gaynor Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 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 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jess Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor welcome to btg. Remember to listen to your body if your tired rest and drink plenty of water. Look forward to chatting sometime. Jess.xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallym25 Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor, Welcome to the forum. I love to read posts from people who show signs of wisdom and am always impressed when they're younger than me! Sounds like you are doing a very good job of coping with your situation. Love the "thingymigysm" reference, and know exactly how it feels to ask yourself if survival is the best option. Fortunately I have now discovered it is. My aneurysm ( which I wasn't aware I had) burst and the artery was clipped. I still get low occasionally when I realise I'm not as clever as I once was. But I'm slowly slowly starting to realise that although the new me is different , she's not a bad person. It has taken me a really long time to believe this and I think I still have some way to go before I am totally accepting of things as they are now. I see you've mastered the art of USA speak during your short time there. Hope you will continue to have your positive outlook and your good days outnumber the bad ones very soon. I hope you will call in again and keep us up to date with your progress. Take care Sally xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonia Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hello, Welcome to the board, you sound like a lady that will do well on here with us all. You are dead right, you are here and coming through the things only we really know about. So long as you don't mention the word, Xmas then you will be ok here. If you do, then you will have to join our gang.That being Sarahlou, Sandi, and my good self. Take care Gaynor. Hope you are enjoying living life over there. Love Sonia xxxxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KelBel Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor Welcome to the site! Glad you have found us I can relate to the occassional feelings of 'why me' and 'is it such a good thing to have survived this?', as I felt that way in the early months when I was struggling with this new slightly broken version of me. But, things do get better. You don't notice the little changes at first but over the months you will notice how much more capable you are. We may not get back to our pre-Annie selves but we will certainly learn a lot about life, about ourselves and about others as we go through the period of recovery, however long and arduous that road may seem. I have found that changing to decaf tea as well as drinking lots of water, and cutting back on all caffeinated drinks (diet coke unless caffeine free) has helped with the headaches. I look forward to hear more from you Take care Kel x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahLou Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hello Gaynor, Welcome to BTG. Gosh.. I see that Sonia is mentioning that TWELTH month word.. Shhhh, or we'll get into trouble for giving new members bad habits!! I had my SAH just over a year ago, it's clipped, two inches behind my left eye. Like many others it's taken me a long time to accept things, I'm not going to be exactly as I was before my Annie but I'm actually quite happy with the new me,and how I view things and life in general a bit differently now. This site has been a god send to me, as it has for everyone. For me reading ' a letter from your brain ' on the home page in inspiration was my turning point. It made me take a step back and really look at things differently. Remember that the strength you get from others will be your strength. Listen to your body and rest when you need to. Oh and drink plenty of water, then a bit more water, oh and then more water after that! Also, when you have down days that's ok, let yourself ride with every emotion you go through, don't be too tough on yourself. I wish you well with your recovery. Take care, SarahLou Xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winb143 Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Welcome to BTG Gaynor, You sound very chirpy.....I am so glad to be alive and see my family ....... I look upon it as a 2nd chance to see my family again.. Tried being nice...but I am ashamed to say I get ratty at times but mostly I feel happy to be here and thank all who cared for me. Every day I get stronger and walk a few steps more...I'll show those who gave up on me lol Keep smiling Gaynor and do not get down...keep thinking how lucky I am to be alive...it keeps me going. Good Luck Gaynor and keep happy Love WinB143 x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandi K Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor, welcome to BTG! It must have been really hard to be going through something so enormous outside of your home country. Even though we all speak English I know what you mean, our words are different. I'm Canadian and I love to holiday in the US so I have lots of experience with figuring out the different words. We giggle about it on BTG too as I try and figure out what the heck some people are saying. You just have to see the funny side of it. I agree with others have said. It's a bit of a journey getting to know the new you. My brain bleed has certainly put life's priorities in better perspective for me. I used to get so stressed out at work. I'm sure I will again but I'm trying very hard to keep things in perspective and realize that overall I want to be successful and do well but its