Category: Brain Aneurysm

I Had a Dream (a weird one!)

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I usually have very vivid, weird dreams, when I do have one. This one was no exception. And if you can hang on to the odd story long enough, there IS an aneurysm connection at the end.

I dreamt I was returning from somewhere on a very small, but long plane. There was one pilot and two aisles. I was traveling with some co-workers, as well as my regular doctor and other people from other walks of life and different locations.

As usual, I started to complain about how my sinus can cause me issues upon landing, so my Dr., seeing how she was on board, pulled out a syringe and gave me a shot to help with that issue. The problem…it was a shot in the nose! I vividly recall the sensation of that shot. It didn’t hurt, but wow, was it odd. It helped, just as they said.

Upon descending, the plane took an odd route and suddenly we found ourselves landing on a main drag…a road….a city
street!! Was there a problem with the plane? We didn’t think so. It was a small town, probably close to Manchester, NH and amazingly, the streets were empty and our plane, miraculously, was narrow enough to make it through these streets without the wings being clipped. What the heck was going on?

Finally word came that a huge propane explosion had occurred in the area. I’m guessing it was at the airport, which was why we had to land in the streets…I guess! LOL

We then got word (from where, I don’t know!) that the explosion had been felt some 35 miles away. Just then we started to see damage outside our windows at the plane continued to taxi down
streets. Every single window out of every single building had been blown out. The buildings, to that point, were completely intact, just not windows. Fire trucks and emergency vehicles were everywhere treating injured people.

Then we saw the huge plume of black smoke from the explosion in the distance, and as we continued to move, damaged buildings became more extensive and horrific. It was awful. Very obviously, people had been injured or killed in this area. The people on board the plane were silent.

The plane suddenly came to a stop behind a fire truck. We were still on a street. The plane was so small, it actually had a tarp as its roof! (I know…weird again!) The pilot had to pull
it off the plane from the cockpit. LOL As he started to pull the tarp off, people started to mull about and get off the plane. He immediately yelled at people that we’d be having a “meeting” with emergency personal soon to take us somewhere, but to please stay on the plane.

Well, of course, people being people, the second the doors opened (or the tarp came off!!) they started to exit the
plane. Our pilot was NOT happy and immediately started yelling at people to get on board the plane. There was a lot of pissing and moaning from other passengers about how “they needed to get off the plane, it was hot”, or “my
legs are tired, just let me look around”.

It was then, that I couldn’t stand it anymore and stood up on my seat and yelled at the top of my lungs, with great fury: “I had a ruptured brain aneurysm exactly four months ago. I could have died within seconds, but I survived. I’m living, breathing proof that people can survive one of these damn things. I’m lucky to be here at all.

If this plane had landed, or descended 10 minutes earlier, we might not be here due to this horrific explosion. Surely, people have been injured and lost their lives as a result of this incident, so shut up and get on the plane and be thankful you have your lives, limbs and luggage.”

And…then I woke up! LOL I wish I could have known if my little speech made people think and get back on the plane and be quiet. I recall in my dream they were standing there in silence as I made my rant.

I remember some dreams in extreme detail like this one. I think perhaps because today IS the four month anniversary of my ruptured aneurysm, that it played some significance for me.
But it sure was a strange way to go about it!

Doctor’s Visit

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I had a Dr’s appointment with my regular physician today. Not only is she my doctor, but she is my physical therapist doing some OMT therapy on my neck for probably going on two years now. I had not seen her since my rupture in October.

I wasn’t sure we’d get to the therapy part of my visit and I was right. She did some brief, subtle manipulation on my neck towards the end of the visit, but for the most part we spent the time discussing my aneurysm.

I also needed to get a prescription from her: The antibiotics I need to take before dental or any medical procedures for the rest of my life. As mentioned in another entry, I was not well-informed on this issue, but I now have a prescription to take four 50 mg pills an hour before any procedure. I hope to God they’re not horse pills and I have no allergic reaction to them. We’ll see next Thursday when I go BACK for my cleaning.

She was also able to get me a referral for a neurologist in the area, which I’m very glad about. The neurosurgeon she’s recommending is part of the group that comes up to Waterville that’s associated with Dr. D’Angelo, who was my neurosurgeon in Portland. I trusted him and liked him, so I would trust someone he hired to be apart of this group.

