Thursday, September 6, 2012

Recognizing the signs of a brain aneurysm

I have a friend named Joe that I haven't seen in years. We don't keep in touch anymore. He moved on, and so did I. But I remember the day Joe's dad died of a brain aneurysm. He had been working and reported that he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. As if someone had struck him with a hammer. He made a phone call, got progressively worse within minutes of the event, and went unconscious soon after. He was dead in something like 25 minutes. It's that deadly, and that serious. Doctors reported that the vessel that burst near the back of his head caused blood to pool in the brain with such tremendous pressure, there was something like 400-pounds crushing his spinal column.

Well yesterday, I saw this happen to a woman with whom I work. It was morning, we were starting our meeting (it happens once a year and we had it at a local park), and this woman got up from her chair, staggered, and fell down next to a tree. I asked, "What's going on there?" And I was told she had a bad headache. Someone was looking in their purse for some Advil. I said, "headaches don't make people stagger like that. Where is it?" They said, "the back of her head." I said, "I think this is very serious." When I said that, the Manager in charge, dropped everything and acted upon it.

Someone went over, helped the lady to the car, and started driving her to the hospital. It got worse and worse and they called an ambulance. I found out later that day that she indeed had suffered a brain aneurysm. But because of swift thinking on everyone's part, and being in the heart of Salt Lake City where there are excellent medical facilities and some of the best neurosurgeons in the country, she has (I think) a good chance of beating this thing. At least I hope so.

My point in telling you this is not to scare you. But it is to tell you first-hand from someone that has now been around this thing twice, if you or someone you are watching complains of a sudden, severe headache that starts at the back of the head (like someone hit them with a hammer), and it's staggering, you need to drop everything RIGHT NOW. This is a life and death situation. Don't dismiss it. Don't go and grab some Advil or some Excedrin. And don't say, "this person must be faking this as a joke." You call 911 without hesitation.

Just as a disclaimer, I'm not a medical professional. I don't have medical training. But I know what I've seen, and I'm passing it on to you.

39 comments:

  1. Its good to keep informed on things like this. I'm glad you were there to recognize the problem was more than just a headache.

    .....dhole

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  2. I was scared reading this, I won't lie. 400 pounds crushing your head is a tragic way to die.

    I am also grateful you shared this. My sister has sever headaches from time to time so now I'll inform her of what a brain aneurism is. Just in case.

    Thanks Michael. I hope your friend makes a swift recovery.

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  3. Excelent advice; thanks for sharing. I wouldn't have recognised the signs if they ever showed up, so it's good to be aware of it.

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  4. I wouldn't have known about these signs if it wasn't for this post so thank you for sharing. I hope your colleague pulls through okay.

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  5. A good post. I thought I had a fekking stroke later this year but didn't get it checked out.

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  6. Excellent post Michael. Your colleague was lucky you were there and everyone responded so quickly. I hope she pulls through.

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  7. Now I know what to look for. Scary to witness, I'm sure. Glad she's all right. No wonder we didn't see you much around the blogging world yesterday.

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  8. Hi Michael. Thank you for the post.

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  9. She was lucky that you acted on this. I hope she recovers fully.

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  10. I've had sharp, sharp pains in the back of my head before... but the MRI said I was OK... now I want to have a second opinion... thanks for sharing...

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  11. I think I should nominate you for this month's Everyday Hero! Good quick thinking there by everyone involved. Too often we think, "Oh that's nothing." and then it turns out to be something bad.

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  12. Those are scary things. I'll remember this.

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  13. One of my kid's teachers had aneurysm. Luckily for him he had the knowledge about brain aneurysm manifesting in different ways. Hence when Mr.Johnson saw aliens in the parking lot of Shop Rite, he knew that something was up and he went right into ER and they did the X- Rays. Sure enough it was aneurysm and they were able to save his life. I learned about aneurysm from my daughter who was then fifteen when she told me.

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  14. Thank's, Michael. My thoughts are with your colleague. Thank goodness she had quick thinking people around her.