not worth being so stressed out about. What's most important is my health and my family and friends. So since the brain bleed I eat very healthy, I drink lots of water (really helps), and I have lots of quiet time. Sandi K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish.girl Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor, How scary to have read up on it all before the op. I feel lucky that I'd never heard of this anni stuff ever before I had a bleed. The statistics are terrifying, at least if you find out after the event you are a bit too numb to fully take it in. Sounds like you are doing well and very positive. Best wishes, Michelle x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kempse Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Hi Gaynor and welcome to BTG. You appear to have retained a sense of humour through all this. I'm sure you must be relieved that the aneursym was found and treated before it had chance to rupture. I had to smile at your "2 for 1 deal" -only because I too have had one annie coiled and another left untreated - so that deal would have been quite appealing to me;-). In the beginning I used to think of my unruptured annie as a ticking time bomb, but have since told myself that a time bomb surely needs a battery to detonate it and since it is now nearly 3 years since mine was discovered, I think any battery would be well and truely flat by now! it's theories like this that keep me sane! I hope your good days outweigh the bad and things improve further for you as time goes on. Wishing you all the best in your continued recovery, Take care, Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winter Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Welcome Gaynor! Glad you found us here. I see some folks are saying we Americans might be speaking funny! I resemble that I'm in Florida - so I could say I'm an expert at it Very scary for you to have read up on it while at a restaurant, and yes, in a foreign country at that. I'm glad you pulled through and it sounds as you've got a great attitude. Actually, you're really quite funny - are you also a comedienne? Whatever the case, hang in there and do drink the water! Would love to hear more from you as you deal with the recovery. Are you still in the states? Hope you're comfortable, where ever you are and are getting good care Keeping you in my thoughts for a healthy recovery, Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi Gaynor welcome to btg. Remember to listen to your body if your tired rest and drink plenty of water. Look forward to chatting sometime. Jess.xxx 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi Gaynor welcome to btg. Remember to listen to your body if your tired rest and drink plenty of water. Look forward to chatting sometime. Jess.xxx Hi Gaynor, Welcome to the forum. I love to read posts from people who show signs of wisdom and am always impressed when they're younger than me! Sounds like you are doing a very good job of coping with your situation. Love the "thingymigysm" reference, and know exactly how it feels to ask yourself if survival is the best option. Fortunately I have now discovered it is. My aneurysm ( which I wasn't aware I had) burst and the artery was clipped. I still get low occasionally when I realise I'm not as clever as I once was. But I'm slowly slowly starting to realise that although the new me is different , she's not a bad person. It has taken me a really long time to believe this and I think I still have some way to go before I am totally accepting of things as they are now. I see you've mastered the art of USA speak during your short time there. Hope you will continue to have your positive outlook and your good days outnumber the bad ones very soon. I hope you will call in again and keep us up to date with your progress. Take care Sally xx 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hello, Welcome to the board, you sound like a lady that will do well on here with us all. You are dead right, you are here and coming through the things only we really know about. So long as you don't mention the word, Xmas then you will be ok here. If you do, then you will have to join our gang.That being Sarahlou, Sandi, and my good self. Take care Gaynor. Hope you are enjoying living life over there. Love Sonia xxxxx 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi GaynorWelcome to the site! Glad you have found us I can relate to the occassional feelings of 'why me' and 'is it such a good thing to have survived this?', as I felt that way in the early months when I was struggling with this new slightly broken version of me. But, things do get better. You don't notice the little changes at first but over the months you will notice how much more capable you are. We may not get back to our pre-Annie selves but we will certainly learn a lot about life, about ourselves and about others as we go through the period of recovery, however long and arduous that road may seem. I have found that changing to decaf tea as well as drinking lots of water, and cutting back on all caffeinated drinks (diet coke unless caffeine free) has helped with the headaches. I look forward to hear more from you Take care Kel 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hello Gaynor,Welcome to BTG. Gosh.. I see that Sonia is mentioning that TWELTH month word.. Shhhh, or we'll get into trouble for giving new members bad habits!! I had my SAH just over a year ago, it's clipped, two inches behind my left eye. Like many others it's taken me a long time to accept things, I'm not going to be exactly as I was before my Annie but I'm actually quite happy with the new me,and how I view things and life in general a bit