Ruptured Brain Aneurysm. It's Possible To Survive

Can You Survive a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm? Part 1 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 02:09:00 +0000

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?

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/

Brain Facts

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 07:58:00 +0000

The brain is an incredible organ. It does all of your thinking for you and controls all of your body's functions, both voluntary and involuntary. Here are some interesting and strange brain facts that most people don't know.

Your brain uses 20% of the energy of your whole body but it only weighs 2%. An elephant's brain is larger than a human brain, but only takes up 0.15% of its body, so that gives you an idea of how smart we are. The human brain is around 3 pounds. As far as parts of the body go, that's not very heavy. Your skin actually weights twice as much as your brain!

First of all, the brain isn't actually grey; it looks pink. This is because of the blood flowing through it. If you could hold your brain in your hands, it would feel like a ripe avocado. The texture is so soft that you could cut it with a butter knife. But that would be a terribly stupid thing to do.

Your brain is around 78% water. The rest is lipids, protein, carbohydrates, salt and other organic materials. There are 100 billion brain cells (neurons) in the brain. That's roughly the same number of stars in our galaxy. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels with about 3 cans of soda's worth of blood flowing through it every minute.

While you're awake, your brain is creating anywhere from 10 to 25 watts of power. This is enough to power a light bulb. Whenever you have a new thought or remember something, you actually create a new physical connection. On average, every person has around 70,000 thoughts in one day. Hopefully one of them is to call your mother – it's her birthday. The brain generates more electrical impulses in a day than all of the telephones in the world put together. You blink about 20,000 times a day and each time your brain's visual receptors kick in to keep things lit up for you.

The first sense babies develop in the womb is the sense of touch. Babies are born with a natural ability for joy, happiness, fear and shyness. How a child is nurtured determines how these emotions develop. Children who speak two languages before age five have denser grey matter as adults.

We hope you enjoyed these fun brain facts. In spite of it being mostly water and feeling like an avocado, your brain does amazing things. Share these brain facts with your friends and you can make some great party conversation that will make everybody wonder about you!

We recommend investing in this guide to human physiology and anatomy. It will help you learn anatomy, including the brain, very efficiently and quicly!. Plus it's a fantastic reference for the entire human body with an extensive section on the brain.

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Harmony Of Mind And Body With Yoga

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:21:00 +0000

By Mark Thompson

Meditation with Yoga will do wonders to improve the harmony of mind and body we all seek. How often do we find that we are unable to perform our activities properly and in a satisfying manner because of the confusions and conflicts in our mind weigh heavily upon us?For some refreshing yoga meditation, try out Yoga classes Durham

Stressful thoughts and emotions are the primary reason many of us are faced with physical and emotional problems. And with the help of yoga this things can be corrected. As far as your body is concerned, yoga has proven effective at helping with numerous physical disorders. Following, we will go over several of the numerous advantages yoga has to offer.

To begin with yoga is great for improving flexibility. There are yoga positions that help with the specific body joints. Including those joints that are not acted upon with regular exercises routines.

Yoga also helps keep joints well lubricated. The well researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.

It has also been found that the body which may have started doing yoga being a inflexible one may experience a quite remarkable flexibility in the end on those parts of the body which have not been consciously worked upon. For some great classes to decrease joint stress come see us at yoga Cary

Interestingly enough, yoga also massages internal organs. Yoga is perhaps the only exercise that can work on through your internal organs in a thorough manner, including those that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime.

With yoga, you get a total body workout, it acts on helping the person as a whole, rather than acting on only a limited subset of body parts. Stimulation of internal organs, has numerous health benefits, and prevents the onset of many organ problems.

A very helpful benefit of yoga, is that it increases the body awareness of the practitioner, and thus helps a person be forewarned of an impending health problem.

Yoga offers a total detoxification of the body. As you engage in a yoga workout the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and internal organs are all massaged and stretched.

Yoga helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny of your body as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. The benefits will be apparent, and include, but are not limited to, delayed aging, increased energy, and increased vitality.

Your muscles will also become well toned. Flabby muscles will become toned over time and the proportion of body fat that you carry will be reduced as well.

All these great physical benefits are simply a side effect of yoga. Yoga was created long ago to help the mind and body to function together in harmony. It is now an open secret that the will of the mind has enabled people to achieve extraordinary physical feats, which proves beyond doubt the mind and body connection.

Yoga, is actually a way for an individual that meditate, so that the body, mind, and soul become in a harmonious state that leads to a well balanced peaceful individual. Through yoga meditation, one learns to achieve physical and emotional well being. This in turn creates a extraordinary calmness and a positive outlook, which also has tremendous benefits on the physical health of the body.

About the Author:

For a holistic approach to yoga visit us at: Yoga Cary

Alternative Medicine Can Be Beneficial

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:30:00 +0000

By Lenny Bernofski

In the February 2011 issue of The Female Patient there was an article stating that acupuncture has become a bigger part of mainstream medicine. We've seen a steady increase of acupuncturists in Los Angeles using acupuncture for pregnant women who would like limited risks and complications that you may encounter when taking medication.

Through personal experiences and passing the information along many Los Angeles women have discovered that acupuncture does work and that the risks to the well being of their child and themselves are limited, even if there isn't scientific proof that can only be attained through expensive clinical trials. Studies have shown that acupuncture can help during pregnancy with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and can also be a successful treatment for back and pelvic pain and depression.

Acupuncture has been shown to help induce labor, reduce labor pain and greatly reduce the need for analgesia during childbirth. The risks during acupuncture are extremely limited, and provide a safe and effective alternative to using pharmaceuticals, which can cause complications.

With all of this information women are ready turn to acupuncture and explore the benefits, once they see positive results they will keep using acupuncture without the support of extensive scientific studies. They have first hand experience in the benefits of acupuncture and why it works.

So many women have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy approximately %50 to %90. Via stimulation of a certain point called PC-6 (which is located on the forearm, palm side between two tendons approximately three finger width up from the crease of the wrist) acupuncture has shown positive results in being effective in relieving symptoms of nausea and vomiting. The use of electro stimulation (electroacupuncture) and acupressure may increase results when used at this particular point (PC-6). Patients are not focused on exact mechanism or scientific validation of these results if it works for them.

