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Dick and Gail
Hello there! My name is Gail and that good looking cowboy next to me is my husband, Dick. We started this "great adventure" when I was 49 and Dick was 50. We have two grown sons and two lovely daughters in law. I can't forget our youngest kids — two dogs and two cats that think they are dogs. Dick and I both enjoy anything involved with the great outdoors. I even enjoy those tasks called lawn mowing and weeding. Dick, on the other hand, would rather be building something in his workshop! I also enjoy all sorts of handcrafting, making original wedding dresses and reading. Did you watch any of the OJ trial and notice that lady sitting down in front writing on that funny little machine that gave an immediate transcription to the attorneys and judge? That's the kind of work I do. I have been an official court reporter for the state for more than 20 years. Dick has his own accounting practice. This "great adventure" has led us down many new roads. I can't say I've enjoyed the trip! What we have learned is to take one day at a time and be thankful we have each other. Also, though this special forum, we are making new friends and learning more and more with each day.
29 January 1999
On Saturday afternoon, October 17, 1998 my wife and I were working in our yard preparing the garden and flower beds for winter in south central Nebraska. She was bent over working in a flower bed a few feet away from me when she raised up, putting her hand on her forehead and said she had a "God awful headache!" and immediately fell over forward like a tree crashing to the ground. Both of our grown son were at home for the weekend. Our oldest son helped me with his mother who was unconscious and having a seizure, while his brother called 911.
We could only watch to see that she didn't swallow her tongue while waiting for the EMT's to arrive. The seizure was horrific with her half closed eyes staring straight ahead, labored rasping breathing, rigid body and cupped hand and arm moving back and forth. She was transported to the local small hospital. Looking back, they didn't have a clue what was going on, except for a nurse that knew she needed to go to a larger facility. Good Samaritan hospital was contacted 50 miles away and sent the helicopter to medivac her.
Our sons, their wives and I arrived at the second hospital about an hour after she did. We were met by a cardiologist and neurosurgeon who informed us she had a brain aneurysm hemorrhage and "wouldn't have made it" if it took much longer to get her there and that she was "in really bad shape!" The neurosurgeon said he would talk to us when the angiogram was finished. After quite some time had past he met with us in a private waiting room designed to give the family bad news. I don't know how much time had passed but it was enough time for our Best Friends to drive 90 miles to the hospital. He told us she had a two aneurysms and one or both had hemorrhaged. One was on the left front (posterior ascending communicating artery) and the other was on the basilar artery located at the lower back of the head. He didn't know which had hemorrhaged because of the amount of blood surrounding the brain in the cranial cavity.
His next words were, they couldn't help us there because of the rarity and difficulty of location of the basilar aneurysm. I asked where do we go? He said he wasn't sure, he would try Omaha but we may have to go to Kansas City or Phoenix. She was kept in ICU and early next morning was flown by helicopter to University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha (the 3rd hospital in less than 24 hours). It was Sunday, she was placed in ICU and saw by the on-call neuro resident. UNMC was 200 miles from our point of origin, so it was early afternoon before I and our Best Friends arrived at UNMC ICU.
My reference to our Best Friends warrants some explanation at this point. We have been married for 30 years, Rod and Jeane have been our closest friends for 25 years. When our son called them and told them what had happened, they dropped everything and left immediately to where we were. They stayed with me, 24 hours a day for the next two weeks! I had convinced my sons to stay behind because we didn't know what was going on or where we might be going!
I was told by the on-call resident on the "telephone" a panel of neurosurgeons would meet the next day to see if she should be sent to Kansas City for a coiling procedure on the basilar aneurysm. Three days later she was flown to St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City where the GDC coiling was done on the basilar aneurysm. Four days after that she was transported, by ground ambulance this time, back to UNMC in Omaha were a craniotomy and clipping of the second aneurysm was done 4 days after arrival back in Omaha. Six days later she was discharged from the hospital to recover at home.
She is now at 3 and a half months after the hemorrhage and doing well considering the situation. She only remembers small bits of the two plus weeks in the hospital and the first 2 weeks at home. I tell her that's okay because I remember every minute of the terror of the thought of losing my wife of 30 years!
She has some dizziness, balance, concentration and memory problems. I have learned to fill in blank words in a sentence she can't think of and we both can laugh about it.
We both have read many of the narratives. They have been of particular help to me to know that others have had the same experience and understand what we both feel. To know there are people whom you can email correspond with that understand the terror and what is to come during recovery. The doctors who saved her life aren't of any help with what is to be in the future. We have been back for two, six week checkups now and all they say is it will get better in time. This last time they said, the next visit will probably be our last. But my wife and I both know, that she is not going to be recovered by that time, seems they just want to unload us! We will not be "unloaded" so easily!
I would welcome the opportunity to correspond with you!
Update 2 Sep 1999
At 11 months post rupture we are ready to update Gail's story! Happily, this time she is able to be involved in the authoring.
The residual impairments have forced her to retire from her 27 year career as a court reporter. I moved my accounting practice from the location I had been at for 20 years to our home. Our world, forever, turned completely upside down on October 17, 1998, despair and depression took control of our lives, temporarily! However, this web site, this support group has cast out despair and depression! Many friends have been made from coast to coast, whose understanding and compassion have helped stablize our world and have taught us to try and help others.
The basilar summit aneurysm, although embolized, still has some filling and remains a treat so the story doesn't end! The interlude is a happy time because we have decided to make it that way. We are together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and love it! Gail's impairments have caused us to slow our lives down and "take time to smell the roses" at least the ones in her flower garden. Live our lives one day at a time in the present and not expend so much energy on what may be in the future. Her doctor said "don't look to where you are going, but where you are and where you came from!" He is right, she came from "not expected to make it through the night" to "able to grow and smell the roses."
We still new our support group friends to lean on and need them to lean on us when they need too!
Update 28 Sep 2000
It has been almost two years since my aneurysm rupture and the "great adventure" began. Just when I thought I had it all together and was ready to really get on with this new life I was given a second chance at, something really awful happened! A good friend of mine from where I had worked was hospitalized with an aneurysm. Hers had only leaked and I was certain she had a great chance. After all, Dick was told that I wasn't expected to live and I did. She would too. She didn't. Hers ruptured and they weren't able to save her.
I have to admit that I had a really hard time dealing with the fact that I survived, was sure she would, and she died. Now I find myself rethinking everything and I guess I will stop trying to analyze all of this and just be so thankful that I am still here, physical impairments and all. I still get to be with the love of my life and watch my children grow as adults. Don't know why I made it. I'm just so thankful I did.
Discussion, comments, or questions: Gail Stokes
© Copyright 1999 Gail Stokes
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