The causes and effects of a brain aneurysm Essay Example
The causes and effects of a brain aneurysm Essay Example

The causes and effects of a brain aneurysm Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (924 words)
  • Published: August 3, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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I have chosen to do two different case studies, for my first case study I have chosen to use my dad and his psychological illness. My dad got diagnosed with black widow syndrome of the brain, this is due to an aneurysm is the brain. My second case study is the psychological illness of my late grandmother, cervical cancer. For each of these case studies I have interviewed the person/carer involved and also used medical reports in my findings. The first psychological illness I am going to discuss and evaluate is a brain aneurysm that remained anonymous in the brain until it ruptured.

There are four blood vessels in the brain, they have smaller vessels which branch out and provide the brain with blood. It is possible for the vessels to become weakened this can be when the vessels all becom

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e combined or split. When this area becomes weak it leads to an aneurysm. Aneurysms themselves don’t usually provide except when they leak into the brain tissue. Some people are born with aneurysms while others develop over a period of time, more than often they are not discovered until an autopsy is carried out on a body after death.

They are silent and are not found otherwise until they leak or rupture. There are very few symptoms that an individual has an aneurysm, some of these do include mimics of strokes, headaches and stiffness in the neck. In the case of a rupture emergency neurosurgery is performed where a clip is inserted to prevent further bleeding in the brain. When the person is in recovery from their rupture and surgery there are precautionary medication provided to prevent

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seizures along with pain killers to help ease the service user and make them more comfortable.

Some people have no complications or aftermaths of their operation while others develop seizures and weakness in there body such as those impairments that a stroke would cause. When going through treatment it can become very stressful for both the person and the care provider/family of the individual. Some people lose their ability of speech and require speech and language therapy while others may lose the power and feeling in side of their body opposite to where the aneurysm ruptured.

In 2007 my dad was in a serious car accident, on arrival to the hospital he had brain scans and had a suspected broken back. In further tests it was revealed that he had none of the above. Dad had begun to have headaches soon after, but nothing was thought of, and it was brushed off. Later in 2010 while in the queue to Glastonbury festival dad had a ‘blackout’, dad picked himself up and once again ignored it and put it down to being stood in the queue for a long while.

Finally in June 2011 while at a family gathering dad took another blackout, this time it was fatal and he collapsed and banged his head on the concrete slabs, dad begun to bleed from his mouth, nose and ears. My mum then resuscitated him while waiting for the ambulance to arrive, dad was then admitted to Weston general hospital at 11pm and was told by a health care assistant that he should go home as it was just a bang on the head, by 5:30am he was placed in

a bed by the nurses’ station and on a life support machine.

By 7am he was airlifted to Frechay hospital in Bristol and was given emergency neurosurgery. He was then induced into a coma so his brain was allowed time to rest, after being in a coma for a few days he was taken out of this state and the doctors told the family to prepare themselves for him being a vegetal state, thankfully he had partially returned to himself. Because of the bleed in the brain and the leak, this also caused a stroke which affected his right side, he was also being treated for this.

While in Frenchay he was seen by neuropsychologists, psychotherapists, speech and language therapists, intensive care nurses and specialist doctors. After being in Frenchay for 3 month he was then moved on to Musgrove park hospital in Taunton and placed on the stroke ward, receiving treatment from the psychologist with his memory, simple things like names and places had all been forgotten. He was unable to remember who his own children were only recognizing my mum.

Eventually this improved, but he still has no short term memory and continues to see the psychologist. The psychotherapist was used to help with support with his mobility as he had lost the ability in his right side, he gradually begun to build up his strength and was able to walk again. The speech and language therapy again also tested the ability with words and memory for example using books with just pictures like that used for children with pictures and people have to say what they are.

After being in hospital for a total of 5

months he was discharged into the care of my mum and family. Coming back into normality was the most difficult time of our lives, watching this man who had been the man of the house, independent and the main provider for our family turn into this person who was unable to take him to the toilet, unable to be the independent person he was before the aneurysm. The man who had never had a day off work for as long as I could remember, now unable to work and had developed epilepsy.

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