This is something I’ve been wondering about since I found out I had an AVM when it bled. Since I had an AVM, that part of the brain was not receiving the proper amount of oxygen since birth. Does that mean that the part of the brain that had the AVM never worked properly. Would I be a completely different person if I had not had an AVM to influence/damage my brain function? I know its a weird question and doesn’t really matter cause I am who I am and thats not gonna change regardless. I just find it kinda weird that they can remove a piece of my brain and I’m still the same as I was before like that part of my brain never did anything. Its weird looking back at your life wondering what aspects of who you are and what choices you made are really you and what is the result of the AVM. My AVM was in the right frontal lobe which controls impulse control…my whole life I have gotten in trouble for being very impulsive, saying whatever i think and doing what I want…is that really me or is it the AVM?
I wonder that myself. My doctor said I may notice slight changes in my attitude/personality after it’s removal, (which was 2 1/2 years ago), but to be honest I don’t. Still I wonder if I would of been a different person if i had never had the AVM in the first place.
I don’t think it would of had that much of an affect on who we are today, but then, what do I know…
That’s a good question to ponder…
I suspect that all post-AVM people think “differently” after the AVM, if for no other reason than they have had a life altering event. Whether the AVM caused any physical affects, who knows.
It was always hard for us to understand how they could take ANY brain out and not cause issues, but it’s true. My son had his amygdala removed due to seizure activity originating there at age 20. We’ve asked several times and he says he doesn’t feel any different now.
When we first started the road to his treatment for epilepsy, we met a 10 yr old from near our area that had had almost HALF of his brain removed due to seizure activity. They found that all of his critical processes had been learned and taken over by the “good side”, so they just removed the bad half!
The human body is amazing in what it can do.
Ron, KS
that really hit home with me. i had to share that my mom and sisters…good point
I totally agree with that…My outlook on life since the bleed and the surgery is totally changed. i value little things sooo much more since I came so close to dying and was lucky enough to be left with no damage. I just wanna know what role the AVM had in shaping my personality before I even knew I had it.
Ron, KS said:
That’s a good question to ponder…
I suspect that all post-AVM people think “differently” after the AVM, if for no other reason than they have had a life altering event. Whether the AVM caused any physical affects, who knows.
It was always hard for us to understand how they could take ANY brain out and not cause issues, but it’s true. My son had his amygdala removed due to seizure activity originating there at age 20. We’ve asked several times and he says he doesn’t feel any different now.
When we first started the road to his treatment for epilepsy, we met a 10 yr old from near our area that had had almost HALF of his brain removed due to seizure activity. They found that all of his critical processes had been learned and taken over by the “good side”, so they just removed the bad half!
The human body is amazing in what it can do.
Ron, KS
That will forever be a million dollar question and people will interpret it differently. However the brain is definitely one complex organ and areas of the brain are able to learn to take on functions that are not native to that specific region/lobe. I can only imagine the power of this, especially if learned from birth. The understanding of this has just recently began to be explored and there is evidence of this in those who have suddenly became blind and the visual cortex having to learn new functions, and doing so in a matter of a few days.
Thanks, Ray