Understanding Brain Aneurysm Statistics and Facts

I remember in '97/'98 once I was able, searching day after day, hour after hour, for information on aneurysms on the internet, to have some idea of what was going on, to find someone or something to relate to, to find someone who knew what I was going through, what I could look forward to in the future, what the statistics were(I'm a numbers girl), what my chances were, anything. The information was just not available. I am grateful for what is available now.

Understanding : Brain Aneurysm Statistics and Facts
Statistics and Facts

www.BAFound.org

*An estimated 6 million people in the United States have an unruptured brain aneurysm, or 1 in 50 people.

*The annual rate of rupture is approximately 8 – 10 per 100,000 people or about 30,000 people in the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture. There is a brain aneurysm rupturing every 18 minutes. Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal in about 40% of cases. Of those who survive, about 66% suffer some permanent neurological deficit.

*Approximately 15% of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) die before reaching the hospital. Most of the deaths from subarachnoid hemorrhage are due to rapid and massive brain injury from the initial bleeding which is not correctable by medical and surgical interventions.

*4 out of 7 people who recover from a ruptured brain aneurysm will have disabilities.

*Brain aneurysms are most prevalent in people ages 35 - 60, but can occur in children as well. The median age when aneurysmal hemorrhagic stroke occurs is 50 years old and there are typically no warning signs. Most aneurysms develop after the age of 40.

*Most aneurysms are small, about 1/8 inch to nearly one inch, and an estimated 50 to 80 percent of all aneurysms do not rupture during the course of a person’s lifetime. Aneurysms larger than one inch are referred to as "giant" aneurysms and can pose a particularly high risk and can be difficult to treat.

*Women, more than men, suffer from brain aneurysms at a ratio of 3:2.

*Ruptured brain aneurysms account for 3 – 5% of all new strokes.

*Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the most feared causes of acute headache upon presentation to the emergency department. Headache accounts for 1 – 2% of the emergency room visits and up to 4% of visits to the primary care offices. Among all the patients who present to the emergency room with headaches, approximately 1% has subarachnoid hemorrhage. One study put the figure at 4%.

*Accurate early diagnosis is critical, as the initial hemorrhage may be fatal, may result in devastating neurologic outcomes, or may produce minor symptoms. Despite widespread neuroimaging availability, misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis occurs in up to 25% of patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) when initially presenting for medical treatment. Failure to do a scan results in 73% of these misdiagnoses. This makes SAH a low-frequency, high-risk disease.

*There are almost 500,000 deaths worldwide each year caused by brain aneurysms and half the victims are younger than 50.

*Based on a 2004 study, the combined lost wages of survivors of brain aneurysm rupture and their caretaker for a year were $138,000,000

*The cost of a brain aneurysm treated by clipping via open brain surgery more than doubles in cost after the aneurysm has ruptured. The cost of a brain aneurysm treated by coiling, which is less invasive and is done through a catheter, increases by about 70% after the aneurysm has ruptured.

*10 – 15% of patients diagnosed with a brain aneurysm will harbor more than one aneurysm

Signs and Symptoms of a brain aneurysm

Signs and symptoms of a brain aneurysm, bear with me this one will be long.

I had signs for 4 years, I just didn't recognize them. I had debilitating migraines that I would black out from, even the stillness of the air in a room hurt me. I know that doesn't make sense, but it is the only way to describe it. Vision in my right eye had changed drastically, I had astigmatism out of no where, numbness in my arms and a persistent dull headache. I was going into my 4th week of a headache when I told my co-workers I would go to the doctor on Monday, they were worried. I worked with the best group of people. The aneurysm hit me that night, it was Friday. After the surgery and talking with doctors is when I put the signs and symptoms together. He estimated that I had more than 4 years of scar tissue from the aneurysm leaking. The cause likely my pregnancy and childbirth, it was then that I learned having another child I would likely not survive. Something I finally came to terms with about 5 years later.