The big issue that arose during this visit was that she recommended, rather TOLD me, to stop taking birth control pills. She first asked if anyone had told me to stop taking them….um…no! She said there are many risks, not only with women my age, but due to the aneurysm and the surgery, there are other risks and that I should stop and think about having my tubes tied, or other options, I would need to discuss with Dave for obvious reason.

I was totally unprepared for this and became quite emotional during my visit. There was a lot of information thrown at me in a short amount of time, and I was totally unprepared for it and don’t even remember all she said. I didn’t really know why I became so emotional and apologized for it, but she reminded me: the aneurysm has caused so much disruption in my life, I have every right to be emotional and that it’s okay to cry, but it hurts when I do! Double-edged sword there. Not only the near-death aspect of it, but it has effected my health, my life, my love life, my work life, my play life……everything, so this one other, unexpected side-effect, kind of blind-sided me. I’m probably far too emotional about it than I need to be, but I can’t seem to stop it just yet.

I’m not comfortable stopping the Pill cold turkey without speaking to my OBGYN, which will be my next step.

So, todays visit helped resolve some issues, but brought up some new ones. We won’t have  PT session until April to still give me time to rest and heal. It’s coming up on my four month anniversary…..it truly hasn’t been that long in the grand scheme of what has happened, so I need to remember that.

Dentist

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Well, today I discovered what my neuroradiologist meant when he said “antibiotic prophylactic” at the tail end of my follow-up check up in November in response to my asking a question about a dentist appointment. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell me I needed a prescription for it, what type of antibiotic I needed and that I needed to take it one hour before even a cleaning at my dentist.

I found this out this morning when I just mentioned antibiotic prophylactic before my cleaning. Red flags were thrown, they tried to call the Dr’s office and couldn’t get through and I had to turn around and come home and will call the Dr’s office
this afternoon to try and get an answer.

I am kicking myself for not asking sooner, but I really didn’t know what it was, nor how, or whom to ask. Thankfully, the dental technician was very helpful. My Neuroradiologist….was not.

I reschedule my dental appointment for the 2nd time and will try it again in a couple of weeks. I may have to take them forever before any kind of a dental procedure that might trigger bleeding. Or maybe only for a year or so. I don’t know. It’s to ward off any kind of risk for bacteria getting into my blood stream, which makes sense….NOW! LOL It’s quite common for people who have had specific types of surgery

Aches & Pains Update

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For those of you who are reading my blog; an update on effects from the aneurysm and surgery.

As or the last couple of days, I have felt pretty good. Still, the time I most feel head pain is first thing in the morning and sometimes right before falling asleep. Sinus pressure still seems to effect me greatly darn it and I’ve had two migraines since the surgery…double darn it.

I still have Vicodin, but only take it when the pain is very sever, which is still can be, but much less frequently. Usually the Tylenol helps, or closing my eyes.

I’m still struggling with stamina…or lack there of. I can do laundry and get a little tired, but talking for a long time or being around a lot of talking can really make me feel exhausted.

I’ve been working 5 to 6 hours a day, twice a week and by the time I get home I’m really pooped. Sometime with a bad headache that last for hours, but for the most part, once I eat something and rest for a bit, it feels better.

Overall, I’m doing better. I’m walking three times a week, just inside. We have a one-story, ranch-style house, so it’s a nice trek and it feels good to have some exercise and get my heart rate going.

I have a friend who’s father is currently dying from cancer. Sadly, there is nothing they can do for him and I’m told, even though she knows he is in pain, he is not complaining.

I was lucky in that I was able to have surgery to correct my problem and I AM complaining. I’ve tried to stop it. My little aches and pains are minor compared to what he is going through and what I’ve already gone through. The worst of my recovery
is over. Frustration and some lingering “after-effect” are all I have to contend with now and I should just buck up and tell people I’m “Good!”. Because, after what I HAVE been there, I truly am. And I’m very lucky to be alive, have all my motor functions and to be able to work some. I have the luxury of time for my recovering, her father does not and God bless him for being so strong for his family.