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  15. Thanks for sharing this story. This post may someday save another person's life. Any one of the readers may come across a person who suffers from the symptoms you listed and will act accordingly. I'll never forget it.

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  16. Oh my gosh, thanks for posting this. As someone who knows about the swiftness and tragedy associated with attacks of meningitis, this is something that hits home with me (and aneurysms obviously act even faster). I'm SO glad you were there to act on this, and I know your co-worker and her family are too.

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  17. Brain anneurysms are effign scary because it can happen to anyone at any time. In fact, on the TV show Archer (which i love) it's one of his two fears (that and alligators) because of that very fact

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  18. Aneurysms are one of those things that really scare me. I've known 2 people that have barely survived having one and several that did not.

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  19. Thanks for the warning, that sounds incredibly scary.

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  20. Great information, if a bit scary. I had a similar experience with a stroke occurring to a very young friend. Old people clutching their chest, complaining of a headache, or sharp pain in the head, everyone immediately worries, but too many young people die because nobody pays attention.

    Great 'heads-up' for all of us.

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  21. That is terrifying... but I'm glad she got quick medical help. And I'm glad I'll be able to recognize it in the future.

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  22. Thank you for posting about the experience. Will definitely memorize the symptoms.

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  23. Quick thinking on your part. You're being too modest. Thanks for using a tragedy from someone else's story to save someone else and to warn us.

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  24. Thanks for sharing this, Mike. Someone like me, who doesn't like seeing the doctor, would probably take a wait and see attitude, probably at the cost of my life.

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  25. Wow, that's scary! I'm glad you were there to realize what was going on, and I hope your co-worker will be all right.

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  26. Thanks for the heads up on this. I feel more prepared, thanks to you.

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  27. Whoa, Michael... unreal...

    You seriously saved that woman's life by knowing the signs and symptoms! I shudder to think if you weren't there! I hope she's going to be okay... and what an awful story with your friend's dad. Beyond tragic... :/

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  28. Thank you Michael. Thanks for being quick and unafraid to suggest something serious was happening. Good job!

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  29. A girl I knew died of one in high school. Glad things turned out all right for your coworker.

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  30. Wow, scary. Thank you for this informative post.

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  31. Great public service post. I would not have known those signs. Good thing you did.

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  32. I had a similiar thing happen where I work and people are slow to react for some reason. It's like nobody knows what to do. Good thing you spoke up.

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  33. What a scary situation, Michael. You acted quickly, which is only real counteraction for an aneurysm--they're rarely detected before a critical juncture.

    Really hoping your coworker pulls through, and appreciate you sharing your experience. Might save a life someday.

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  34. It's good that you're sharing this information, Michael. What people don't know, can hurt someone.

    About a year or so ago, my great-grandmother had a stroke. She could barely move. Somehow she managed to dial the phone with her work number. One of her coworkers answered and my grandmother told her she thought she was having a stroke. The coworker told her to go next door and tell my uncle. (My great-grandmother lives in my grandmother's guest house and my uncle lives next door to them. My grandparents were out of town.) She didn't call anyone to let them know, not because she wanted to hurt my grandma, but because she didn't know how serious a stroke was. We're lucky it was only a minor incident.

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  35. good advice, mike...

    my ex had a massive stroke in the middle of the night, and fell to the floor, to be found there by our son as he got ready for school the next morning, some 4-5 hours later... at 12, he had no clue what was happening, but called 911 anyway... she 'survived', but paralyzed on right side, unable to speak to this day

    had someone found her immediately, she may have fared better

    i would not have been there anyway, being on the west coast, she and the kids on the east...

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  36. Thank goodness you spoke up. You saved her life. I had many patients in rehab that suffered from aneurysm. It's serious.

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  37. Good to know, and serious business. Thanks, Mike.

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  38. Sorry this is a day late -- I was really under the weather yesterday.

    I'm so impressed and so glad that you knew your co-worker was in serious trouble. I hope she makes a complete recovery. Thank you for the heads-up and description of the symptoms.

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  39. I've known several people who have suffered from these and lost my mom to something similar- it really is important for people to not ignore medical issues, especially head symptoms.

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