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Established April 15, 1995
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My name is Christina Rowe, my anuerysms occured in April and May of 2006 in Southern California. I am married to a wonderful husband who stood by my side all through several surgeries and came to my side in ICU and at the same time he took care of our two little girls. Between all that he managed to work and come visit me daily and if the hospital called and said things did not look good he would come running, I applaude him for helping me when I cam home and the continued care he gives me. Alot of people don't understand what an aneurysm is and what it can do to your body,I hope more people will be aware of the silent killer. It is such an ordeal, I have had several people in my life die of aneurysms and it is a scary thing. I have not really been able to express everything I have gone through with anyone, most people don't understand, and my family does not like to talk about it much because it was such a traumatic event that it is hard to deal with, and I know they think I am so fragile. My husband worries constantly.
After my two aneurysms and a year recovery I was able to fight my way through to finish nursing school and I am a nurse and now I work and love it.
21 May 2009
My aneurysm was an unusual aneurysm, as most are. You don't expect it will happen to you. I went for a routine operation and was supposed to be home the next day. Well a slight complication caused a hematoma and loss of blood. So I stayed, got blood transfusions and started to feel slightly better, so by the third day they said I could go home. So I did go home and I was not well at home, but I figured it was from the surgery and the complication that happened. So I just rested and figured it will take time to get better. Well my first night home I ended up back in the ER not feeling well at all. They ran the usual blood work and told me my potassium was low and I should drink a pottasuim drink and go home and eat bananas. Well I was to sick to argue so I took the drink and went home to try and sleep. The next day I felt worse, my stomach was distended and I was very uncomfortable , but again I was just at the ER and they did not seem to concerned. But that night I could not sleep every one had gone to bed and I sat on the couch trying to make my self feel better and all of a sudden I felt the worst shooting pain rip right through my body and I could not move, I passed out and woke up on the floor at 6 am. No one woke that night, I am lucky I did not die. I walked past my husband that morning and told him I am sick and I am going to bed. So I did just that, but I realized something was wrong I felt worse and worse as time went on, I called my husband who could not come home, so I told him if I get worse I feel I must call the ambulance. No sooner did I hang up, I was dialing 911. By time the parametics came I was in such state of shock , I barely had a BP and they rushed me to the hospital unable to get an IV in. By time they worked me up , I was feeling so bad, I did not know what end was up. They did not know what was wrong with me at all, no one thought aneurysm. I am to young for that. Well they admitted me and my labs were all off and then fevers like crazy, CT saying my hematoma had grown, but nobody looked were I told them the pain was . Well a week later I had a code blue and they brought me back and rushed me to ICU , where I had another code. Of course I was very much out of things, I was not sure which way was up. They took me to CT and told me my stomach was full of blood , I looked 10 months pregnant, they pumped me full of 14 units of blood and eventually came in and told me they would have to open me up to see what it was. I thought surely I would die, I told my husband goodbye , I knew I was full of blood and once they ripped me open it would just go everywhere, not only that they still were waiting for blood to be flown in for me. So they started by my pelvis and kept going up and up into my chest, then they found the aneurysm. I had a spleenic artery aneurysm which they called in a vascular surgeon to repair it. They repaired it and a week later another one ruptured and more surgeries. I was a mess, I had a pnuemothorax and a plueral effusion, pancreatitis, liver damage, blood in my cavaties and eventually I developed a huge blood clot that almost took my life. I was on a PICC line with TPN and I thought will this ever end?, more and more bad news. Well eventually things did stabilize and over a month later I was leaving the hospital, I still was on a PICC line and TPN , but I was alive and going home. There is not a day that goes by that I dont thank GOD for saving my life. I know it was a miracle, I had 3 codes and many chances of dying, I had an angel haning over me . I cherish every moment I am alive and I do my regular check ups. I have never gone back to what I was capable of doing, but just being in this world is enough for me.
© Copyright 2009 Christina Rowe
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