More common symptoms during pregnancy that acupuncture can resolve are pelvic pain and back pain. Twenty five percent of women will seek medical help for these symptoms out of this twenty five percent up to eight percent will become bed ridden and up to seven percent will still have these symptoms after childbirth. Acupuncture has shown positive results in relieving back and pelvic pain in pregnant women. The standard regime for these symptoms is physical therapy, acupuncture has results suggesting that it may be more effective. Acupuncture provides low risk treatment that does not involve pharmaceuticals to help with lower back pain and pelvic pain in pregnant women.

Women from ages 25 to 45 who are pregnant often experience depression. Medical professionals have been searching for natural methods to help with depression, relieving depression is crucial to the health of the child, mother and the family as a whole. Staying away from medication greatly reduces complications during pregnancy. There are clinical trials that have shown that there is a %63 positive response rate in using acupuncture to relieve depression during pregnancy. Acupuncture is an excellent alternative to pharmaceuticals for treating depression and the risks are very limited.

Acupuncture hasn't become popular for inducing labor at this point, although it has shown the reduced need for analgesics during labor. All acupuncturists need to be aware of certain precautions when treating women who are pregnant. Acupuncture is a great alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and is low risk and natural. Veterinarians have been successful at providing evidence that acupuncture does not have a placebo effect by using acupuncture on animals.

Executing a clinical trial is very expensive. Acupuncture does not have something to patent like pharmaceutical companies, so there is no monetary gain to be had by conducting trials for acupuncture. We need to wait for government organizations or non- profit organizations such as the National Institute of Health to provide funding and to conduct these studies. This is a long process and takes far longer than for a profit private sector. MRI scans of the brain during acupuncture show strong readings the moment the insertion of the acupuncture needle sends a signal to the brain through the afferent nervous pathways, this stimulates the desired response of the CNS (central nervous system). The CNS sends desired signals to the targeted areas of the body through the efferent nervous system pathways. Just one of the crucial reactions achieved through acupuncture is to settle down the sympathetic nervous system. Acupuncture may allow the central nervous system to do its job, restoring health and maintaining it by taking the patient away from the fight or flight response.

Acupuncture is becoming wildly popular in mainstream medicine despite the lack of several scientific studies proving why it is effective. Patients are willing to try acupuncture because of the low risk, the fact that it is natural and because it is pharmaceutical free. Many patients pass the benefits of acupuncture along to others and continue treatment themselves because of their own successful results. Because of its popularity many Medical Doctors and mainstream practitioners are exposed to the results of acupuncture, which prompts them to refer patients to an acupuncturist. Eastern and Western medicine can bring the best of both worlds to patients creating more opportunities for success.

About the Author:

Having an Acupuncturist is a great way to stay healthy. Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine that provides low risk treatment for many conditions.. Also published at Alternative Medicine Can Be Beneficial.

Winter Fun Can Bring Dangerous Head Injuries

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:44:00 +0000

By Mark Rosenberg, M.D.

At this holiday time of the year, many of my patients can't wait to head for the snow-covered mountain resorts for a winter vacation full of sports fun like snowboarding, skiing, snowmobiling and/or sledding.

Normally I don't like to put a damper on my patients enthusiasm for winter sports, but I do like to caution them, as I would you, about the dangers of serious, sometimes fatal, head injuries that can occur while involved in these high-speed winter sports. Of course, head injuries, on any level of seriousness, can occur all yearlong from sports or even just from a fall off a ladder.

But, engaging in some winter sports sets the perfect stage for a life-threatening head injury with the combination of ice, snow and fast moving body mechanics. Winter holiday resort visitors are especially at high risk for these injuries as they may not be very skilled and frequently are taking lessons in the sport for the first time.

Actress Natasha Richardson brought the dangers of vacation winter sports home to all of us with her untimely, tragic death from a seemingly minor concussion while taking beginner skiing lessons at a Canadian ski resort with her family. Worse, when the injury occurred, she thought she was okay and didn't seek medical help immediately, which could have saved her life. A few hours later she developed fatal brain swelling/hemorrhage.

Surviving Head Injuries - What You Can Do

The most important thing you can do to survive a head injury is to AVOID getting a head injury! Here's how:

➢ Wear a helmet: Whether you are snowboarding, sledding, skiing, or snowmobiling, it is absolutely crucial to protect your head with a good helmet. You wouldn't go without a helmet on your bicycle and winter sports are even faster moving and potentially more dangerous than riding a bike.

➢ Know your sport, know your limitations: People, especially on vacation, take unnecessary risks that they wouldn't normally do. They get on fast moving snowmobiles, or snowboards without much knowledge of the sport, and soon realize they don't know how to maneuver when they hit a bump and go flying off. The key is to know what you're doing, how to handle equipment and yourself before you attempt to participate in such high speed sports. Heed rules and regulations where you are participating in the sport - the terrain where you are may necessitate different procedures than you're used to. Take lessons ahead of time and practice under supervision.

➢ Know The Symptoms: Headache, slurred speech, blurry vision, nausea, changes in speech, memory, pain, sleepiness, occurring after hitting your head could indicate hidden trauma within the brain. If you start to feel sleepy, DO NOT go to sleep. Get to an urgent care or hospital emergency room immediately.

➢ Don't Second Guess An Injury: If you fall and hit your head, you may, like Ms. Richardson, initially feel okay and be talking and acting normally. But, it would really be in your best interest to get checked by a doctor who may be able to see subtle warning signs of bleeding in your brain. Also, you should sit out of the action for 2 hours after the fall during which time you can be observed for any neurologic changes. The first 2 hours is critical in a head injury situation.

➢ Don't Go Off On Your Own: Often times people want to explore trails or secluded areas by themselves on vacations, but this is really not a good idea, especially if you do not know the area very well. Stay in close proximity to other people who will know if you fall and can help you and call for help.

➢ Alcohol and Sports Don't Mix: This should be a no-brainer, but you'd be shocked how many people wind up in hospital emergency rooms with traumatic brain injuries after drinking and trying to operate jet skis, snowmobiles, or get on water skis or kite skis pulled by a boat. If you've had some alcohol, your reflexes are slower than you realize. Wait until you've cleared the effects of alcohol from your system to participate in these kinds of sports.

Sports of all kinds, both winter and summer, can be a lot of fun and provide good, healthy exercise out in the fresh air with your friends or family. Yet, they can also be the source of serious head trauma that can leave you permanently disabled or worse. Take precautions listed here and seek medical help if you hit your head.