As far as when I knew something was wrong, that's vivid. I was on the phone with my youngest sister, LoraLee, and Michael was watching Lion King. I suddenly felt like I had been hit in the back of the head with a sledge hammer. It was a bring me to my knees pain and it was truly the worst, most sudden pain of my entire life. Honestly labor was less painful and I had a natural, drug free birth. Unfortunately, LoraLee was in Indy and I told her I had to go that there was something wrong. I remember worrying about her throughout the night and the next morning because that is the last she heard from me and I didn't know if anyone had talked to her, if she was on the road and it was late or what. I even tried to wait before surgery the next morning to see her and my other sisters and brother to make sure she was okay.

The pain in the back of my head was severe, instinctively I knew that it was a life or death moment for me and that I needed help. If I had ignored the headache that time, I would not be here today. Hours later they had found 2 aneurysms, they were described as Mickey Mouse ears, they were next to each other. The 3rd was a micro, found in surgery, it hadn't even shown up on the angiogram it was so small. It was after surgery when the doctor also told us that I have a 100% chance of another aneurysm. But that's another story.

Daughter of God

Since a very young age, I have always known I am a child of God. In today's reading though, August 3, the author made a point of letting us know that we (women) are His daughter's. WOW, that just struck me so differently! In 31 years, I have never thought of it that way.
 

Are any of you Daddy's girls? I think all of my sisters and I are. There is anything I wouldn't do for my Dad. I hate, yes I just used hate, to disappoint him. I don't think there are too many things in the world that would hurt me more than to know I have disappointed him. I strive to make him proud of me and I love him beyond words and I know that he loves me, no matter what, even when I have felt unlovable. Putting God's love into this perspective, for me, was huge. To understand His love even more than I thought I already did, amazing. I am truly blessed, we all are, as daughter's and son's of God, to experience His unconditional love, to be loved AND forgiven even when we feel it's not possible or not worthy. Wow, what a day!

Forgiveness

I have something weighing on my mind for quite some time.  It has been discussed before and I am sure it will be again, but here goes.

Forgiveness, who is it for?  What is it about?  You or the offender.  It is a hard pill to swallow at times, but that forgiveness is really about the person doing the forgiving. It is about YOU. It is so you can move on, so you can deal with the emotions, you can begin to heal and you can take back the piece of your life.

I often hear, but Julie you don't understand what he/she did.  You don't understand the hurt.  You don't understand what I went through.  All of these emotions, entwined with that deed.  And you know what?  I may not understand how you feel, I have not walked in your shoes.  Chance are though, I have walked a similar path or have counseled someone who has.  I am not saying that is going to be easy, but I am saying it is necessary.

The other reason it is so necessary to forgive?  You and your family.  This bitterness, dare I say hatred, aggravation that you carry with you does not affect the other person, it affects those YOU love, those closest to YOU.  Your family, your children, your co-workers, your spouse.  It is not the other person affected by your inability to forgive, it is you.  Especially if you continue to "vent" or re-live the event to others.  You are affecting those people, not the offender. The anger you choose to take out on others is no longer their deed, but your own. It is your choice. They feel for you, they try to understand, they are affected, but they cannot be the one to ultimate forgive and it is not their fault.

Now am I saying forget, not necessarily.  Learn from the experience, remember the lesson from the experience.  The old adage goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."  Sometimes that lesson is a little harder to learn when it is family or someone you thought your were close to, but it a lesson you will need to learn.

Here is the other reason.  Control.  Now that is an even harder pill to swallow, but it is a fact.  Every time you get worked up about being wronged by this person, every time you write, call, text or choose to yell or call out this person, every time you choose to take it out on someone else - who incidently didn't have anything to do with the wronging in the first place, YOU are choosing to continually give them the control.  Do not take that anger or hurt you have for that other person, do not take that control you are giving them and perpetuate the problem by taking it out on someone else.  That makes you just as wrong and need to ask forgiveness.

