Brain aneurysm kills suddenly

[cschoppe]

So I'm kind of sitting here in shock because my 38yr old cousin is about to be removed from life support d/t a ruptured brain aneurysm that occurred yesterday morning. He woke up yesterday, was holding his 6mo old son, and turned to his wife and said, "I have got a terrible headache, it feels like I'm going to die, I don't know how people live w/ these."....then lights out. He fell unconscious and remains in a coma until now. He had a crani yesterday and ended up having to remove 1/2 of his brain d/t continued bleeding. This morning it was determined that he was indeed brain dead and so the decision was to remove life support at 1:15est today b/c 115 was his motocross number when he was younger. I am just having a hard time wrapping my brain around how someone could be here one day and 'poof' gone the next, especially when they are literally the picture of health. Does anyone know anything more about aneurysms or experience something like this before?

[MagsMom]

I don't think she is asking for medical advice - just some thoughts.

I am very sorry for your loss. I feel for the young family that he has left behind.

My best friend had an aneurysm several years ago. She had just had a baby the previous week and was driving to the store to get a few things. She had the aneurysm while driving. She apparently said that she had a headache earlier that day but was trying to "power though it". She was 36 years old.

[demylenated, BSN, RN]

I'm terribly sorry. This, for some reason, has always been a huge fear of mine (aneurysms in general).

I pray for peace and comfort during your time of loss. There will never be answers, and no words to make it better. Just know you have many people thinking of you and your family and lifting them up as this time.

I'm very sorry. My condolences.

[madwife2002, BSN, RN]

I want to offer words of wisdom to support you through this time of shock and sorrow!

I dont know if I have any so I will think about it and get back to you when and If I find any.

My family went into shock because of the lack of warning and the inability of anybody to do anything.

[rnsrgr8t]

That is so tragic. Prayers for you and your family!

My first year out of nursing school, this happened to one of our nurse practitioners. Early thirties, husband/kids, it was so sad. She was about to leave clinic at the end of the the work day, sat down in a chair saying she had a bad headache and fell on the floor and started seizing and coded. Everyone stood for a split second like, OMG how can this be happening!! The MD's I worked with immediately started doing CPR. Luckily the big adult hospital (I worked in a peds hospital) was across the street so they called 911 and EMT's where there in minutes. By the time they were wheeling her out, she was having decorticate posturing. By the time she got to the ER, she had herniated. They kept her on life support for a day or two and she ended up being an organ donor. It was SO sad and tragic. Cannot imagine what her family/kids went through. The only saving grace in the whole thing was that it happened on the unit where she worked. Not in the parking lot (where no one may have been for awhile) or worse while she was driving and could have hurt someone else.

It is hard when you work in healthcare, you want to be able to rationalize something like this when it happens and you simply cannot!

Again my prayers are with you!

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

it's become such a cliche, but it's still true: there are no guarantees in life, something like this could hit any of us this afternoon, cherish what you have while you have it. if you haven't reread our town lately, it might give you some comfort.

this is so hard because it's so unexpected, and because it's someone young with so much life ahead. it won't be less sad, ever, but it will be something that you will learn to live with and time will blunt the sharpest edges of your family's pain.

and one more thing, which i try to practice in my daily life in anticipation of the inevitable losses to come: don't cry because its gone, laugh because you had it. my thoughts are with you.