How To Make A Brain Injury Claim

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:41:00 +0000

By Lauren D. Heath

Despite the advances of medical science, survivors of brain injuries will see huge changes in what they are capable of and many will need 24-hour care. Brain injuries can occur because of accidents during sports or medical procedures, they can be because of traffic accidents or assault. But regardless of how a brain injury is sustained, the cost of caring for someone with one can be huge. For some, the only way to cope is to make a claim for compensation.

Although there are many solicitors that will take on your case, an important question to ask is: 'do they have relevant experience in this area?' The complexity of brain injury claims means that you should try and find someone who specializes in these types of cases. Brain injury charities such as Headway have a list of accredited solicitors that will offer you the best chance of a quick, well-paid conclusion.

Choosing a specialist in the area will also likely mean they can help you with more than just legal advice. This will include providing immediate financial assistance and helping you or even providing you with rehabilitation and housing modifications. Coping with these types of things can be daunting for anyone at the best of times, so having someone to help you shouldn't be underestimated.

Often insurance companies may tell clients they are obliged to use a suggested solicitor, but you can rest assured that this is not the case. Those affected by brain injuries are free to use any solicitor they want, so you can ensure that you have the best possible chances of receiving the compensation you deserve.

There are a wide range of brain injuries - traumatic brain injury, skull fractures, and severe brain injury for example. These injuries can devastate lives, but without financial, emotional and practical support the consequences can be even more terrifying. By speaking to a specialist solicitor as soon as possible, you can make a terrible situation that little bit more bearable.

About the Author:

You really need some help with brain injury claims.

The Benefits Of Having Specialist Solicitors In Brain Injury Claims

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:16:00 +0000

By Lauren D. Heath

Life Threatening Brain Injuries Can Occur

Brain injuries are some of the most dangerous and life-threatening injuries that can occur. Surviving them often means 24-hour help will be needed to have an adequate quality of life. Whether as a result of a road traffic or medical accident, during sports or other activities or as part of a violent crime, the costs of coping with a brain injury can easily spiral out of control. In these circumstances it is vital you look into whether you can make a brain injury compensation claim.

Many law firms deal with compensation claims, but a select few are specialists in the area. In most cases the person who has had the brain injury cannot choose a law firm for themselves - in these situations, the person responsible for the victim will want to have the best legal representation possible. Charities such as headway, who are interested solely in brain injuries and the wider difficulties it causes can put you in touch with a suitable law firm that has specific experience with brain injuries.

Choosing a specialist in the area will also likely mean they can help you with more than just legal advice. This will include providing immediate financial assistance and helping you or even providing you with rehabilitation and housing modifications. Coping with these types of things can be daunting for anyone at the best of times, so having someone to help you shouldn't be underestimated.

Some people may mistakenly believe they have to choose a solicitor of their insurance company's choosing, but in reality, people who have suffered a brain injury are free to choose whoever they want to represent them. The only considerations you have to make when choosing a solicitor is who would be best to cope with the demands of a brain injury compensation claim.

There are a wide range of brain injuries - traumatic brain injury, skull fractures, and severe brain injury for example. These injuries can devastate lives, but without financial, emotional and practical support the consequences can be even more terrifying. By speaking to a specialist solicitor as soon as possible, you can make a terrible situation that little bit more bearable.

About the Author:

You really need some help with brain injury claims.

What is acquired brain injury?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Acquired brain injury are very serious and have long-lasting health effects in people who have this type of brain injury. The brain controls our body and is required for expression, movement, and other functions of the body, so this type of injury can affect the expression, motor and even social functions.

What is acquired brain injury? It is a brain injury that occurs after birth and causes extensive damage to the brain.
How does one to this type of injury? Falls, accidents, traffic accidents and physical abuse may cause traumatic brain injury. Most people with traumatic brain injuries has had any impact on the head which gave rise to the injury.

The brain lesions are serious? Brain injuries can be very serious and sometimes people don't even know how serious is until they begin to experience side effects. Some of these side effects include: headaches, fatigue, epilepsy, incontinence, loss of sensation, speech loss and loss of motor function.

How is this type of head injury treated? Depending on the severity of the traumatic head injury, the person will need some type of medical care. In general, the person will need help from nurses, physicians, speech therapists, physical therapists, social workers, occupational therapists and clinical psychologists.
What other forms of traumatic brain injury? Other forms are as follows: stroke, tumours, haemorrhages, hematoma, encephalitis and hypoxia.

What are the legal implications? If the person was wound by another person and that caused the injury may sue that person. Persons with traumatic brain injury should receive a lot of care which can be very expensive. If you are an adult and suffered this type of damage, then can work and be turned off by what would have to compensate for loss of wages and damages.

What documentation is counsel necessary that it represents? Your lawyer will need to evaluate your case through the review of the incidents that took place before and after brain injury. The lawyer will review your medical records read any necessary police reports and see what its outcome is and assess how much should sue for compensation. It is important to choose the right lawyer because they represent their interests. The lawyer must do research appropriate to bring forward a case well rounded up to the judge on head injury and traumatic brain injuries.

What is the claims process like? The claims process involves the following steps: show the cause of her injury and it is the fault, they have a complete medical examination and assess their forecast to determine the appropriate compensation. These steps must be taken before submit your complaint to pass before a judge in a Court of law. How traumatic injury of the brain to the families? Depending on the severity of the injury, families can be very affected by their loved ones brain injury. Some people with traumatic brain injury in comatose or even cannot speak or take care of themselves. This leaves your care to other family members or a long-term facility. This can be a very difficult situation trying, especially if you have a family and children to be taken into account. Families mourn in different ways, of their loved one has changed due to a head injury. It can be more whelming and take time for people who get used to his new family situation.

What types of support are out there for people and families affected by traumatic brain injuries? There are web sites for patients such as aphasia, brain injury Association of America and brain and spine Foundation. These resources may be very beneficial for brain traumatic patients and their families. If you or a family member has suffered a traumatic brain injury, please speak to a lawyer who specializes in this area of law to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Neil Glover
Serious law - specialized services for spinal cord injury, brain injury, injury to the head and amputation of specialized injury law practice clients leader of the United Kingdom.
http://www.seriousinjurylaw.co.UK/
0800 61 66 81

My friend who just passed away last spring from a ruptured brain aneurysm

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:15:00 +0000

What is a brain aneurysm?

A brain (cerebral) aneurysm is a bulging, weak area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to the brain. In most cases, a brain aneurysm causes no symptoms and goes unnoticed. In rare cases, the brain aneurysm ruptures, releasing blood into the skull and causing a stroke.

