never liked full strength but do have a morning cup of decaf and drink diet coke as a treat, but may even re-think this. Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi Sonia Thanks for the welcome, Not sure if I am brave enough to mention the Word and join the gang just yet, but hey with 96 days, 16 hours, 22 seconds, plenty of time yet. Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi Sally, Thank you for the welcome, I too am always impresssed and extremely happy when people are older than me . And don't be fooled I hold very little wisdom, just not mastered the art of keeping quiet thats all. tee hee..... Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi ya Jess, Thanks so much for the welcome, I too am originally from the W. mid area, Solihull, and many moons ago worked in Olbury, so if I do need help translating along the way, may I call on you . Best Wishes Gaynor x

Hi ya Peeps. My name is Gaynor, I’m a 40 yr. young mother to Mollie aged 8 and wifey to Darren, we are Brits but are presently in the USA, where my unruptured Aneurysms story begins. Within a month or so of arriving in the states I had begun to feel a little weird after gym sessions, weird as in, numbness on my left side, confused and slurred speech but no major head hurty as I had previously experienced with migraines in the past, just a general feeling of fatigue and unwellness, and that something was very not right. Sooooo off I popped to a walk in medical centre on the side of the road, who in turn sent me to a neurologist, who was thankfully test happy (or was it that I happened to have great medical insurance ) Anywho...after a MRI, EGG, sleep test, electric paddy things stuck to my head he decided to send me for a, further MRI with contrast as he had originally saw something he was not too happy with, and these results showed that I had cholesterol plaque on the brain, and some white matter which indicated migraine traumas but no major stroke indication, so all was good, "oh and also 2 aneurysms, one was not so bad but one needs treatment.” Okey dokey" says I, what kind of medicine should I take for these thingymagysms. Yep, I am one of the fortunate who had never heard of an aneurysm or its dangers and from the casualness of the doctor nor did he, or was it as he so nicely put it. "Not in his field so I would need to get in touch with a Neurosurgeon, and would I like some Xanax, sleeping pills or seizure meds!!!!! So doing what any other ignorant receiver of aneurysms results does I went to TGI Fridays, Hey, I thought I'd gotten off lightly with my Thingymagysms and a gals gotta eat right? So on waiting for my lunch I opened up the ol lap top and googled ANEURYSMS....and yes my whole world fell apart.. along with my appetite. (There should be a law about googling a condition / illness we are diagnosed with that we know nothing about, why we do it to ourselves i know not!!!, especially when in a foreign country, okay so the USA may speak English but believe you me, What I was reading from the net was not a language I was familiar with, survival statistics of these evil isms and the damage a ruptured aneurysm can cause, led me to wonder if survival was the best option, and I know that sounds terrible and worthy of a tut tut...but once fear set in, all positive thinking slipped out. Well I guess the most fortunate thing that happened next after the discovery of my UN ruptured Annie was the rapid speed of how things progressed, as once I had contacted the In vascular neurosurgeon (aka my Hero) that very afternoon, just 1 week later (April 6th 2011) I was on the operating slab having my 8mm right ICA "Annie" (such a nicer word don't ya think) coiled, as although it was not considered very large, it was located on a branched artery very deep inside the brain and looked as though it may well be on the way to rupture or may indeed have become leaky, and in this location it could be fatal. They also discovered a 2nd Annie which is 4mm but at that time the risk of surgery outweighed the risk of leaving it be and monitoring it. ( So wish they could have sorted it there and then...kinda like a 2 for 1 deal whilst ya poking around .) But hey I am here now and although I now get tired and headaches that i did not get before, I am slowly but surely getting back to the pre Annie me or reaching my goal of the New post Annie Me. And as time goes on I can even go a few days without thinking of the 2nd Annie I am babysitting, and even on the days that I do, I try not to think of it as a ticking time bomb, but as an alarm clock with a wakeup call to live each day to the best that I can. And look forward to special occasions with my hubby and daughter and know that i am truly blessed. But please don't be fooled as Mary Poppins I ain't, and I too on occasion have my own pity party, where life is soooo not fair and I don't feel grateful to be an Annie Survivor and have thoughts of WHY ME? ..., But today is a good day so Hi and goodbye, this is my story and Best wishes to each and every one of you Gaynor x