Aneurysm and Stroke

[Garden_Gnome]

Nearly 3 months ago my wife had an aneurysm which was operated on but further complications caused a stoke. The damage is on the right side of the brain meaning that it affects the left side of her body. She has left hemiplegia (paralysis on the left side) but is slowly recovering (about a week ago she managed to lift her left leg).

Fortunately, the injury doesn't seem to have affected her personality. Now that she can speak again, she seems like the same person (same sense of humour etc). She's in a rehabilitation hospital but the doctors and specialists can't tell me how she is likely to progress as recovery is so different for everyone (I'm not even sure what is considered a good sign of recovery). She's in her early thirties which I'm told works in her favour and I'm lucky that I'm able to visit her nearly every day but the unknown future is both frustrating and a bit scary.

I'd be interested to connect with someone in a similar situation to share experiences.

[cat3]

Your wife seems to be progressing well. After my brain hemorrhage my family were really troubled by the unknown but, as you've said G-G, there's no way of foreseeing the long term outcomes of brain injury.

My consultant used the expression 'Turning a corner' ...something they would all recognize when/if it happened. Taking my first precarious, wobbly steps at around 9 weeks (my son filmed me on his phone with such delight) was a gamechanger.

It really is a waiting game, of weeks or months, as the brain re-engages with the physical world. I reached a kind of equilibrium at the 2 year point when I could pass for 'mended' apart from short term memory and balance issues.

Your wife's mobility will need extra physio since the unfortunate complication of the stroke, but the fact she is coherent, with humour, and moving her limbs is really promising...

Please look after yourself too G-G ; easy to neglect one's own welfare amidst concern for a loved one.

Sending best wishes for continuing progress, but be prepared for the 'one step forwards two back' type which is typical after brain injury.

Keep us updated won't you .... Cat x

[Garden_Gnome in reply to cat3]

I can't wait for our "turning a corner" moment but I don't know what that will be (or indeed if it's already happened). My wife says she can feel pain in her arm on her paralysed side and the other day she said her fingers were itchy (don't know if that means anything in terms of recovery). She has what she calls her "trick" which has developed recently where she can lift her leg up to her chest (she can't lower it again and she can't feel sensation in the leg but it's good to she her leg moving again).

What were your early signs of recovery in terms of sensations on the weakened side (e.g. pain/itchy fingers etc)?

[cat3 in reply to Garden_Gnome]

I think you're right G-G ; your wife looks to have turned several corners!

I heard that, after appearing unresponsive, I was given the drug Nimodipine to avert stroke (which can occur after a subarachnoid haemorrhage).

My significant signs of progress were recognizing surroundings & loved ones (and an end to my delusional ramblings) and later, the ability to sit and take a few steps.

Nerve sensation such as burning/pins & needles is common after stroke and, if persistent after a few weeks, can be treated by various means. Talk with the doctors and/or download Headway's factsheet.

My best wishes for your wife's ongoing progress... Cat x

[MWilko]

My case differs in that I had a brain bleed rather than an aneurism or stroke but I'm in my early 30s and have just passed doingthe 7 months in hospital and 5.5 months in rehab. Happy to answer any questions

[Garden_Gnome in reply to MWilko]

Hi MWilko. My wife was in hospital for nearly two months and she'd been in the rehab hospital for a little more than a month.

Did/do you have hemiplegia and if so have you gained any movement back in the weak side? What were the first things to come back? My wife says she can feel pain in her left side and told me that her fingers itch. With no basis for comparison, I don't what this means in terms of potential recovery (although I am conscious that I could so desperate to see some signs of recovery that I could be reading too much into every little thing).

If you're happy to share your story of recovery, I think it might help (although this is obviously a very personal experience for you so please do not feel any pressure to reply).

[MWilko in reply to Garden_Gnome]

Hey, so, having looked it up I think left sidehemiplegia describes how things were in the first couple of months post bleed but now it's more like hemiparesis and with a lot of physio, I have gained movement back in my leg and some in my shoulder but nowhere near as controlled or strong as before and much like physios told me my lower limb and the bigger muscles came back before anything else and I still don't have fine motor control in fingers or toes. My sensation of the left definitely started with things like pain and itches like you're describing where you mention desperately wanting to see signs of recovery feels familiar as I felt this way as did my friends and family but the best progress would happen when I did my best to relax and not think too much or feel under pressure so I would keep that in mind.