When a brain aneurysm ruptures, the result is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage. Depending on the severity of the hemorrhage, brain damage or death may result. The most common location for brain aneurysms is in the network of blood vessels at the base of the brain called the circle of Willis.

What causes a brain aneurysm?

A person may inherit the tendency to form aneurysms, or aneurysms may develop because of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and aging. Some risk factors that can lead to brain aneurysms can be controlled, and others can't. The following risk factors may increase your risk of developing an aneurysm or, if you already have an aneurysm, may increase your risk of it rupturing:

Family history. People who have a family history of brain aneurysms are twice as likely to have an aneurysm as those who don't.
Previous aneurysm. About 20% of patients with brain aneurysms have more than one.
Gender. Women are twice as likely to develop a brain aneurysm or to suffer a subarachnoid hemorrhage as men.
Race. African Americans have twice as many subarachnoid hemorrhages as whites.
Hypertension.

Living With Traumatic Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 13:16:00 +0000

People with traumatic brain injuries

In this University of Washington program, Kathleen Bell, rehabilitation physician at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Myron Goldberg, neuropsychologist at UWMC, Robert Fraser, vocational rehabilitation specialist at UWMC and Mary Pepping, neuropsychologist at UWMC, all weigh in on life with traumatic brain injuries.

People with traumatic brain injuries may experience physical, cognitive or personality changes that affect their work and relationships. In this program from the University of Washington, hear stories of people who are rebuilding their lives and readjusting to family, careers and everyday life. This program is sponsored by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services/Aging and Disability Services Administration, University of Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, and Harborview Medical Center.

Brain Aneurysm News

BRAIN ANEURYSM COILING BY SIBASANKAR DALAI

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Ruptured Right AICA Aneurysm Coiling [Brain Aneurysm]

Ruptured Right AICA Aneurysm Coiling [Brain Aneurysm : balloon-like bulge of a blood vessel in the brain,highly susceptible to rupture causing major brain hemorrhage and/or death.] 40% of the patients having an Brain aneurysm rupture, die before reaching the hospital.Patients who make it to the hospital,run a 70%-80% risk of re-rupture of the aneurysm.This second re-rupture almost always kills the patient. "Aneurysm coiling" packs the aneurysm with detachable platinum coils preventing any further re-rupture and hence, saves the patient's life.

Brain Aneurysm News

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): The Causes Signs And The Symptoms

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:56:00 +0000

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The brain controls physical and psychological actions of the body, so a brain injury can result in physical impairment, as well as behavioral changes. Brain injuries are classified as mildly traumatic, moderately traumatic, or severely traumatic, however any injury to the brain is considered to be traumatic. Continue reading and learn about traumatic brain injury (TBI), its causes, signs and symptoms.

When any force outside the body injures the brain, it is classified as TBI - also referred to as intracranial injury. It is one of the major causes of fatality in the world. There are also secondary injuries that are a result of brain trauma, and they can also be fatal. Car accidents, violent occurrences, and falls are at the top of the list for cause.

Injured brain tissue swells, and it then causes pressure against the skull which results in damage. From this damage, various symptoms may occur. The symptoms vary depending on the degrees of injury and swelling. The damage and swelling can be in a specific area, or can be wide-spread throughout the entire brain, which will have a great deal to do with the resulting effects on the body.

Unfortunately, after hospitalization, forty percent of patients hospitalized for TBI injuries do not improve. The secondary issues associated are typically the reason. Excessive neuro-chemicals flood the brain and inflammation is also plays a role. The altered blood flow is also a big issue.

A concussion may result from the mild TBI. The person may lose consciousness because of the injury, and this can last from a few seconds to minutes. When a loss of consciousness happens, and it occurs on the right side of the brain, the person is less likely to be unconscious as long. The variety of symptoms associated with TBI are many and include the following: headache, vomiting, dizziness, motor skill problems, state of confusion, ringing ears, changes in mood, amnesia, problems concentrating, blurring vision, and a bad taste in the mouth.

Moderate to severe brain injuries have more serious signs and symptoms, as the titles indicate. Persistent headaches that will not go away may be the first sign, along with continual vomiting or simply nausea. One or both of the pupils may dilate, and the person may experience convulsions or seizures. Some of the signs that may be most noticeable are angry mood, confusion, weak or numb limbs, inability to stay awake, lessened coordination, and slurred speech. These are the type of symptoms that will require treatment.

It is important to seek emergency care if the following symptoms appear in anyone that has suffered an injury: convulsions, vomiting that continues, slurred speech, or any weakness in the arms and legs. If there is any question regarding an injury, play it safe and see a doctor. You can never be too careful with the brain.

Locate the best choice for concussion treatment by going online. You'll find a vast array of information on concussion symptoms and help. Get help now.

Brain Aneurysm News

What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:06:00 +0000

Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI

The phrase traumatic brain injury (TBI) is identified as a hit or jolt to the head or a penetrating head trauma that upsets the operation of the brain. Not all strikes or jolts to the skull bring about a TBI. The severeness of such a personal injury may range from "mild," i.e., a quick alteration in mental state or consciousness to "intense," i.e., an extended period of time of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A traumatic brain injury can result in short or long-term troubles with independent function.

How many persons have Traumatic brain injury?

Of the 1.4 million who suffer a TBI just about every year in the United States:

50,000 pass away; 235,000 are put in the hospital; and 1.1 million are taken care of and released from an emergency department. The quantity of people with TBI who are not viewed in an emergency department or who get no treatment is not known.

What will cause Traumatic brain injury?

The foremost triggers of Traumatic brain injury are:

Falls (28%); Automobile-traffic crashes (20%);

Struck by/against (19%); and

Assaults (11%).

Explosions are a major reason for Traumatic brain injury for active duty military personnel in war zones.

Who is at highest risk for Traumatic brain injury?

Males are about 1.5 times as likely as women to experience a TBI. The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds.

Certain military duties (e.g., paratrooper) increase the risk of suffering a TBI. African Americans have the greatest death rate from Traumatic brain injury.

What are the costs of Traumatic brain injury?

Primary medical costs and indirect costs for instance lost productivity of Traumatic brain injury totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in the mid 1990's.

What are the long-term consequences of Traumatic brain injury?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that a minimum of 3.17 Million Americans now have a long-term or lifelong need for assistance to carry out activities of daily living as a result of a Traumatic brain injury.

If you have suffered a traumatic TBI , you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Speak with a local Honolulu injury lawyer. A local Honolulu injury lawyer can advise you as to what steps you need to take to protect your rights.

