Yesterday, I received the phone call that I dread!  It’s the one that you get in the middle of the night – that wakes you from your sleep and makes you ask yourself where you are, because you are so disoriented.  It was my mom, telling me that my sister had to be airlifted to another town, after being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and that it had ruptured with a lot of bleeding.  Yes, the symptoms were there.  How many of us have bad headaches and explain them away?

Yesterday, I spent most of the day trying not to think about things and finally realized last night that I wasn’t doing a very good job.  I had gone grocery shopping and had put everything away except two bags of things that needed to go in the freezer.  I asked my husband to do it and he said that the stuff wouldn’t fit.  I found myself SCREAMING about why I had to figure it out…As the words were coming out, I knew that it was frustration over the helpless feeling I had…of not being able to see my sister, hug her or even just to get a complete understanding of what was happening with her.   I cleared out the freezer, put things away and headed upstairs to my bedroom.

I posted a message to ask my friends and family to pray for my sister.  These are the times when it’s very difficult to live in another country, away from your family.  I was trying to study for a french test, but not have much luck studying and decided to go on FB instead and ask for prayers.  I typed the note, closed the computer, said a prayer and went to sleep.  When I woke up this morning, I was overwhelmed by the comments and messages of encouragement I received.  My niece, Ericka, (yes she is named after me:) said that she’s going to read them all to my sister when she wakes up in the morning.

So, I’ve learned a lot about an aneurysm in one day.   I hope the information I’ve gathered here from the Mayo Clinic will help someone who is explaining away those terrible headaches.  Here’s what I learned ( all material taken from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/brain-aneurysm/DS00582)

**What is a brain aneurysm?

“A brain aneurysm (AN-u-rizm) is a bulge or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain. It often looks like a berry hanging on a stem.

A brain aneurysm can leak or rupture, causing bleeding into the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). Most often a ruptured brain aneurysm occurs in the space between the brain and the thin tissues covering the brain. This type of hemorrhagic stroke is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage. A ruptured aneurysm quickly becomes life-threatening and requires prompt medical treatment.

Most brain aneurysms, however, don’t rupture, create health problems or cause symptoms. Such aneurysms are often detected during tests for other conditions. Treatment for an unruptured brain aneurysm may be appropriate in some cases and may prevent a rupture in the future.”

**What are the symptoms?

Ruptured aneurysm
A sudden, severe headache is the key symptom of a ruptured aneurysm. This headache is often described as the “worst headache” ever experienced. Common signs and symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm include:

• Sudden, extremely severe headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stiff neck
• Blurred or double vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Seizure
• A drooping eyelid
• Loss of consciousness
• Confusion

‘Leaking’ aneurysm
In some cases, an aneurysm may leak a slight amount of blood. This leaking (sentinel bleed) may cause only a:

• Sudden, extremely severe headache

A more severe rupture almost always follows leaking.

Unruptured aneurysm
An unruptured brain aneurysm may produce no symptoms, particularly if it’s small. However, a large unruptured aneurysm may press on brain tissues and nerves, possibly causing:

• Pain above and behind an eye
• A dilated pupil
• Change in vision or double vision
• Numbness, weakness or paralysis of one side of the face
• A drooping eyelid

When to see a doctor
A ruptured aneurysm is a medical emergency. In about 30 percent of cases, ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal.

Seek immediate medical attention if you develop a:

• Sudden, extremely severe headache

If you’re with someone who complains of a sudden, severe headache or who loses consciousness or has a seizure, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Surgery
There are two common treatment options for a ruptured brain aneurysm.

• Surgical clipping is a procedure to close off an aneurysm. The neurosurgeon removes a section of your skull to access the aneurysm and locates the blood vessel that feeds the aneurysm. Then he or she places a tiny metal clip on the neck of the aneurysm to stop blood flow to it.
• Endovascular coiling is a less invasive procedure than surgical clipping. The surgeon inserts a hollow plastic tube (catheter) into an artery, usually in your groin, and threads it through your body to the aneurysm. He or she then uses a guide wire to push a soft platinum wire through the catheter and into the aneurysm. The wire coils up inside the aneurysm, disrupts the blood flow and causes blood to clot. This clotting essentially seals off the aneurysm from the artery.

Both procedures pose risks, particularly bleeding in the brain or loss of blood flow to the brain. The endovascular coil is less invasive and may be initially safer, but it also has a higher risk of subsequent re-bleeding, and additional procedures may be necessary. Your neurosurgeon will make a recommendation based on the size of the brain aneurysm, your ability to undergo surgery and other factors.

**AN UPDATE ON MY SISTER:

My sister had surgery yesterday.  She’s feeling pretty good.  She had the endovascular coiling procedure and it seems to have gone well.  Please keep praying that there are no complications and that there is no re-bleeding.

Thanks again everyone for your prayers and words of encouragement.  My niece says that my sisters eyes were watering as she told her about all the Facebook prayers.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your prayers…

Ericka