On May 3, 2021 I went into the hospital for a routine shoulder surgery and went home alone that day. 36 hours later I developed pulmonary embolisms but I didn’t know that’s what was happening as I had an intravenous numbing medication, so I didn’t actually feel the pain. Fast forward 16 hours my nurse friend told me to call an ambulance because I couldn’t catch my breath. I spent the night in the hospital, I was really dizzy but no head ct performed. 6 days later I could barely get up and walk because I was so dizzy, went to ER, they found an unruptured brain aneurysm, 7 mm. I had never even heard of this before. In addition to finding out later that a blood clot went to my brain and also caused a hypoxic event from the pulmonary embolisms, that caused stroke symptoms.
I spent all summer trying to recover from the brain injury as my speech was affected, I was constantly dizzy, sick, nauseous and had no personality, and was exhausted with neuro fatigue. Because of this the neuro surgeon wanted to wait until I could heal some before coiling my aneurysm. I waited 5 months and on October 25th went in for my coiling. It was successful, though I struggled with brain issues and fog and migraines for 3 months. Much has resolved but my brain still doesn’t feel quite right from the coiling and the prior brain injury. My memory was also significantly affected from the brain injury in May.
I had a lot of fear of rupture before the coiling, and I still fear rupture because my check up is at one year even though I keep asking for it to be sooner, from fear. I guess I don’t really know what’s going on up there. This did not run in my family and they think my strongest possibility of why I have this is from prior years of smoking but I don’t know, I haven’t smoked in ten years.
A lot of my symptoms from the brain injury/stroke seem to be very similar to ruptures though in my case milder and through a lot of vestibular therapy, doing yoga even when I could only watch it on the video and sometimes belief and others belief in me, I’m doing well now and moving forward with my life though there is still some fear for the scan in October. But I am hopeful the coiling is working and will face what comes. I’m so grateful for the other aneurysm survivors I’ve learned so much from and whom I’ve come to love. Thank you 
Prior to all of this I was super active, hiking 10,000 foot mountains in utah and colorado, riding my bike, teaching yoga and working. I’m slowly getting back to the things I love. I ode my bike for the first time in a year a few weeks ago and it was exhilarating. Hers to keep on improving and doing the things that I love and make me, me. 
Beelieve! Bee resilient, Bee your own advocate, and Bee love 