Brain Aneurysm News

Basic Facts about Traumatic Brain Injury

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:48:00 +0000

Basic Facts about Traumatic Brain Injury

Nearly 1.4 millions sustain a traumatic brain injury each year. What many people don't know is that symptoms of traumatic brain injury may not be evident for week or even months following an injury. Visit www.BrainAndSpinalCord.org for more information.

Brain Aneurysm News

The Legal option for brain injury victims

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:17:00 +0000

Brain injury victims can always take legal means to claim compensation for your injuries. If you are a victim of an accident suffered brain damage and it has already requested a doctor, you can contact a lawyer from personal injuries which specializes in cases of brain injury to help you get compensation for your injuries.

A victim suffering from shocks or head injury in an accident must beware of symptoms of brain damage that could lead to a disability, or worse, a brain injury that could lead to death.

Traumatic brain injury symptoms include:

or they dilate pupils

or loss of consciousness/confusion

or vision changes (blurred, seeing double vision, light intolerance)

or dizziness or difficulty balancing

or respiratory failure

or comma

or paralysis and problems to move parts of the body

or poor coordination

or weakness / lethargy

or slow pulse and respiratory rate

or vomiting

or Tinnitus

or cognitive create problems

or loss of bowel or bladder control

or unexplained emotional outbursts

Traumatic brain injury is the kind of brain injury suffered by the victims of accidents. It occur when the head receives a hard blow caused by an external force. High-speed car accidents and accidents slip and fall are the common cases that result in brain damage. Medical malpractice can also result in brain damage.

Traumatic brain injury has three levels:

1 Mild brain injury-Commonly known as shocks, is characterized by brief loss of consciousness and a sense of confusion.

2 Moderate traumatic brain injury – this is caused by loss of consciousness which lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. Confusion will last for a few hours to weeks.

3 Brain injury serious - this involves a prolonged State of unconscious or eat.

Brain injury treatment

Each brain injury is different, so every victim was unresponsive to treatment differently also. For this reason, a brain injury victim has to go through a plan of personalized rehabilitation treatment that includes physical rehabilitation, medications, the community support programmes thought speech rehabilitation / cognitive, neuropsychological services and other options. With professionals in medicine, psychotherapist, carers and other support groups, family members may help reduce the emotional brain injury blows.

Taking the legal response

Apart from medical treatment, the best resource for a victim recover the loss and damages for injury are of a personal injury attorney. A lawyer from personal injury specializes in brain injury cases can help a victim to gather and preserve evidence, build an effective case and win compensation it rightfully deserves.

Learn more about taking legal action for brain injury with the help of expert lawyers of brain injury

Before becoming a writer online, Manuel worked as a journalist, columnist, writer, a writer of fiction, an editor of the magazine and a tutor. He acquired his legal training as a legislative officer of the Senate, and later as a researcher and staff legal assistant in various offices of the law. Someday he hopes to go back and spend more time writing fiction, which is his first love.

Signs Of A Cerebral Stroke

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:41:00 +0000

Cerebral Stroke

Brain aneurysm is a condition wherein a bulge develops in a blood vessel or artery of the brain. The swelled up structure can either start leading or result in a rupture, causing bleeding to occur in the brain and the tissues that are around it. This is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Aneurysm of the brain is a critical condition which is life threatening if not provided with the required treatment. In case cure is not provided, the individual may face brain damage that eventually causes death. An estimation of people in United States suggests that one in every fifteen people has the predisposition of developing brain aneurysm in his or her lifetime.

A lot of stress is laid over instant treatment without any delay, so that permanent damage does not take place. There are certain objectives of treatment regarding this condition, such as stopping the bleeding, preventing more damage to the brain, and reducing repetition of the aneurysms from taking place.

The onset of this disease is triggered due to a number of factors such as smoking behaviors and consumption of alcohol. In case the person has been taking oral contraceptive drugs, has had hypertension or suffered from a traumatic injury of the head, the probability of having a brain aneurysm may increase to a great extent. Moreover, for people who have this condition present in the family, the likelihood of acquiring it is high.

The symptom that is most commonly related to brain aneurysm is that of severe headache. The patient may also experience a stiff neck or neck pain, blurred vision, nausea or vomiting, and pain in the eye or above it, sensitivity to light, loss of sensation and consciousness and seizures. There is a wide range of symptoms but not everyone goes through all of them.

It is observed that just before a ruptured aneurysm takes place, the person may not be experiencing any symptoms; however, they are experienced in the case of an unruptured aneurysm, like the following:

Sudden changes in the patterns of behavior of the patient, speech complications, loss of balance and coordination, problems in perceiving, thinking and processing, not being able to maintain balance and coordination and feeling lethargic. These symptoms are diagnosed with the aid of diagnostic neuroradiology as being those of brain aneurysms; otherwise, these can be easily confused with symptoms of other medical conditions.

This author additionally often blogs about things including the childs tea set and kids kitchen sets.

Ruptured Brain Aneurysm-the rest of the story

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:06:00 +0000

What does a neurosurgeon and a head and neck surgeon have in common?

If you ask Drs. Anand Germanwala, and Adam Zanation, a lot. In fact, they have multidisciplinary care down to a science; like a fine tuned 1966 MG B V8 Roadster, or a well orchestrated Tchaikovsky symphony piece. The two young surgeons are pushing past traditional surgical techniques to embrace innovation through minimally invasive approaches. That's how they came to care for Ms. Cordero, the double brain aneurysm patient. Here they discuss how multidisciplinary care impacts what they do day to day.

Brain Aneurysm News

Survivors of a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Can Be Self Centered

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:13:00 +0000

A Survivor of a brain aneurysm can be inconsiderate.

It has taken a long time but I finally caught myself doing what everyone else does when a cerebral aneurysm ruptures and turns his or her life upside down. What I, and probably everyone else that survived the brain trauma, did was take advantage of the caregiver that was bending over backwards to help me make it to the next day. It is very easy to get wrapped up in self-importance and become over bearing and demanding. What was once a simple everyday process that everyone does without thinking about has turned into a herculean task.

The First six months after the brain aneurysm ruptured.

The caregiver, my wife in my case, spends endless, and what appears to be tireless, hours seeing to the needs of the patient.

1. Washing. (Personal Hygiene)
2. Feeding
3. Physical Therapy
* Sitting up
* Walking
* Exercising
4. Endless Trips to the doctors
* More Trips To the Doctors
5. Mental Therapy
* Who Are You?
* Where Do You Live?
* Do You Know Names Of Your Kids?

