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The Recovery, Part 5
By
Tom Quirk |
The fortunate survivors
of a brain aneurysm will likely experience deficits that may
be caused by the subarachnoid hemorrhage or the treatment.
Typically there will be some residual damage that will
remain, but during the recovery process most of the deficits
will diminish in severity, and some will disappear entirely.
It is said that recovery from a brain aneurysm is not a
sprint, but a marathon; often a life-long journey. It takes
a certain amount of time to recognize and understand the
severity of the deficits and to develop compensatory
strategies. It is often helpful to receive a neurological
assessment from a neuropsychiatrist or neuropyschologist to
determine the resultant level of cognitive function, and
therefore be in a better position to design a program of
therapy to address specific deficits. Typically
postoperative patients receive rehabilitative treatment from
physical, occupational and speech therapists, on an
in-patient or out-patient basis.
The resulting deficits from a brain aneurysm rupture are
usually more pronounced and severe and therefore take more
rehabilitative treatment and time. Some of the potential
problems that might impact both ruptured and unruptured
brain aneurysm survivors are: stroke, chronic headache or
head pain, partial or complete blindness, peripheral vision
deficits, cognitive processing problems, speech
complications, perceptual problems, behavioral
inconsistencies, loss of balance and coordination, decreased
concentration, short-term memory difficulties and fatigue. I
would emphasize that not all survivors will experience these
issues, and some, none at all.
These deficits tend to diminish with time and therapy, and
many stroke victims will recover many of their functions.
Those having suffered severe hemorrhage will likely
experience more serious and longer term effects. Everyone is
different.
Patients are well served by their family caregivers who,
because of constant and close observation, are in a position
to notice the more subtle deficits that are not readily
apparent to even experienced therapists, during relatively
brief therapy appointments. Less subtle background deficits
tend to be longer lasting and thereby more problematic for
survivors. Patients and thoughtful conversations with
therapists and doctors can develop meaningful remediation
programs to address these matters. |
ABOUT THE
AUTHOR
For more information you may contact Tom Quirk at (781)
545-2300, extension 628 or via email at tfquirk@aol.com. For
more detailed information about brain aneurysms, please
visit the Brain Aneurysm Foundation’s web site at
www.bafound.org.
The South Shore Brain Aneurysm Support
Group meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month,
from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish Center, 2 Edward
Foster Road, Scituate.
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