A MUM who blamed her headaches on the “stress and chaos” of parenting two sets of toddler twins was shocked when she found out the true cause.
Elizabeth Presson went to visit her doctor in December after her “abnormally bad headache” failed to respond to pain relief medication.
The 31-year-old says she thought the headache was caused by parenting three-year-olds Ashton Presson and Jacob Presson and two-year-olds Matthew Presson and Christian Presson.
But five days later when the mum-of-four’s headache worsened and she started experiencing a stiff and sore neck she went to hospital.
There, doctors ran tests and a CT scan and revealed to the stunned tech company worker that she had a brain aneurysm.
Elizabeth says she lives in a “constant state of anxiety” that the aneurysm could rupture at any moment and cause her death “instantly”.
Now, doctors are monitoring Elizabeth and if the aneurysm grows a stent will be fitted.
Elizabeth from Jacksonville, Florida, US, said: “One morning I woke up and I had a really bad headache.
“The pain started in the back left side of my head and over time it took over my whole head, I was barely able to function.
“I would be trying to cook dinner and I would get a sudden shooting pain that would stop me in my tracks.
“I took pretty much every medicine you could take but it wasn’t getting better.
“I gave it a couple of days but then I started getting really bad neck pain on one side of my neck. It became really stiff and I couldn’t turn my head.
“I made an appointment with my doctor and he gave me a migraine shot. I thought it was caused by the stress and chaos of parenting two sets of twins.
“They’re all boys, one set is about to be two and the other set is three. They’re the most difficult ages.”
The headache started on December 9th but failed to respond to medication.
So on December 13th Elizabeth went to the emergency department at the hospital where doctors sent her for a CT scan.
Elizabeth said: “The doctor said it was probably a migraine but that they’d run the CT just in case due to the neck pain.
“That’s when they found the brain aneurysm. I called my parents, my husband, and my best friend and they all started freaking out.
I’d never considered the possibility that something like that could happen to me
Elizabeth Presson
“I was in so much pain. My head hurt so bad that I couldn’t even look at my phone.
“I was terrified at that point because I’ve always considered myself to be very healthy. I’m only 31 and I’m very health conscious.
“We eat all the right things, do all the right things. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I’d never considered the possibility that something like that could happen to me.”
Elizabeth, who’s married to 35-year-old Robert Presson, was sent for a lumbar puncture, which confirmed that the brain aneurysm wasn’t bleeding.
She was kept in hospital for two nights before she was discharged and sent home – but the pain was still so severe she couldn’t bear to be around her children.
Elizabeth said: “It was awful. I couldn’t even bear to be around my kids, I had to lay flat.
“My headache was unbearable. I felt so guilty that I couldn’t be my normal self with them and they were confused as to why I couldn’t be with them.
“I was just in my room for days at a time.”
Elizabeth says she is still experiencing the sudden, severe headaches a couple of times a week and is waiting for an appointment with her neurologist at the end March.
She will also be meeting with her neurosurgeon again in July to check if the aneurysm has grown.
Elizabeth said: “I meet with my neurosurgeon again in July.
“If it’s grown they consider it an active aneurysm, which is at greater risk of rupturing so I’ll have to get a stent placed in my brain.
My doctor told me if it ruptures and it doesn’t clot within two seconds then I will just die instantly
Elizabeth Presson
“If it hasn’t grown then they want to continue to monitor it on an annual basis, but it’s something that I have to be aware of for the rest of my life.
“I can’t smoke, I can’t do anything to raise my blood pressure too high and obviously I won’t be riding any rollercoasters or doing anything like that anytime soon.
“I think the hardest part is the anxiety of knowing that it could rupture at any moment.
“My doctor told me if it ruptures and it doesn’t clot within two seconds then I will just die instantly.
“At this point I just really wish we could be proactive and place the stent now because I don’t know if I can have this looming over my head for the rest of my life.
“I’m in a constant state of anxiety.”
Since the diagnosis, Elizabeth says it’s changed her perspective on life and encouraged her to have more fun with her children.
Elizabeth said: “It’s changed everything for me. I definitely find myself not putting off having fun anymore.
“I used to think it was so much work to take all of the kids to go and do stuff but now I think we just can’t wait for life to get easier because tomorrow’s not promised.
“Now I’m like ‘let’s pack up the kids, let’s go have fun and do what we can because in a moment it could all change’.
“It’s really changed my perspective and I’m trying to be more intentional and not take a second for granted with my children.”
Signs of a brain aneurysm
A BRAIN aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel in your brain. It can be very serious if it bursts.
The frightening thing is it rarely causes any symptoms unless it ruptures.
Unruptured brain aneurysms occasionally cause symptoms if they’re particularly large or press against tissues or nerves inside the brain.
Symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm can include:
- visual disturbances, such as loss of vision or double vision
- pain above or around your eye
- numbness or weakness on one side of your face
- difficulty speaking
- headaches
- loss of balance
- difficulty concentrating or problems with short-term memory
You should see a GP as soon as possible if you experience symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm.
Although most aneurysms will not rupture, it’s important to get it checked in case treatment is necessary.
Source: NHS
