In 2007 I was sustained a head injury in a car wreck. The only injury was the head injury, and my knee that broke the dash. I went to the ER, and was told my CT scan was fine, and I needed to go home for a lot of rest.
That was in November, and I had my first stroke-like attack in December, but I thought it was just a really bad head-ache; I've had them since I was in a wreck in H.S. That left me with a broken jaw, and later led to TMJ problems. So, I brushed the event off since I was still recovering. I felt bad, but continued to heal, or so I thought.
In February, I had another attack, and went to the ER. I remember my head was hurting, and I was going numb, but I couldn't form words. I knew what I wanted to say, but when I spoke it was gibberish. The ER doc did another CT Scan, and that came back clean, but he wasn't satisfied, and neither was I. I went back in the next couple of weeks for a Carotid Study, MRI W/and W/out contrast, MRA, and EEG. I waited to hear that nothing was wrong with me, but instead got the news handed to me on a test result; Cerebral Aneurysm. I was in shock! I immediately went to my PCP, and he got me in with the neuro 2 days later. The only thing I was thinking was that I was going to die at any time.
I saw the first neuro, and he told me he couldn't do anything for fear I may die on the table, the next said the same, and I finally saw my last neuro, and he told me to make sure I had my "affairs" in order. I broke down, he wrote me a prescription for Xanax, and told me I needed surgery asap, but he couldn't do it. I did have the answer to my head-aches, though.
The psychological war was more than I could take, so I got on the web and searched for the best docs in the nation, and I found them at The Cleveland Clinic. I had an initial consultation, and the team told me they could "coil" the aneurysm. I was trying to absorb so much info, and I was a wreck, too. I told the team I wanted to go home, (I live in TN), discuss everything with my family, and I would get back to them. I regretted leaving about 100 miles down the road. My head was killing me, but that was stress, and I had medication for my anxiety.
I returned a few weeks later, and had pre-op, etc, and I was admitted. As the team was coming to get me, I told my husband I loved him, and to make sure my family was ok if something went wrong. I came through the surgery w/out a flaw! I woke up with the worst head-ache I'd ever had, but they gave me something that knocked me out. I met w/the neuro team the next day, and they told me they had a complete coil, and I could go home in a few days. I asked if this would end the head-aches I had been suffering with for so long, and they told me it was doubtful. We went over my medication, they approved of my treatment that my PCP was administering back home, and they said I was lucky that I had found a medication that would control my head-aches. The second night was horrible, and it seemed that when they gave me a shot, it made my head hurt worse. My pain medication was changed to something else, and it worked. I was discharged in 4 days, and came back home to Tennessee.
