Portrait: Juan Jose
My name is Juan Jose, I am 35 years old and I am a social worker from the Republic of Honduras, Central America. I want to share my experience as a survivor of a ruptured brain aneurysm and the challenges that followed in my recovery process.
Let’s start at the beginning
On February 17 2023, I started having a minor headache after lunch at work. I enjoy coffee and chats, going to the beach and I really enjoy the time being at home with my family on weekends. But this headache I had had felt very out of the ordinary. I felt different.
The temperatures in Honduras are high almost all year round, so it was very hot, and the pain did not go away. I worked with that discomfort for five days, and the pain was continuous day and night.
On the fifth day I felt bad, both physically and sensorially. My vision was blurry, the light bothered me and I struggled to comprehend logic and reasoning. On the fifth day in the afternoon, I couldn't lift my cup of coffee and it spilled on my desk; I didn't know what to do.
My co-workers helped me gain my composure and noticed how bad I felt. I went home from work and needed to immediately lie down due to the extreme pain.
Things took a turn for the worse
A short time later, I was completely disoriented and suddenly lost consciousness. The left side of my entire body went numb; I no longer recognised where I was, and I witnessed the face of my mother praying for me. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. The doctors told me that I had fainted in the bathroom at home and that I had a seizure. The shock from fainting also caused a dislocation in my right shoulder — the pain was unbearable.
After receiving tests in hospital, I was told I had a headache due to a subarachnoid aneurysm in the right hemisphere of the brain. The medical professionals were fantastic in looking after me. The hospital's orthopaedics department scheduled appointments and therapy to help me gain mobility in my arm. I was admitted to the hospital for seven days and they left me under home observation with controlled medication for a couple of weeks.
The difficult part was yet to come
A few weeks later, I woke up to bleeding from my mouth and nose. I had a stiff neck and severe back pain from my head again, which was excruciating. I was admitted to surgery urgently. Luckily, everything went well. The procedure lasted around five hours and when I woke up from the anaesthesia I thought: "It's a miracle."
I was in the hospital for another seven days following the surgery. I was treated by a neurologist and two neurosurgeons, who I am incredibly grateful for. They later discharged me following successful recovery in the hospital. I was discharged as disabled for approximately five months at work.
Life has been up and down since the aneurysm
The most positive thing is that my recovery has gradually gone well and without any negative consequences. However, the change in lifestyle has been difficult to go through. Some of the things that I used to do are more difficult to carry out both physically and emotionally. As well as this, my medication dosages are sometimes prolonged according to medical evaluations, which can be tough.
For all those who have survived similar situations, I would say that there is only one life on this earth. We must take care of our brain as much as possible, as well as everything that we carry in it unnecessarily: stress, worries and sleepless nights. We should treat our brains like precious gems and look after them as best as possible. We must also value what our loved ones do to take care of us, as I had the best support which helped pull me through.