Hello everyone. My name is Leann and I am from South Wales. In January in 2017, I had left work on the Friday, got home and my children were away at their dad’s house for the weekend and I have no recollection of what happened at home. All I do remember his that it was just myself and my boyfriend at that time. During that weekend I started to feel very sick and could not go back to work the upcoming Monday. While I was feeling extremely ill, my boyfriend left me at home while he went to work. But he took my phone with him. During my time alone, I started to be experiencing symptoms of a concussion. Then after a few days one night, I was starting to have seizures took! Thankfully he finally took me to A and E.
Sadly, I had another seizure while I was there. But, they blue lighted me to Cardiff ICU, scanned me, and they asked to have my father contacted at this point. Once my father arrived, they put both men in family room, told my dad that I had to have emergency open head surgery and I had a 6% chance of survival! The doctors told him to call my family over to say good bye just incase so my mother and siblings joined them in the family room. My parents decided that my children were too young to go through the trauma, my dad rang the kids dad though and told him that I might not make it.
After having 2 rounds of open head surgery, they had to take me back down as I infected the wound with my own hands. So twice I was put under and I now have a dent in my head because they had to reopen the staples. I survived the operation and was put into a recovery room. My siblings stayed until I woke up, we didn’t know how badly brain damaged I was going to be so they had to prepare for the worst! I opened my eyes, saw them both by the side of my bed, I asked them “what are you both doing here? They said “ we were waiting for you to wake up” I said “you top creeps go home!!!
They were so relieved to hear me speaking ok, it was obviously wobbly talk but they understood me. I still feel so lucky to have survived it but I do still have moments of “ Why Me?? I still struggle daily with a lot of stuff. Anxiety, Vertigo, Depression, cluster headaches and Migraines, Neuro fatigue, short term memory problems…
A few years after this happened a Neuro doctor looked through my medical history and realised I suffered with Migraines all my life since I was 12 years old. He then explained to me that migraines weaken the blood vessels in the brain and that the bleed I had was inevitable! I am still at risk of more bleeds, so I have to live a completely different life to the one I used to. It’s hard and it’s upsetting that I am a completely different person now and I am restricted in my life. It make me sad but I have built up a strong support system for myself.
Thank you TBI One Love for the work you do! I love this. It’s so amazing to have a support network for TBI I’m 7 years post now but I’ve had to look for support for myself, the after care is awful.