Forgiveness is about you.  It gives you the freedom to heal, it gives you the freedom to move beyond and grow and it takes away their control.

I have wronged and I have been wronged.  I choose to forgive, because I am forgiven.  I choose to forgive because this is my life and I will not let someone else have that much negative influence on my life.  Am I perfect, not by a very long stretch, but I hope that if I have wronged someone in my life, I am a big enough person to ask for that forgiveness and if someone has hurt or wronged me, know that you are forgiven.

Stay off the scale!

I am officially done with week 2!  Starting into week 3 and working the Herbalife 24Fit DVD's I can honestly say I feel really good.  I am beginning to see the definition in my abs again and my body just feels better.

So after 2 full weeks, I am down 3.6 pounds overall, 2.3% in body fat, 7.5 inches and up .2 pounds of muscle.  My clothes are feeling better and we are getting into somewhat of a routine.

So the challenge I gave myself, each of my customers and challengers this week. STAY OFF THE SCALE!  Do not let the scale dictate your day, your mood, your self worth or define you.  You are not the number on the scale.  You are you!  You are a strong person who is on track to a healthier lifestyle.  Sometimes that journey is day by day and sometimes it is step by step, but you are making changes. 

Even with some challenges last week, we are still on track. I didn't get to the treadmill as often as I wanted.  My plan was to make some changes in this weeks routine, but that too has been sidelined.  Jim is facing his challenges this week as he reached for something and pulled a main muscle in his back.

One thing I have definitely learned over the last 10 years is there will always be bumps in the road, there will be things that pull you off course and then there will be road blocks.  It is our choice in how we deal with each of these obstacles.  We either give up or we fight for ourselves.  It isn't always easy, but you have to get up, brush yourself off and remember your ultimate goal to better yourself.  If you don't think you can do it on your own than ask a friend to help you push yourself through.  WE ARE WORTH IT!

I am looking forward to the weeks ahead!

You got this!!
 

One Week in

Officially I am one week into my Body Transformation and I am feeling pretty good.  The depression is gone, I feel good and outside of a bout with food poisoning I am in good shape.

I am down 1 pound and 6 inches after week one.  Since I didn't add these last week, I am adding them now.

Weight 131.6
Measurements 
UC 30.5
C 31
W 26.5
Ab 33.5
H 40
RT 22.75
LT 23
RA 9
LA 8.75
Now, I get a lot of flack for my weight and I am often told I should just be happy where I am at.  There are probably some of you who thought the same as you read my numbers. I have also been told that losing 25 pounds wasn't significant, that's what I lost 10 years ago and had maintained.  Well 25 pounds is the size of a toddler and it was pretty darn significant to me.

The fact of the matter is, I am not happy with me, I am not the best 'Me' I can be, things jiggle that shouldn't and I let my nutritional program slack off.  I want to be happy, feel great, be the best mom and wife I can be and mostly be proud of myself.  In 12 weeks, that is exactly where I plan to be. 

These last few months are the only time I have ever been so slack in my regimen, it is the only time I ever strayed so much for so long.  Don't be mistaken, I do not eat a perfect diet 24/7/365.  I do however eat a pretty clean, whole food diet about 90 - 95% of the time.  I do not miss anything and indulge when I want to.  I just refuse to put garbage in my body like fast food and processed box foods. 

SO, what is my goal?  Well, with my weight I do not have one.  Before getting hurt in September I was gaining muscle and that has since turned into fluff.  I want to drop my body weight percentage to 16%.  I want to have definition in my arms and legs, and possible even 6 pack abs.  I want to wear shorts without worry and to be proud of my after picture, in my bikini.

