Hi,
I'm new to this forum. Here's some backround. I have two aneursyms and had a craniotomy over a year ago to clip one off. The second one is positioned where it might cause a stroke depending on how it tears if it ruptures. This type of stroke is 50% fatal and there is a about a 1 in three chance of a rupture in my lifetime. If you survive the stroke there is a good chance you are not mentally fit to care for yourself afterward. Aneursyms really stink.
The reason why I came to this forum has to do with what happened after my craniotomy. I had speech problems and had to reteach myself to spell. The surgeon ordered therapy and a MRI to see if I had a stroke. The MRI was normal. I started getting extremely apathetic and fatigued. I was embarassingly spacey and couldn't focus on more than one thing at a time. The surgeon and my internist didn't seem to take me seriously. I got to the point that it felt like the world was a dream and I only thing I did was go to work (lived every other moment laying on the couch) and I knew I couldn't continue to go to work much longer.
I made my own appt with a neurologist, told him my problems, and asked him to find out if I had a physical or neurotic problem. He unexpectedly gave me a prescription and also ordered an all day testing spree. The medication was Amantadine and the first dose made me feel some how "different". The second dose made a wave go threw my head and everything around me felt like it really existed again. I still had the testing done and it showed that I now have a non-verbal learning deficit. From what I understand I had what would be labeled as a TBI (from swelling, pressure from the clip/aneursym....?) and my dopimine levels dropped causing my symptoms and some permanent brain damage.
I felt so much better on the Amantadine, and along with some denial, I tried to live on as I always had. It's not working. I have been told that I am not myself anymore. I have trouble with more than one thing at a time happening. I can't remember any facts about what I was focusing on and integrate them into the next thing I'm doing. This is not a normal complication to brain aneursym clipping. I thought that this forum might supply me with some helpful coping mechanisms. Many people had some really mean reactions when they found out I had brain aneursyms and I sure don't want to vent about any problems due to brain injury to anyone around me. I hope the people here will excuse all my venting. Any advice for a new
TBIer?
Thanks...Sarah
PS...waiting on fixing the other aneursym

sorry you are in this position and hope they can sort out the other aneurysm soon welcome surgical TBI is very common I would say 60% at the day centre I attend have got theres that way I have the the same problems as you I just have been looking at a book that may help us but I have forgotten the the title I will check my google history and find it http://www.amazon.com/Blessed-Traged.../dp/0964940175 thats one of my coping stratagems also i spend a lot of time confusing my spell checker or I just change the word if I get it really the spell checker that is , try not to be to hard on your self, I find that when I get angry, I am going to see a nuro psychologist see if you can too I am hoping he will have some useful tips which I will pass on

so welcome again and vent all you want there is always hope

kind regards vini

sarah...

sorry for all you're going thru....

a site i recently found may help in understanding more--about this invisible disabilty. Acquired Brain Injury is more general inclusive term for any injury to brain after birth.

www.braininjury.org.au

(did post in sticky at top)

good luck
best wishes