The list of burdens that the person, that has set their freedoms aside, has to deal with can go on for a very long time. Most of the caregivers just shrug it off and accept their new task; some do not, but the vast majority do.

The problem that pops up after a few years, and sometimes after only a few months, is that it appears to the victim (patient) that the person that really cares for the victim has stopped caring about anything but their own world. We, the victims of the ruptured brain aneurysm, have become self centered and over bearing and cannot comprehend what is happening.

The caregiver no longer drops everything and run to give aid.

What is actually happening is that some of the load is shifting to the patient.

We do not really understand that this person that is giving everything has a life too. After all, we are the ones that were devastated by the unforgiving brain trauma.

Why must we suffer alone?

Our thoughts go into a tailspin and self-pity sets in and takes over our thoughts.

What is actually happening is that the healing process is shifting from total dependence on someone to do everything for us to learning how to handle the everyday chores ourselves. It does not sound like a big deal but stop and think about it for a minute.

A patient must learn a whole new world of things to do. It is not fair to either the patient or the caregiver to expect the caregiver to give up their life so they can serve the patient like the slaves of old used to do.

We, the victims of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, must do our very best to regain as much of our lives back as we can. Knowing that you are in control of your life is a great feeling. However, sometimes it is easy to forget that we must know how to take care of ourselves when it seemed that there was always someone at your beckoning call.

Brain Aneurysm News

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:54:00 +0000

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain uses a magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to create a detailed image of the complex structure of brain tissues. For a Brain MRI, the head is scanned with the help of an MRI machine.

A Brain MRI gives a clear and detailed cross sectional image of the brain area giving a three-dimensional depiction of the brain. These cross sectional images can be projected and stored in a computer or printed on a film. Since Brain MRIs produce better soft tissue images than X-ray reports and can distinguish between the grey matter and the white matter of the brain, they help in locating defects in the brain tissues like, tumors, pituitary masses, radiation damage to the brain, brain swelling, abnormalities of blood
flow, optic glioma and brain aneurysm more accurately and precisely. MRI has been able to identify lesions in brain in about 95% of patients as compared to the CT scan that identified lesions in about 25% of the patients.

An MRI technique called diffusion/perfusion is used for scanning the brain and helps to detect a brain stroke within minutes of onset, allowing for earlier treatment. Unlike x-rays, which are harmful to the brain, MRIs are a safer option for brain scanning because of no significant side effects. Gradient
magnets are used to alter the magnetic field in the area that has to be scanned while the magnetic force is being applied.

Brain MRI helps the technician to concentrate on the exact area of the patient's brain they want to scan. A new study has evolved where Brain MRIs are now being widely used for polygraph tests as well as to identify if a person is lying. It does so by tracking the flow of blood into certain areas of the
brain, indicating increased activity of lying. MRI provides detailed information on MRIs, Open MRIs, Brain MRIs, MRI Scans and more.

Brain Aneurysm News

Symptoms of Aneurysms are Prominent in Older People

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 12:09:00 +0000

Symptoms of Brain Aneurysms are Prominent in Older People

| by David Nalin

Although most people will relate to hearing the word "aneurysm" thinking something wrong with the brain, the more common aneurysm symptoms are prominently located in the aorta. Plus, more aneurysms are prevalent in the lower extremities manifested by older people, specifically in the popliteal arteries.

These are arteries are found just above the knee where thrombotic activity (throbbing) may occur. One of the evident aneurysm symptoms for arterial conditions is a swelling that pulsates predominately, being heard easily through a stethoscope. If this aneurysm ruptures it could cause a hemorrhage or blood clot (thrombus) that can cause an embolism obstructing smaller blood vessels.

Additional aneurysm symptoms will appear as a result of a congenital situation or due to aging and to disease. A common disease associated with aneurysms includes atherosclerosis. These additional aneurysm symptoms will occur in the abdominal aortic artery, the aorta and intracranial muscles that supply blood to the brain. Many symptoms do not manifest themselves without either an X-ray or through a feeling search during a medical examination.

When they do occur, typical aneurysm symptoms include a pulsating-like sensation that is usually accompanied by pain when the artery where the aneurysm is located is pressed upon. Additionally, many seniors suffer from pulsating leg pain, especially in the popliteal arteries that are pressed upon during the normal activity of nightly sleeping. This situation can cause great discomfort, irritability from lack of sleep along with increased anxiety about the situation.

Seniors exhibiting these symptoms should immediately be referred to a physician for closer examination to determine if these are aneurysm symptoms or signs of other conditions such as thrombosis, or blood clots. Although a blood clot may be the result from an aneurysm, it may be a separate condition altogether. Medical examination, however, could prevent a rupture.

A person suffering a ruptured aneurysm will experience a sudden and extreme pain and, depending on the aneurysm location, internal bleeding can lead to shock, loss of consciousness and inevitable death. This could happen within moments, or take some time. However, often the aneurysm ruptures away from vital organs where although blood leaking does cause pain, there are no other aneurysm symptoms. But, this rupture will produce an eventual clot, preventing proper blood flow to vital organs that could produce irreparable damage such as kidney failure.

It is often extremely difficult to determine if signs exhibited by older people are aneurysm symptoms or just the normal signs of aging. Typical aneurysm symptoms such as fatigue, lack of concentration, even slurred speech and skin numbness may be exhibited by seniors. These signs are not necessarily aneurysm symptoms but may be simple signs of aging.

However, periodic medical examinations of elderly people can help doctors determine if signs exhibited are aneurysm symptoms or not. But, any sudden change in an older person's behavior including suddenly becoming dizzy or disoriented should not be dismissed as signs of old age. The sudden loss of blood due to an aneurysm requires immediate medical treatment to prevent permanent damage and possible death.

An aneurysm is a localized, blood filled dilation of a blood vessel. The balloon-like bulge is caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall.Visit us for information about Aneurysm Symptoms.

Brain Aneurysm News

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 3 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:48:00 +0000

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 3 of 3

You Survived The Surgery for A Brain Aneurysm That Burst. What Now?

Physical and mental damage usually occurs whether the ruptured brain aneurysm is repaired with coils or clips. The effects are very similar to what a stroke victim suffers.

Collateral damage, others that are affected, will take its toll. They have to adjust to the fact that the person they have come to know and love no longer recognize them or is acting strange.

