Brain Aneurysm

This is one of those medical situations that ISN"T supposed to happen to someone so incredibly young, but it did and it is a testament to your strong will that you have progressed so far in such a short time. On the one hand you are supposed to be ridiculously happy you survived, only the other part of you has to deal with the fact you "woke up" a different person. Therapy can of course help you work through this life altering conundrum, but learning how to accept this situation will be largely up to you. I would suggest that if you are able to finish your last 5 credits, even if you don't have the passion you once did, do this for the accomplishment in and of itself.

Also, have you ever tried Yoga? Yoga has been shown to be very benefitial to helping those with brain injuries thrive, it makes sense as Yoga is a mind, body exercise, it forces you to connect through yourself. Here is a great article you might find beneficial:

Yoga for Brain Injury
By Laura Bruno

For people recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion or head trauma, yoga offers gentle exercise with therapeutic benefits. Many survivors find themselves unable to pursue former ways of staying in shape. Balance difficulties, loss of motor control, vertigo, and neck injuries limit physical activity, further restricting an already curtailed lifestyle. Fortunately, a yoga practice can adapt itself to any illness or injury, lending itself particularly well to TBI recovery.

Where to start? With yoga's recent popularity in the West, students can now choose anything from hot yoga to Kundalini to Ashtanga. People with neck or back injuries in addition to head trauma probably want to begin with a teacher trained in Iyengar yoga, which uses props to support proper alignment without strain. Kripalu trained teachers also tend to offer calmer, restorative classes. Any yoga class that emphasizes flow (not too fast, though) will help retrain sequential processing-an advantage for people who suffered damage to their left-brain or rational side. A vinyasa sequence links breath and movement, emphasizing step-by-step progression in a set order. Learning and remembering such movements through repetition becomes a form of cognitive therapy.

Before beginning a yoga practice, survivors should talk with their treatment providers, as well as their intended yoga instructor. Most teachers ask about injuries in the beginning of class, but few people understand the intricacies of TBI on their own. Explain any unusual sensitivities or restrictions you experience and ask the instructor for recommendations within his or her own class, or for suggestions on where to find more compatible classes. Yoga is supposed to support and nurture growth, not exhaust the body and nervous system.

For this reason, survivors might initially want to stay away from Kundalini Yoga or Bikram Yoga, both of which offer intense workouts. Kundalini Yoga aims to awaken dormant energy potential, which sounds like a good thing for TBI survivors. Indeed, it can help tremendously--once neurons have stopped misfiring and "short-circuiting." Most survivors inaccurately gage their stamina, though, easily over-stimulating themselves. Kundalini Yoga works powerfully on subtle levels, making energy levels more difficult to monitor. Sometimes the rapidly awakened kundalini proves too much for a sensitive TBI survivor. Bikram Yoga takes place in a very hot room, moving rapidly through poses that encourage the sweating of toxins. As with Kundalini, adherents of Bikram rave about its benefits. For a hypersensitive survivor, though, the excessive heat, body odor, and physicality of Bikram make it a less safe option. In the beginning, look instead for class titles like: "Restorative," "Beginner," "Iyengar," "Kripalu" and "Gentle."

Yoga Journal offers many DVD's, in case survivors prefer to learn in the comfort of their homes. Start with short sessions to build up mental and physical stamina. Twenty minute DVD's allow survivors a sense of accomplishment, without the potential fatigue caused by hour or hour and a half long in-person classes. Downward Dog Productions with Sarah Bates also offers accessible yoga DVD workouts designed especially for people with disabilities. At-home yoga workouts take most of the expense out of learning yoga, too, since survivors can invest in one or two DVD's to practice every day, rather than paying for class each time. On the other hand, a good yoga teacher can personalize routines to support survivors' own unique health challenges.

Besides sculpting lean, strong muscles and naturally realigning the spine, yoga offers TBI survivors a chance to reconnect with their bodies in a positive way. Robin Cohn, a TBI survivor and Vice President of the New York State Brain Injury Association, recognized the transformative effects of yoga in her own recovery: "I began with a beginner's gentle yoga class, where I slowly started to get atrophied muscles moving once again. The more I went, the better I began to feel." Inspired, she began co-teaching yoga classes designed especially for other survivors. "These students are so thrilled to have the opportunity to be practicing yoga and reaping the wonderful benefits of asana and pranayam (breathing). ... The happiness, tranquility and peace that yoga brings to them is so rewarding! Their smiles just say so much about how happy they are to be practicing."

