PLEASE READ . . .Symptoms of a Silent Killer

Earlier in the week I shared an article on my personal Facebook Page, as well as my MarlaDeenFit page.  How to Spot the Critical Signs of a Brain Aneurysm.

I shared it because of how important it is to know the signs of a silent but dangerous killer. And I shared it because it is so personal to me. This July will be 5 years since a brain aneurysm ripped our family apart.  My brother suffered a sudden and delibating ruptured brain aneurysm and stroke.  I am from a small but mighty tight family.  The damage this loss caused still leaves it mark.  Daily.  Life and death, grief and loss are now a part of who I am and are part of my story.  If you know me, you know this part of my life.  This is my brother, Mike, doing just what most folks remember him doing.  Having a great big belly laugh.  I can still close my eyes and hear that sound.

My family was together at the beach on vacation when the brain aneurysm occurred.  After three days in a coma we said goodbye.   When I close my eyes I still have flashbacks and visions of seeing him while waiting for the ambulance.  I remember staying awake all night in the hospital with my sister in law, thinking that things would be okay in the morning.  Sometimes, to this very day, I actually cannot fathom that it all actually occurred.  I’ve read the list of warning signs.  I know he began with something going on down his left side.   Then he was unconscience.   But what else?  Were there signs earlier that were missed?  I know he struggled with high blood pressure, which is a symptom.  Sitting on the beach one day, we even had a conversation about that and his upcoming scheduled physical.  Were there other signs that were missed?  I don’t know the answer to that.  I do know that when we were shown the scan of the brain where the aneurysm ruptured there must have been terrible pain.

It is said that, “When an aneurysm ruptures, blood spills into the space around the brain, giving affected patients the “worst headache of their life.”

How to Spot the Critical Signs of a Brain Aneurysm tells the experience of Lisa Colagrossi, a news journalist from New York City,  who died from a ruptured brain aneurysm in 2015.  Her husband said she began having terrible headaches, along with a stiff neck and tingling in her face and sensitivity to light.  These symptoms lasted for only three weeks before her death.  Colagrossi’s husband, Todd Crawford, created The Lisa Colagrossi Foundation to help create public awareness of the signs and symptoms of a brain aneurysm.  He found that no one was talking about them, the warning signs were not publicized,  and there was little public education on this deadly condition.

I want you to look at these symptoms.  Bookmark this article.  Share this article.  Know these warning signs and do not be afraid to get medical attention.  Do not wait a month, three weeks or a single day.

Here are the signs the Foundation has set forth:

• Sudden WHOL—worst headache of life
• Sudden sensitivity to light
• Sudden stiffness of neck
• Sudden sharp pain behind or above one eye
• Sudden blurred or double vision
• Sudden numbness and tingling in facial area
• Sudden loss of consciousness
• Sudden confusion or change of mental status
• Seizure
• Perceived “gun shot” noise or extremely loud “BOOM”
• Drooping eyelid
• Nausea and vomiting

Thank you for reading.  Thank you for sharing.  We all need to do what we can to protect those we love.

Enjoy Your Day . . . it is a glorious gift!