The recovery process can take months or even years to restore normal everyday functions.

1. Do you recognize everyone in your family?
2. Can you button your shirt?
3. Did you remember to zip up your pants?
4. You got your shoes on okay, but did you remember to put on your socks?
5. Can you walk across a room to answer the phone?

These simple tasks are just that, simple; unless you have been through a traumatizing brain injury. Everyone will do these everyday things without giving them a passing thought.

A Note: My cerebral aneurysm burst 8 years ago. I am still working to regain some physical abilities; some will never be restored.

Physical abilities, like not being able to control body functions, can be devastating. You learn a lot about the caregivers during this phase of recovery.

How To Cope With Everyday Problems.

One thing you have to come to grips with is the idea that the brain controls everything you do.

The hardest part of recovery is realizing that you are having problems you never thought possible. A few common problems are:

1. Concentration.

Your ability to think things out is limited. (My mind goes blank when I get tired.)

2. Reasoning.

You know how much money you need to pay for a meal at a restaurant. You are positive that the amount of money you have in your hand to pay the bill is correct; but it never is.

3. Speech.

You stutter or get stuck on a word when trying to carry on a conversation. Getting stuck on a word is very frustrating.

For example: "Can I get --get-- get-- get-- get-- get-- you a drink?" Those that do not know you will sometimes give you that "raised eye brow" look, or worse, laugh at you.

4. Fear.

Those of use that have experienced a brain aneurysm that hemorrhaged are really sensitive to anything that involves the head. Any kind of a headache sends us into the panic mode fearing that we are having another head injury.

REHABILITATION.

One of the hard parts of getting back on your feet is accepting the fact that you will need help. You cannot do it on your own, there's no if's, and's, or but's about it. YOU WILL NEED HELP.

I spent two months in a rehab center learning some of the fundamental things that are required to get back to a some-what normal existence.

My arms and legs needed to retrained. Basic speech was a major task for me. I relearned how to count money.

1. 2 dimes and 1 nickel = 25 cents

2. 3 quarters and 2 pennies = 77 cents.

That is pocket change. But it takes on a whole new meaning to one that has survived a ruptured brain aneurysm.

The rehab hospital we have in our area does a very fine job. They spent many dedicated hours helping me relearn life. The problem is, as I see it, they seem to have a rubber stamp program to rehab all brain injury people and that has it's limits.

However, after two months I still did not know the names of my children, or for that matter, that I even had kids. My wife stepped in and started working with me to reeducate me about me.

She made up a list of common everyday questions.

The questions do not seem to make much since to those that know the answers.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your last name?
3. What is your full name?
4. When is your birthday?
5. What is your father's name?
6. Where were you born?
7. What is your mother's name?
8. Are you married?
9. How many children do you have?

This is only a sample of questions that someone that suffered a brain injury cannot answer. Bonnie, my wife, came up with 300 such questions. She worked with me every day with the questions until I started to get them right. It is really frustrating not knowing who you are.

This type of Question/Answer game is very helpful. Try to get someone to make up a set of questions that fit you if one of the deficits you are experiencing is a loss of your identity.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

A ruptured brain aneurysm turns your life upside down. You have survived. Just surviving a traumatic brain injury makes you one of the lucky few. What's taken a lifetime to learn can be wiped out in a heartbeat.

It is easy to say "Just hang in there. Everything is going to be okay." Here is the truth. It's going to be a long and hard journey to get back to being close to where your were before the life changing injury. Be patient and have a lot of faith in your own ability to pull yourself back up.

The National Brain Aneurysm Center

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 2 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 15:38:00 +0000

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 2 of 3

When a brain aneurysms ruptures it can be sudden and with little or no warning.

One minute everything is fine and then everything goes bad. The worst part is it does not make any difference where you are, or what you are doing.

Some of the immediate systems are:

1. A severe headache

2. Your vision blurs

3. You lose conscious

Your chances of survival are increased the faster you get treatment for this type of injury. It may sound cryptic, but your chances are a matter of luck. You stand a pretty good chance of suffering minimal damage if you are very lucky. I was very lucky.

A Note: Early diagnosis is vital. A simple MRI can detect a possible problem forming in your head. Insist that your doctor setup an MRI exam if you suffer from severe or constant headaches. My aneurysm was about the size of a grape and would have been easily detected by an MRI long before it ruptured.

A ruptured brain aneurysm leaks blood into the spinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord causing a chemical reaction in the blood and the surrounding areas of the brain. This type of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm, also known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the causes of the severe headaches.

Repairing The Artery When A Brain Aneurysm Bursts.

How The Ruptured Hole Is Plugged Detachable Coil Embolization

Treatment for a brain injury of this type depends a great deal on the severity, and location of the injury. A relatively new procedure called "Detachable Coil Embolization" using "Guglielmi Detachable Coils" (GDC) will be used if access to the damaged area can be easily reached by feeding a probe to the area through a main artery. This eliminates the need of opening the skull to gain access to the aneurysm.

Radiologist inserts a tube, called a catheter, into an artery in the leg. They feed the catheter up through the body to the damaged area of the aneurysm. Once in position, a number of small coils are fed through the catheter into the aneurysm. The body responds by forming a blood clot around the coil blocking off the aneurysm.

The detachable coils are little wires that are easily formed into coiling wires. A series of these wires are placed into the affected area and formed into a ball that plugs the hole in the artery.

Try and form this picture in your mind. A glob of worms, 10,15,20 worms, group together forming a tangled mass of worms. This is essentially what a "Detachable Coil" looks like when the doctor completes the task of forming the coils into a plug.

Clipping A Brain Aneurysm that Has Ruptured.

Placing a surgical clip at the neck of a ruptured aneurysm is considered a more traditional way to stop the bleeding from the ruptures area. The highest risk, in my opinion, is that the skull must be opened to gain access to the damaged area.

There is about a 35% risk of the clipped area to start bleeding again within the first two weeks of an injury. This makes it extremely important that surgery is preformed within 72 hours from the time of the rupture. This lessens the risk of the aneurysm bleeding.

What Happens After surgery

Physical and mental damage usually occurs whether the ruptured aneurysm is repaired with coils or clips. The effects are very similar to what a stroke victim suffers.

The recovery process can take months or even years to restore, what is hopefully, normal everyday functions.

A Note: My aneurysm burst 9 years ago. I am still working to regain some physical abilities; some will never be restored.

Part 3 will cover some of the problems that are encountered and ways that I have used to overcome the disabilities.

