stroke

brain-stroke

Stroke!

Anyone can have a stroke. Young or old, unhealthy, healthy, smokers, non-smokers. You get the idea.

So we don’t say to young kids who have had a stroke, that they partied hard and took too many drugs do we?

I worked in pubs for all of my 20’s.

They were Alternative Clubs, by which I mean musically. I was a promoter/host/distributor.

Back in the day, before smart phones, when you went out to shops in retail shopping precincts to see posters of upcoming events/parties and get a nightclub ‘pass’.

I was the only promoter for the Alternative Club scene who had a retainer.

I spent several days and a week hitting the streets and sometimes up to 4-5 nights, all night out at clubs…

And I didn’t take drugs or drink, ok I barely drank. I drank Lemon, Lime and Bitters and occasionally at 4pm when my responsibilities were done, I had a Bailey’s on Ice.

I like to say, I was the most clean living person there with the exceptions of wearing leather and eating meat…

And despite writing this and explaining people still 1. Think I’m lying and 2. Presume I took drugs, even just once. NO, NO, I did not take drugs.

So you are probably wondering what happened?

Hopefully, by now you have Googled AVM. If not here is a link;

http://brainavm.oci.utoronto.ca/malformations/brain_avm_index.htm

Some AVM’s are small and operable. They are the ones that end up on those “real” medical shows. Example: Guy in his 20’s, studying hard, getting headaches, goes to hospital, they do a CAT scan.

Diagnose AVM, perform surgery.

Do touchy-feely tests in recovery.

Cured! Send home.

Helen’s commentary “um No!” Shaking head.

My AVM was large and deep (non-medical terms) mine had several arteries attached to it, feeding it and the nerve that works the left side of my body in the middle of the arteries.

They do say, if you can’t do something right, don’t bother.

So, yeah! Winning…

Aquired brain injury 1

ABI

Okay, you have probably heard about it and even noticed I refer to having a brain injury, but have really not had me admit it or explain it. Until now…

This is it! If you don’t know for sure ABI stands for Acquired Brain Injury. There are others like TBI – Traumatic Brain Injury and I think there should be another acronym of which would be DDK – Doctors Don’t Know! More of that in just a second.

I have avoided doing the whole “Once upon a time, into my blog like most other blog’s for several reasons.

My story would start at the age of 34, when I found out about something I’d had for more than 34 years.
Many people get grumpy about how I now “Bang on” about Brain Injury, because I now know I have one! But they were always happy in the past when what I would “Bang on” about made them money. At least I have a Brain Injury to be Banging on” about.

But in reality I have a uniquely shitty ABI because DDK how it happens. There is no specific finding thrown at it to cure it!/Research it and the “cure” in my situation has left me looking like I’ve had a “stroke” without the funding and assistance.

But all the issues and negativity because people look at me like I did something to deserve the issue I now have.

I actually had a lifetime of some very subtle “things” that were easily dismissed until I was in a stressful work environment at 34 years of age where I was being bullied and when I was working with an older gentleman who had a son my age with MS (Multiple Sclerosis)..

He noticed I had a weakness in my left arm, I thought I was camouflaging and started to pester me to see my Doctor.

And so, I finally did go see my Doctor. The last thing on my list was that I had a slight weakness in my left arn.

His instant response was I needed a CAT Scan.

I got one and had my first experience of “Contrast” or Iodine” but again, more of that later. You will love that story!

So a few weeks later after my scan I returned to my GP’s office.

That next visit has become infamous. One of those days when you don’t remember anything else that happens except that one moment of clarity you will never forget.

My GP held my scan up to the window as though like a lightbox and pointed to one side of the scan stating “See this side?” “This is normal……” Oh how we love that term.

I could see the other side looked different, darker.

I kind of gave a “Yeah, what’s going on with…..?”

And he pointed at the area of the other side and described a cluster of arteries and called it an Arterio Venus Malformation or an AVM for short.

I confess to say, I had no idea what it meant or how it got there. But to say I’d had a pretty shitty week, having lost my job, I didn’t know what it meant or how it might affect my ability to get another job.

I also confess to say, I cried. Dr Chris made a move to comfort me (Lord love him) and I explained the shitty week I’d had.

Well this is not over, but I felt inspired and now it’s 3am so I really think it’s time for sleep.

Meanwhile, feel free to Google AVM, I always tell people it’s the medical one not the IT related one.