I know that not focusing on recovery is hard but I've made way more progress than ever expected and it's taken a long time so I think taking each day as it comes and not putting pressure on the situation is a good way to go about things. It's an awful situation and it will test both you and your wife's resolve but, things do get better and easier with time. I wish you all the best xx

[Teazymaid]

hi and welcome to the group .. this is the only place I learnt about my TBI as Drs etc have no idea how you will recover ,the time scale or when any of this will happen .. but on here I found out that everything that was happening to me had happened to others and progress did happen at a slower rate but it did happen .. I’m 3 years post accident and still improving .. your wife is at a very early stage and I’m sure you will begin to understand both of your journey on this new road by reading and chatting to people who have been where you are and still are dealing with life changing experiences .. once again welcome to this group and you will get a vast amount of knowledge from people who understand …Sue x

[Garden_Gnome in reply to Teazymaid]

Thanks for your reply Sue. It sounds like you were in a similar position to us three ago and it's great that you are continuing to improve. The stories I've read (including yours) all give me hope for our future. I suppose what I'm looking for in the short term are the small possible indications of improvement. For example, my wife can feel pain in her left side even though she can't sense that there are any limbs there. My thinking is that if she can feel pain in that side, surely some signals are getting back to her brain so is this a sign of recovery? That said, I've heard that amputees feel similar things. More recently she told me that her fingers itch on her left side which is a more localised sensation. I don't often get to see the specialists myself to ask directly so I don't know what this indicates (if anything at all).

Did you have hemiplegia? If so, what were the precursors of sensation coming back in your limbs?

[Teazymaid in reply to Garden_Gnome]

I only had what they thought was minor spasticity in one leg but the actual got that wrong as after 2 years I kept saying it wasn’t right and the lady who way doing my massage could feel scar tissue .. scan was done and I had torn my hamstring alone with my two shoulders neck and head all in my fall .. I do have issues with muscle weakness still and I’m know waiting for a MRI on my lower spine .. and had multiple injuries so it all get confusing if it’s from the limbs injured, nerve damaged from the spine or brain damage from the bleeds on the brain 😁 it all sounds confusing and it is but I’m still doing everything I can to improve and I have improved a lots further than I expected 😁 .. with your wife they will be slow progress so look back to a month ago and see how she is from then to now .. maybe write a diary of all the little details so you can judge even the slightest improvement and above all keep doing the physio exercises as they are 💯 the key to improving .. she is also very lucky to have a husband who is actively involved in her rehab .Sue x

[yali]

hi I had an aneurysm back in 1984 I was only 20 at the time and had only been married for 15months! My balance was severely affected the right side of my face was paralysed and all down that side I was quite weak I also had to have a tracheotomy so couldn’t speak for a while. I was in hospital for 3 months where I was operated on then had intensive physio and occupational therapy I couldn’t balance to sit up let alone walk! With perseverance and the tremendous support of my husband and family I gradually began to improve though! I will be 60 in February and my husband and I have been married for 40 years now! I have three children, three grandchildren and life is good! It’s been different to what we thought it was going to be when we first got married and there have been ups and downs along the way….but still good none the less! Good luck to you and your wife on this new journey there will be difficult times and adjusting to a new way of life is challenging but her having a sense of humour will help you both loads (as it did us!) to see you through! More than happy to chat if you want to!

[Alibongo60]

Hi Garden Elf, I too have a brain aneurysm which ruptured,I’m quite a bit older than your wife and I recovered quite well despite the doctors thinking otherwise, so your wife has age on her side, and recovery can take quite some time . Did your wife have her aneurysm removed or clipped, mine was coiled and hs proved unstable over the years, it ruptured in 2017, grew so big was pressing on my brain stem and more recently a blood clot developed and has completely sealed my aneurysm, when it as pressing on my brain stem they gave me up to five years, I have had them, so I say never give up hope and thank you guardian angel lots of luck and love to you and your wife Alice xx

[Garden_Gnome in reply to Alibongo60]

My goodness Alice it's sounds like you've been through it. Well done for staying strong and proving the professionals wrong. Let's hope that guardian angel gives you many more years yet.

My wife had what they call a 'giant' aneurysm. It was some 4cm across (the 'size of a plum' is what the consultant said). By the time of her operation, it had grown by another half a centimetre so I imagine we were not far off of a breach. Given its size, it was too big for removal or coiling and the clips they had were not big enough. I don't know exactly what they did but they said it involved multiple clips and the aneurysm was sealed and significantly reduced by the end of the operation. Unfortunately for us, the operation led to a swell on the brain that was pressing on her skull so she was rushed back into theatre to remove part of the skull and allow the pressure to dissipate. This is what caused the stroke. From what I've read, it most closely resembles an ischemic stroke rather than a bleed on the brain.

Thanks for your insight. Like yourself, my wife is a determined and tough person so I've no doubt she will make the best recovery she can.

[philbou]

hi garden gnome

My wife is right sided hemiplegic

It means she lost her speech aswell

Its a long road to recovery

But from what you've said its some really encouraging signs

Mine and vickis best wishes to you both