Brain Aneurysm News

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 1 of 3

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 16:23:00 +0000

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Part-1

I am one of the lucky few that survived a ruptured brain aneurysm.

A 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 brain aneurysm ruptures.

Covell Elementary fifth-grader died of brain aneurysm at school

Read the report here: A brain aneurysm does not know age.

A Brain Aneurysm? Just Asking

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:33:00 +0000

What is A Brain Aneurysm?

I just was wondering for someone who has survived through a Brain Aneurysm what does the head ache feel like? I'm fine when sitting up, I just feel a dull headache but the second I lie down it hurts only on the right side like a pretty bad headache, I wouldn't say severe, But i just wanted something to compare this too, Because I know I am a hypochondriac and I hate going to the ER every time I think something is wrong with me.

Brain Aneurysm News

A Brain Aneurysm and me.

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Tolar) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:54:00 +0000

A Brain Aneurysm

I get some interesting mail about the problems that come with a brain injury like a hemorrhaged aneurysm in the head. What's really surprising me is the number of people that go through the agony that takes place when the damn things blow.

It comes right out of the blue. One minute you're fine, then BAM! You're stepping in the deep stuff. I didn't see mine coming. In my case everything was in place and I survived with a good deal of my abilities left to live a fair degree of living.

I have a few deficits, but I ain't complaining. There are many out there that are in far worse shape than myself. One of my problems is grammar. You may notice a few "high school" grammar screw-ups so just kind of bear with me.

One thing I had to go through, like it or not, is therapy. You're in real trouble when a brain aneurysm bursts. Your mind gets really messed up and you need help to get back on track to be able to resume some sort of a life style.

My physical abilities, walking, waving, winking, things we all take for granted, have all taking a serious hit. A good deal of my first year was spent in physical therapy. The first three months of the therapy was critical to get me moving.

Physical therapy is not that big a deal. If you are satisfied with having someone serving you for the rest of your life then I guess you can stick your nose up to the hard working part of therapy.

However, getting your mind back in shape is a real pain in the kester. The first thing you have to do is realize, (admit), that you are going to need some help. Ego, also known as bull-headed dumb, rules a lot of us. Think about it. Have you ever heard this?

I know what I'm doing.
It's my life.
If I want your help I'll ask for it
I'm ok.
I can work this out by myself.

It's tough to come to grips with the fact that you are no longer able to do the everyday things you've always handled yourself. It took me awhile to realize that I actually did not know my own birth date.

Here's where my wonderful wife came into play. She made up a list of about 300 questions that revolved around the common things we all know about ourselves.

Where do you live?
What is your birth date?
Where were you born?
How old are you?
Are you married?
Do you have any children?
How many kids do you have?
What are your kids names?

These type of questions proved to be the key to putting my mind put back into what is now an orderly fashion. I was surprised to realize that I didn't know the answers.

**I'll have to get back to this tomorrow. I'm starting to ramble.**

One of the problems with my brain aneurysm is that I don't have the ability to stay focused on what I'm doing. Ergo, I need a break.

A quick note: A brain injury stinks. The problems seem to linger on forever. Don't let-up and don't give-up. A ruptured brain aneurysm is a two edged sword. It slices through your life and it will also slice through those that are near to you.

Rick....

Ruptured Brain Aneurysm. It's Possible To Survive

Can You Survive a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm? Part 1 of 3

Brain Facts

Harmony Of Mind And Body With Yoga

Alternative Medicine Can Be Beneficial

Winter Fun Can Bring Dangerous Head Injuries

How To Make A Brain Injury Claim

The Benefits Of Having Specialist Solicitors In Brain Injury Claims

Life Threatening Brain Injuries Can Occur

What is acquired brain injury?

My friend who just passed away last spring from a ruptured brain aneurysm

What is a brain aneurysm?

What causes a brain aneurysm?

Living With Traumatic Brain Injury

People with traumatic brain injuries

Brain Aneurysm News

BRAIN ANEURYSM COILING BY SIBASANKAR DALAI

Ruptured Right AICA Aneurysm Coiling [Brain Aneurysm]

Brain Aneurysm News

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): The Causes Signs And The Symptoms

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Brain Aneurysm News

What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI

How many persons have Traumatic brain injury?

What will cause Traumatic brain injury?

Who is at highest risk for Traumatic brain injury?

What are the costs of Traumatic brain injury?

What are the long-term consequences of Traumatic brain injury?

Brain Aneurysm News

Basic Facts about Traumatic Brain Injury

Basic Facts about Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain Aneurysm News

The Legal option for brain injury victims

Signs Of A Cerebral Stroke

Cerebral Stroke

Ruptured Brain Aneurysm-the rest of the story

What does a neurosurgeon and a head and neck surgeon have in common?

Brain Aneurysm News

Survivors of a Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Can Be Self Centered

A Survivor of a brain aneurysm can be inconsiderate.

The First six months after the brain aneurysm ruptured.

The caregiver no longer drops everything and run to give aid.

Why must we suffer alone?

Brain Aneurysm News

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - MRI

Brain Aneurysm News

Symptoms of Aneurysms are Prominent in Older People

Symptoms of Brain Aneurysms are Prominent in Older People

Brain Aneurysm News

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 3 of 3

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 3 of 3

You Survived The Surgery for A Brain Aneurysm That Burst. What Now?

The recovery process can take months or even years to restore normal everyday functions.

How To Cope With Everyday Problems.

1. Concentration.

2. Reasoning.

3. Speech.

4. Fear.

REHABILITATION.

She made up a list of common everyday questions. The questions do not seem to make much since to those that know the answers.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 2 of 3

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 2 of 3

When a brain aneurysms ruptures it can be sudden and with little or no warning.

Some of the immediate systems are:

Repairing The Artery When A Brain Aneurysm Bursts.

How The Ruptured Hole Is Plugged Detachable Coil Embolization

Clipping A Brain Aneurysm that Has Ruptured.

What Happens After surgery

Part 3 will cover some of the problems that are encountered and ways that I have used to overcome the disabilities.

Brain Aneurysm News

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm 1 of 3

Surviving A Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Part-1

I am one of the lucky few that survived a ruptured brain aneurysm.

A Brain Aneurysm

The weak spots in an artery can be caused by a number of things.

What are the symptoms of a brain aneurysm?

Some of the more common symptoms of a possible aneurysm problem are:

She made up a list of common everyday questions.

The questions do not seem to make much since to those that know the answers.