My over all goal is a different story.  What is that goal?  To inspire.  I want to inspire change, I want to help others reach for their goals.  I want to help them to not give up on themselves and push through those days when the "just don't want to".  I want to lead a healthy active lifestyle and show others that they can do the same.  I want to help others achieve their goals and aspire to be the best they can possibly be.  THAT is my true goal and I will do my best each and every day.

Here's to the journey!

Here is a link to my food journal.  If you cannot access, please just message me.  It's not perfect.  You will get the general idea though.  http://www.ichange.com/coach/JulieLuptak

New Year, New Me

It's been quite an eventful few months. September sent my path into a bit of a new direction.  I hurt a ligament on my right ankle chasing one of my nephews which completely derailed exercise for me.  One thing I have learned about ligaments, it is very easy to injure them again.  We were also in the process of purchasing a condo and that deal crumbled the day before closing.  Believe me it was a very hard thing to walk away from, I really had my heart set, but it was the right thing to do.  What I didn't expect was the journey it sent me on personally.   It's been a very difficult 3 months, I have been a frustrated with myself, a little depressed and relatively unhappy with me.  Which of course spills over into other areas. 

I have come to realize over the last few weeks that the reason I stay so regimented in my program and weight maintenance is control.  Yes, that is what it really boils down to, control.  Herbalife helps me in that tremendously,  but ultimately it is the choices I make as to what I want to put in my body.  Through struggles with lay offs, parents, kids, finances, relationships, and so much more I could always control my weight.  Now with that being said, the stress of carrying for my mother-in-law day in and day out did take a toll on my weight and while I could control what I ate and how much, my weight dropped severely just  due to the stress.  That was extremely hard on us, but caring for her had to be our priority and it has been.  I was eating plenty, but with the hours we were keeping and late nights at the nursing home, it was a lot for my body.  It is the only time I have not been able to keep weight on while trying too, but the circumstances were also extreme.  Once my husband quit working to take care of his mother more and help me with our business, my weight came right back on.  It's so funny how the body works. 

Now back to control, I am a people pleaser, I don't like to be in confrontation, I just want everyone to be happy, and never want to be the cause of upset for anyone.  It makes me physically ill, my heart races and I want to run or hide.  Now being a people pleaser and business leader, do not go hand in hand so I have had to learn how to lead.  I may not have always done the best, but I have always done my best.  My weight on the other hand, I control.  I control what I eat, how much I eat, when I eat, where I eat, if I eat, I control it all.  To top it off, I am stubborn in what I eat.  I do not eat fast food, even when we travel, I do not each junk food, and I do not eat sugary foods.  Control.

Once I was not able to exercise anymore, I began to miss it.  Yes me.  The person who really doesn't care for exercise was actually missing it.  On top of that, I could not wear my favorite shoes, I am a high heeled girl through and through, and with that it also eliminated much of my wardrobe because everything is tailored to my heels.  By November, i wasn't really caring a lot about me, I was frustrated in many aspects of my life and admittedly depressed. There were so many things I couldn't control, that I didn't want to even try anymore.

In December a multi-state body transformation was announced, registration was beginning in January.  So I put it in my mind that I was going to continue just to stay out of routine and set my sights on January and that is exactly what I have done.  Better yet, my husband, Jim, decided he would be joining me on this journey.

Next week Jim and I begin our body transformation challenges, together.  I have planned out 12 weeks of our routine, our meals, our snacks, our fruits and veggies, our and exercise.  It has me focused again and excited about the changes that are coming our way.  I have gained a few pounds while sitting in my duff.  Oh and that newly gained muscle from August?  Well let's just say it can no longer be seen and has found some fluffy friends.  Friday I will scan, weigh, measure and take pictures.  Sunday I will start on our new plan and Monday we add exercise back in.  I cannot explain to you how excited I am to begin this new phase, I am ready for it all to come together.

I will be sharing my journey throughout the next 12 weeks and so will my friend Stevie.  I will link to her blog whenever I figure out how.  

*ETA - Clearly I began this blog a couple weeks ago.  So far so good.