Laura Branigan
I am one of the lucky few that survived a ruptured brain aneurysm.
A Cerebral (Brain) Aneurysm is a weak spot in an artery inside your head that tends to bulge out. One of the most common types is know as a "Saccular or Berry" aneurysm because it looks like a little berry that grows on a bush.
A better example of an aneurysm is a weak spot in an inner tube of a bicycle tire. A bubble will form and then bulge when too much air is pumped into the tire. The bubble will burst if you keep pumping air into the inner tube.
The weak spots in an artery can be caused by a number of things.
1. Congenital
A defect in an artery that developed when you were born.
2. Hereditary. A relative:
Grandpa
Grandma
Aunt Flo
Uncle Sid
3. High Blood Pressure
4. A well-known villain... Smoking
5. Hypertension. High strung, nervous, or jumpy all the time.
6. Type of diet... Too fatty can also contribute to high blood pressure.
7. A sudden sharp blow to the head.
8. High impact sporting events.
The causes can, and are, varied. It all depends on your source of information. The reasons pointed out above are generally accepted as the most common reasons for an aneurysm developing. It should be a matter of course to have a thorough interior head examination when things do not seem quite right or you know there is a history of problems in your family.
What are the symptoms of a brain aneurysm?
The symptoms of a brain aneurysm forming can be hard to spot. Almost 90% of the people that have an undamaged aneurysm do not have a clue that something is wrong. This is the group that is in the most danger of being permanently injured, or worse, die, when the aneurysm burst.
A simple noninvasive medical test called "Magnetic Resonance Imaging" (MRI) can detect most of the "Cerebral Aneurysms" long before they rupture. The problem being is that your doctor may have to jump through a lot of hoops to get an okay from an insurance company to pay the bill.
There are a number of symptoms that indicate a possible aneurysm has formed. However, quite often these symptoms will be ignored and passed off as a nuisance in life.
The hardest symptom to spot is a change in your personality. It is very difficult to admit that you are not the same sweet, lovable person you think you are.
Some of the more common symptoms of a possible aneurysm problem are:
1. Headaches.
2. Upset stomach; sometimes uncontrolled vomiting.
3. Stiff neck. This can be a real danger signal.
4. Double Vision.
5. Eye pain
These sound like everyday things. However, they should not be ignored.
Once you suffer a full-blown Cerebral Aneurysm Rupture, (Sub-arachnoid hemorrhage -SAH-) the blood will spurt out and flow into the outer surrounding area of the brain. This causes a tremendous amount of pressure and in turn cause sever headaches.
These headaches are often called:
1. The worst headache I have ever had.
2. It felt like I was hit in the head with a shovel.
3. My head felt like a bolt of lighting hit me.
A lot hinges on how fast treatment is giving for this type of brain trauma. Life, or death, will often times be determined by how fast you get treated for a ruptured brain aneurysm.
Some sobering statistics for a ruptured brain aneurysm are:
1. 25% will die within one day.
2. 25% of those that survive the first day will die within 6 months.
3. More than half of the survivors will have a permanent disability.
A survivor needs a lot of help and understanding from family members and friends. His/her life has been turned upside down and mental confusion will reign supreme. They will need your help.
I survived a brain aneurysm that ruptured. I am happy to take my place beside some of the more famous people that are still with us today.
1. Terry Garr
2. Neil Young
3. Quincy Jones
4. Peter Gammons
It's sad to note that some were not as lucky.
1. Laura Branigan
2. Shirley Walker
Part two (2) will cover some of the events after a cerebral aneurysm ruptures.
Richard Tolar survived a brain aneurysm that ruptured in 2002. He is recounting some of his triumphs and failures since the incident. Meet Richard at his blog at: http://www.abrainaneurysm.com/
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Laura Branigan - Gloria [1982]
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