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Living with a brain aneurysm: Ben's story
27 July 2010
What is it like to know that you are walking around with a brain aneurysm?
For Ben Hay, although the risk of a bleed was small, the psychological effects of the aneurysm were huge.
Ben, 26, discovered that he had a brain aneurysm by chance, after undergoing a CT scan following a problem with his eye.
A brain aneurysm is a balloon-like swelling that results from a weakness in the wall of one of the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. There is a risk that the aneurysm will rupture (burst suddenly) and cause a haemorrhage (bleed).
In Ben's case, the risk of a haemorrhage was only deemed to be 0.2-0.3%, but that didn't stop it preying on his mind.
"Physically I felt fine, but psychologically I felt paranoid, distraught and isolated," he says.
"My life very quickly fell apart. Your brain is such a vital part of your body, it defines everything you are so when it goes wrong it's devastating to how you perceive yourself and others around you."
You can read more about Ben's story in a new patient perspective article, published today.
If you need information or support on any neurological condition, including brain aneurysms, the Brain and Spine Helpline nurses are here to help. Providing emotional support as well as medical explanations, our specialist neuroscience nurses can help by phone or email.
Contact 0808 808 1000 or email helpline@brainandspine.org.uk or click to find out more about the Helpline.