differently now. This site has been a god send to me, as it has for everyone. For me reading ' a letter from your brain ' on the home page in inspiration was my turning point. It made me take a step back and really look at things differently. Remember that the strength you get from others will be your strength. Listen to your body and rest when you need to. Oh and drink plenty of water, then a bit more water, oh and then more water after that! Also, when you have down days that's ok, let yourself ride with every emotion you go through, don't be too tough on yourself. I wish you well with your recovery. Take care, SarahLou Xx 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Welcome to BTG Gaynor,You sound very chirpy.....I am so glad to be alive and see my family ....... I look upon it as a 2nd chance to see my family again.. Tried being nice...but I am ashamed to say I get ratty at times but mostly I feel happy to be here and thank all who cared for me. Every day I get stronger and walk a few steps more...I'll show those who gave up on me lol Keep smiling Gaynor and do not get down...keep thinking how lucky I am to be alive...it keeps me going. Good Luck Gaynor and keep happy Love WinB143 x 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi Gaynor, welcome to BTG! It must have been really hard to be going through something so enormous outside of your home country. Even though we all speak English I know what you mean, our words are different. I'm Canadian and I love to holiday in the US so I have lots of experience with figuring out the different words. We giggle about it on BTG too as I try and figure out what the heck some people are saying. You just have to see the funny side of it. I agree with others have said. It's a bit of a journey getting to know the new you. My brain bleed has certainly put life's priorities in better perspective for me. I used to get so stressed out at work. I'm sure I will again but I'm trying very hard to keep things in perspective and realize that overall I want to be successful and do well but its not worth being so stressed out about. What's most important is my health and my family and friends. So since the brain bleed I eat very healthy, I drink lots of water (really helps), and I have lots of quiet time. Sandi K. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi Gaynor,How scary to have read up on it all before the op. I feel lucky that I'd never heard of this anni stuff ever before I had a bleed. The statistics are terrifying, at least if you find out after the event you are a bit too numb to fully take it in. Sounds like you are doing well and very positive. Best wishes, Michelle 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Welcome Gaynor!Glad you found us here. I see some folks are saying we Americans might be speaking funny! I resemble that I'm in Florida - so I could say I'm an expert at it Very scary for you to have read up on it while at a restaurant, and yes, in a foreign country at that. I'm glad you pulled through and it sounds as you've got a great attitude. Actually, you're really quite funny - are you also a comedienne? Whatever the case, hang in there and do drink the water! Would love to hear more from you as you deal with the recovery. Are you still in the states? Hope you're comfortable, where ever you are and are getting good care Keeping you in my thoughts for a healthy recovery, Carolyn 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldfish.girl Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hi Gaynor - you are so right - if you hadn't googled it, you may have chosen to keep your head in the sand & hope it would all remain OK. I had a giggle about the language barrier where they threatened to inject you somewhere other than your arm Hope all is going well for you Michelle x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winb143 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Keep smiling Gaynor, You sound like you have a positive attitude....Ok we all get down days ...but you keep your positive attitude...... You seem to be doing great.....and if anyone puts you down...just ignore them...Keep Happy and smiling xx All the best to you and family. love WinB143 xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spadgie Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Hi Gaynor, not sure I like the pet name for your ticking time bomb for obvious reasons! I too have one of those, discovered when a larger one ruptured and was coiled last month. You are lucky to have been spared the agonising pain of a bleed, and in my case ignorance was indeed bliss. Only now that I have read up on the condition am I freaking out at the thought of what might have happened. Do drink lots of water, as the others have said - in hospital I was forced to drink 3 litres a day, so when I'm not trying to imbibe my daily allowance I'm sitting on the loo. Good luck, fellow newbie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Hi Gaynor, not sure I like the pet name for your ticking time bomb for obvious reasons! I too have one of those, discovered when a larger one ruptured and was coiled last month. You are lucky to have been spared the agonising pain of a bleed, and in my case ignorance was indeed bliss. Only now that I have read up on the condition am I freaking out at the thought of what might have happened. Do drink lots of water, as the others have said - in hospital I was forced to drink 3 litres a day, so when I'm not trying to imbibe my daily allowance I'm sitting on the loo. Good luck, fellow newbie. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaynor Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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