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When Lightning Strikes, You Have to Act
Posted on August 27th, 2009 3 commentsI had a brain storm during dinner one hot July evening. Lightning cracked inside my head. Hot tingling electricity sparked and thrummed throughout my brain. My 17-year old son put down his fork and asked if I was okay.
I remember saying, “No. I don’t think so.”
Looking back, I can see why he and my husband sprung into action. Never have I said those words, ever. Double pneumonia didn’t slow me down. Various flues were mere annoyances. Even the ruptured disc in my neck didn’t keep me from my appointed rounds of cooking, carpooling, and working.
This was different and they knew it. Just seconds after my brain storm hit, I was lying on the floor. My husband kept asking, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” My son yelled, “Call 911! Call 911”
I don’t remember much after that. Now and then, I’d float up into brief moments of awareness. Someone removed my wedding rings, calmly telling me I wouldn’t be needing them for awhile. My husband sobbed. A nurse called out my temperature, “92 degrees! 92 degrees!” As I felt myself peacefully floating toward a golden light on the Eastern horizon, someone urgently repeated, “Stay with me Barbara. Stay with me. You must stay with me tonight.”
My last actual thought? “I’ve made a mistake.” As I turned away from the golden light, I heard, “Good you’re back. Stay with me.”
So here I am.
The simple truth is, anyone who survives a brain storm from a ruptured brain aneurysm is lucky to be alive. That’s because about half of us die before getting to a hospital that can diagnosis and fix the problem. Why? If it’s a big brain storm like mine and we’re alone, who will call 911? If the brainstorm is not quite as severe, it’s tempting to rest on the couch and wait to see if the symptoms (headache, nausea, trembling, and confusion) will go away.
My friend’s sister-in-law was jogging when her brain storm happened. As she lay unconscious on the sidewalk, a passerby picked up her cell phone and called her last dialed number. Her husband answered, drove to where she lay, then called 911. I’ve talked to several other brain storm survivors who have driven themselves to the doctor or hospital after gritting through the headache of a lifetime for hours or days. Scary, isn’t it? This is a STROKE we are talking about here—a stroke caused by a rupturing artery in the brain!
What I know is this: we are all lucky to be here.
I am here because time is brain and my husband and son called 911 right away. I am here because an emergency room doctor decided that I needed to be treated at the country’s best brain aneurysm surgery center, so he transferred me right away. I am here because my kind, wise and talented surgeons didn’t give up on me, even after they counted not one, not two, but 13 brain aneurysms in my head.
Like you, I am here. I have stayed. And I am glad.
Aneurysm, Aneurysm symptoms, Brain Aneurysm, Brain Storms, Stroke, Surgery, Symptoms Aneurysm, Brain Aneurysm, Brain Storms, Stroke, Surgeons, Surgery, Symptoms3 responses to “When Lightning Strikes, You Have to Act”
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Barb, as a nurse at the NBAC on 5th floor I’m really going to enjoy reading your blog. This is a perspective that I just don’t get to see when someone is in a coma and/or has a temp of 92 degrees.
Thank you,
Tim -
marge robertson January 1st, 2010 at 19:18
Hi Barb – my husband(55) retired in April (completely healthy and no symptoms) and in August was fishing in Alaska when he fell to his knees in the boat. He had an aneurysm and miracles began to unfold – as it took 6 hours to airlift him to Seattle where he was in NICU for 4 weeks and then 2 weeks in rehab. He is scheduled to have reconstruction surgery in February to replace his piece of skull they need to remove to allow for swelling – should have been replaced by now however he then developed a blood clot in his leg which required 6 months of coumadin. He has weakness on his right side and by noon he needs to sleep and rest. Cognitively he is in tact.
I am wondering what is to most helpful things your family did for you during your recovery?
Thank you – Marge -
Barbara January 5th, 2010 at 12:13
Dear Marge,
Your situation brings back a lot of memories. I am sorry you and your husband have gone through so much and have more to go through. I am also impressed with your positive attitude. Miracles DO happen. You have seen and experienced one.When I was recovering, I felt as if I were traveling 33 rpm in an IPod world. Frankly, I still have days when I feel like that. Perhaps age is a factor, too?
Whatever the cause, when the brain is traveling at 33 rpm, normal IPod-world things can cause it to skip. That’s frustrating and tiring.
For me, it was exhausting to have too many people around at any one time. Groups of people tend to talk a lot, interrupt each other and ask each other lots of questions. It’s fun, but it’s also a lot of brain work to keep track of everything. My husband literally scheduled visits. But if a group dropped in we came up with a hand signal that we still use. The signal basically means, “I’m okay but need a few minutes of quiet.” My husband would then move the group (”Let’s go downstairs. I’ll show you my trains!”) Or I’d excuse myself to a quiet room and he wouldn’t worry because he knew I was okay and would return in about 20 minutes.
We stumbled upon other daily-life, practical things that helped–ideas that, frankly, aren’t in any “Road Through Recovery” brochure we’ve seen. I’d be happy to share them with you. Who knows? Maybe some would help?
Take care!
Barbara
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Tim L September 7th, 2009 at 17:28