My fear came true............but!

After all these years i have never left my city and got on a plane before...never got to do this when i got married 2 1/2 years ago due to work and then my AVM, operation/recovery etc....

WELL...............I finally took a trip to Australias Gold Coast with my wife for 4 nights and even though i was terrified of flying and worried i havent had a 100% all clear from my Neuro that the AVM hasnt come back took my chances.

I HAVE BEEN SCARED TO TRAVEL OUT OF TOWN DUE TO MY AVM!!!!!!!!!

On the 3rd day there i was at the lovely Sea World for 10 minutes and nearly collapsed due to really bad dizziness. I had pressure on my head that felt similar to my brain hemmorhage. I had pins and needles in my legs and the back of my head and neck.

I was terrified that i was in unknown places with nobody we knew out here and never had felt like collapsing or being dizzy in my life. I was taken to ER due to my history and the doctors were concerned i may have suffered a bleed again & possibly my clips on the ateries/veins from my surgery may have given away.

Due for a CT in February and catch up with my Neuro the hospital ordered a scan after 5-6 hrs in ER anyway.

The ER Dr informed me a Neuro was going to come and see me after the results were in................de'ja vu alright after 2 hrs later he tells me the results were back and i would be staying in hospital........MY HEART SANK! I was terrified and asked for answers but told to wait on the Neuro........i prayed to God and looked at my wife so sorry that my fear had come true. I didnt want to call my family until i knew what exactly was wrong.

Neuro came and saw me and confirmed there was NO BLEED/NO AVM/NO REGROWTH OF AVM REMOVED in 2011. She stated they were only keeping me in for 24hrs for observations.

THANK YOU GOD! I was able to get out 24hrs later exactly with good news but still was very dizzy. It wasnt heat stroke or anything of that nature as i drank plenty of water...and all my blood tests came back just fine. The Dr's assume it may be a virus that i caught and now as im at home just after getting back late last night i still have minor headaches & dizziness.

Some say it may be vertigo, some say stress, some say virus.....I think i suffered from a virus and it was not as major as what i originally thought.

So in saying that i wanted to share my scare with everyone here and say THANK YOU GOD for everything....even though i was scared i can honestly say i had a great trip.

Adding to this it may be encoragement for those in my shoes worried about their AVM experiences as it does traumatise us all in its own way. This has made me a stronger person and i now have excellent news for my 2yr check up in Feb with my Neuro.

Adrian - Thank you for sharing your story. I am glad there is no evidence of an AVM and that you probably have some virus. Great news for your Neuro next month and good for you that you took the chance to go away, even though you were very hesitant. Sounds like a celebration after you recover from your virus. Love a good story:-)

Holy cats! Now that stinks! That had to have been quite a scare for you and your wife. I can't imagine that happening so far away from home. I am so glad it wasn't anything serious. I have vertigo and it's very possible that could be your problem. I say: "Could be" (?) I hope for your sake - it's only a virus. Is there any chance you can blame it on the water? That's what I would do. :)

I hope you feel better soon.

Ben

Dear Adrian.
You should have let some of our Gold Coast AVMers know you were heading over. You know we are 'family' here.
Our OzNZ support network through this site is incredible, and our QLD contingent is especially helpful and caring.
Please take care , and get well soon.
Your friend, Tone.

AAAAMMMMEEENNN Adrian, Praise God!!! And thank you for sharing your story with us. After receiving my all-clear last May, I am still reluctant to travel and your story has encouraged me to face this "fear" head-on and to start making some travel plan :)!

Peace & Blessings to YOU and your family!
Michele

I felt really terrible last night again with pressure & dizziness for about 1-2hrs. It made me anxious so I took a 1/2mg of Xanax to try & relax me.
For those at the Gold Coast my Neuro at Gold Coast Public was Dr Ellison Stephenson…if anyone has heard of her or the team. They seemed quite good there but I’m convinced I may have vertigo due to the plane trip I’ve never done before & staying in a 41st floor room that popped my ears everytime I was in the elevator…I know my mother suffers from light vertigo sometimes but I have never experienced any of these issues before.

STILL after what happened to me I pushed myself to go back to the theme park I had my episode to face my fear face to face…it was a must to do this for my piece of mind…and I encourage you guys out there worried to do the same…it’s in Gods hands & I thank him everyday I’m here living & breathing …GOD IS GOOD and .thank you all for the support its greatly appreciated & helps. My anxiety has always been around but after surgery got much much better as I thought to myself life was too short to stress & worry when I went through the whole ordeal.

Be strong guys & God bless

When on holidays it was the last thing I thought about but I appreciate the advice for future reference mate… God bless