Yoga brings awareness from 5000+ years of connecting human body, mind and spirit. It began as a means of calming the endocrine system and relaxing the body so that practitioners could sit longer in meditation. These calming, strengthening and relaxing effects make it an ideal practice for TBI survivors whose systems run on constant overload. Slowing down and bringing oneself to center can help anyone deal with stress. For TBI survivors, though, yoga offers a glimpse of not just "normal" functioning; yoga also brings the chance for optimal health and well-being. Many practitioners experience peace and self-acceptance for the first time in their lives, including pre-injury. Yoga becomes part of a greater awakening (facilitated by TBI)-helping survivors to find and appreciate the hidden blessings of their journey.

So glad you found the site!

Blessings-
CK

I'm going to find a local beginners yoga class around here. I too have heard that yoga is supposed to be a great help. I'm beyond glad that I survived, but I'm beyond pissed that I'm not the same person I once was. I know I'm kind of pushing some friends away, even the ones that were there for the whole thing. I don't know why I'm doing it. I'm going to finish just so I can say that I have a degree, but deep down I'm really just not as passionate. I'm really glad someone took the time to respond to this. Thanks again.

Hi Natalie my name is Bill and August 28th 2009 I suffered a burst double brain aneureysm. I blacked out in my living room and thankfully I had a room mate living with me at the time he called 911 and paramedics took me to the hospital and the first hospital they took me to had no head trauma unit so I was there shortly and then flown by medivac helicopter to a hospital that had a head trauma unit which I had brain surgery. Im 45 years old and have the same feeling I know Im older than you are but Im still very young also for such a thing. Of course im at the time completely unaware of whats going on but after my brain surgery I was in the hospital for 35 days I was released to my very nervous mother with in my opinion a rather large at the time ugly scar.
I was home for months inclusing Christmas of that year with ZERO memory of ever beng in the hospital or ZERO idea of what happened. I am now in excellent spirits MOST OF THE TIME about my physical state due to several weeks of Rehabilitation. Even now I only remember falling in my living room and NOTHING of the 35 days in hospital and even dont remember alot of my PT. Im still not able to drive or work and at 45 years old im upset alot of the time. But again as I always say IM ALIVE!!! and thankfully have also support of family and great friends but I thought it would be great to come on here and share my story because maybe I can shed light to you and you to me and anyone else who understands all of this. ok I hope your doing well
from your new support buddy
Bill

Hey Bill, thanks for your response. I am really blessed to be alive, I know that. It's just that the beyond irritating thing is that I went to the ER and my family doctor and still nothing was done. I lived with the bleed for over a WEEK. My mom found me siezing. I remember a lot of my hosptial stay and still keep in toch with my NICU nurses and therapists because it makes me feel like I have some support in this whole thing, not that my friends and family aren't, but those people at the hospital spent A LOT of time with me. I have some scars too. 2 on my head from where they drilled to release the pressure and then some on my arms from IV lines. I'm still impatiently waiting for my hair to grow back. I haven't really shed any tears over the whole thing until I started to lose hair from the radiation. Were you on any blood thinners? I think those drugs are miserable. Thankfully I can drive and am back to school and work full time, but it's too overwheleming. I'm just trying to get through. Thanks again for your response Bill.
Also, from your new support buddy

Natalie

Wow Natalie sounds like youve been through alot more than me. I had a Double brain anuereysm and in reading the stats on such a thing more than half the people who have one that actually bursts (such as mine) are no longer alive to tell about it ....its a very sad a scary thought to me everyday but something has made me be one of the survivors so Im happy everyday Im alive but I guess when you say Radiation your included cancer and im sorry to hear that I know I never went through radiation of any sort I just had what they call my Anuereysm was clipped so my scar is from one side of my forehead over to other side and then stops in front my right ear thank god I must have had an excellent surgeon because even when I show people they say they cant see it (altough I know they do ) there just being polite and making me feel better about it.
Nothing I can do about it anyways My hardest part is I managed a Jewelry Store and have always held high positions every where Ive worked and now I cant work and they dont know when and it makes me sad to remember that I managed a Jewelry store and became Diamond certified and all and now I dont rememeber most of what I had learned in years of study. My short term memory is the awful thing to be fair if I worked for someone now I understandingly so would not be able to follow simple instructions such as the ones I used to ask people to do for me as the boss.
Oh well everyday Im doing brain strengthening things such as play certain games on computer that my neurologist says help even such as Words With Friends on my phone since I was an avid speller.
I only came on here because I would love to go to a support group that is face to face but not being able to drive has even limited my recovery so Im branching out here.
OK Ill try to write every couple days but I must go take my 13 meds I take at night 11 in the AM and 5 at lunch time and !3 in the eveining because through all of this I also have Kidney failure.....I know its not from Anuereysm I had it before but it has escalated. Ok Natalie its great talking to you your the first person Ive been able to talk to in 2 years that knows where Im coming from.
take care from your Buddy Bill