Ten Years Ago

I thought I was in the throes of the worst sinus infection I’d ever had, I was complaining of headaches for a couple of days. I had just put my 2 year olds in for their naps and went to the downstairs bathroom to clean out the litter box. We were getting ready for their birthday party and had some cleaning and preparing to do. The last thing I remember is that I wanted to write “kitty litter” on the list.

The Mister heard a thud and some strange noises coming from the bathroom. He called an ambulance and our next door neighbor to come and watch the kids when they got up from their naps. If he hadn’t thought so quickly, I would have died.

I was taken to the local hospital where they informed The Mister that they are not equipped to properly treat me. I was transferred to the large teaching hospital 20 minutes away. If they had kept me at the local hospital, I would have died.

Once at the big hospital, I underwent a series of test and they determined that I needed emergency surgery to clip the vein that decided to spew blood all over my brain. This was after about 4 hours of tests and releases and admittance forms. If my husband hadn’t kept his cool, I would have died.

Ten years ago, I woke up in the intensive care unit after a medically induced coma of 5 days. I lived in that unit for 3.5 weeks afterwards. My sister cried during an early visit. After that, my brother-in-law forbade her from going onto the internet to google “brain aneurysm.” She had read that the chances of someone walking out of a hospital after a brain bleed are 50%; of those 50%, half will have long lasting effects and deficiencies.  She was right to cry. If it hadn’t been for the excellent care I received, I would have died.

I was part of the lucky 25%. I walked (albeit slowly) out of the hospital and I returned to my normal life. I was out of work on long term disability for 3 months and then a truncated schedule for another 3 months.

As a result of the brain trauma, I suffer from daily headaches. I take medicine everyday to keep the headaches at bay. Sometimes I don’t even feel them, sometimes I want to poke my good eye out. I also have a seizure disorder which we are not sure is a result of the bleed or lead to it. So, no fancy strobe lights for me. They shaved the front right area of my head and now I have a weird cowlick there that is managed through curling irons and product.