My Miracle.

Over the last year (2010) I have been to doctor after doctor. I went to my Primary Care Physician, an Internist, an Ears, Nose and Throat Doctor. I had skin and allergy testing done. I was then refereed to an Rheumatologist. All had taken tests after tests. My symptoms were all over the place. From rashes, pressure behind my eyes, which my eye doctor couldn't find any reason for and suggested I get my head checked. I even told one doctor that I needed my head checked. He said, with a laugh ,"they all say you need your head checked!" Other symptoms included tingling and numbness on the left side of my face. Hip and joint pain, so bad it would wake me up at night. Dry mouth and eyes. No energy, over all pain and weakness.

I was about to give up on finding a diagnosis for all of my symptoms when my Rheumatologist, who was leaning to more of a Fibromyalgia diagnosis, refereed me to a Neurologist to test me for M.S. He just wanted to rule it out.

The Neurologist really didn't think I had the symptoms of M.S. but agreed to an M.R.I. just to be sure. I had the M.R.I. and was called by the Radiology Department two days later to come and get a C. T. scan immediately that day and not wait. So after work I had a C.T. scan done. The next day I wasn't feeling well so I called the Neurologist's office to see if they had the results. They did and the doctor was reviewing them and would call me back. Because I wasn't feeling well I left work and went to the Radiology Department and pick up the written notes of both the M.R.I and the C.T. scan.

I read ..." There is an aneurysm arising from the inferior aspect of the right posterior cerebral artery, just over 1 cm from the origin. It measures .6 x 1.0 x .8 cm in size. It has a rather broad neck, measuring 4mm in diameter."

I didn't know much about aneurysms, but I did know that most people die from a ruptured aneurysm. I cried all the way home. The doctors office call me as I was driving home and told me they were trying to find a Neurosurgeon in the state of Utah who could see me now, which was a Friday, and not wait for an appointment on Monday. They asked if I could go to Salt Lake City to the University of Utah if that was the only Neurosurgeon they could find. I told them I could go wherever they wanted me to go.

At home I looked up aneurysms on the internet. Mine was on the III Cranial nerve, which is the nerve to my right eye.

The doctor's office called me back and said they found a Neurosurgeon in Provo who would meet me in the E.R. at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning and told me to be prepared to stay. I asked if there was anything I should do. They said "Don't do anything, do not lift anything, do not do anything strenuous". Which really frightened me.

I sent a text to my three sons and my daughter-in-law. "Important meeting at my home tonight at 6:30 p.m". I knew I wouldn't be able to tell them over the phone. I felt I should tell all of them at the same time, in person. I called my Home Teachers and left a message to meet at my home at 6:30 p.m. and be prepared to give me a blessing. I knew my Dad would be with me because I was to take him to a viewing in town that night. When I picked up my dad I asked him to bring his Consecrated oil to give me a blessing that night. I know he was worried and my Mom as well. I just wanted to tell everyone all at the same time.

We all met in my home, except one son J.P. who was stuck in traffic, so we had him on speaker phone. I gave the Radiology notes to my son Craig to read. They had a hard time understanding what it meant. I was in tears and did my best to explain. I didn't even know what the Neurosurgeon was going to do the next day when I met him in the E.R.

My Dad gave me a wonderful blessing which calmed me down. I wish my son's had received a blessing that night as well, so they would be prepared for what was to come.

Months ago I had had a thought to get a hospital bag ready and had even told my daughter-in-law it was in my closet if ever I need to go to the hospital. I had packed it with clothes I was comfortable in, which my three sons wouldn't have known what to pack.

We made arrangements to have Jared take me to the hospital the next morning and Shantell would keep everyone posted, my Home Teachers, Visiting Teachers, my Bishop and my Relief Society President.

When Jared and I arrived at the E.R. the next day, they were ready for me, they even had my wrist bands ready. Later, Dr. Reichman met us in the E.R., he had already seen the scans. He explained they would put a "clip" on the neck of the aneurysm, (which his nurse had earrings make out of to show what the clip looked like), to stop the blood flow to the aneurysm. I was admitted into the hospital then and they wanted an angiogram a.s.a.p and scheduled me for surgery on Monday.

Everyone said I had the best Neurosurgeon in the state. I felt confident and at ease with my situation and felt I was in good hands.

During the angiogram the technicians kept saying "wow that's a good one", "that's a good aneurysm". I finally asked what a good aneurysm was, because I thought all aneurysms we bad. They said it was a "good one" because you could really tell I had an aneurysm. It was quite a large aneurysm on the right side of my head, on the outside edge of the brain.

When Dr. Reichman saw the angiogram he said there was a surgeon in Canada who specialized in this type of aneurysm and he, Dr. Reichman, had trained under that doctor. So I was in the right place at the right time.
I had a Brain Aneurysm Clipping on February 14th 2011.