On March 30, 2004, in the very early hours of a cold morning in Reno, Nevada, I left my budget hotel room across the street from the Truckee River and threw my luggage in the back of the little rental car. I proceeded to find my way through the predawn darkness to the airport. I'd been in Reno about a week, having flown there to "save the show." The lead bass was either incompetent or didn't know the role - Doctor Dulcamara in Donizetti's L'Elisir D'Amore - and I was the replacement. The performances had gone well and the artistic staff and my colleagues seemed to be quite pleased with my work, but I digress. Somewhere in getting in and out of the rental car, either at the hotel or airport, I must have banged my head pretty hard against the car door frame.
I arrived home several hours later and complained of feeling very chilled and went to bed, and that's about all I remember for the next 4 and one half weeks. My wife went to work the next morning and I called her, I was told, with a feeling of impending catastrophe, with a splitting headache and told her that I needed her to get me to the emergency room of the Danbury Hospital. Somehow, I drove myself to her place of work, parked perfectly, and we went in her car to the ER. Upon arrival there, they put me on a gurney and I became, almost immediately, unresponsive. That was about 10:00 a.m., and by 1:00 p.m. I was in surgery to open my skull and attempt to stop the bleeding. The best neurosurgeon in the whole area happened to be in the hospital at the time! My wife was told to prepare for the worst and that only time would tell if I would make it or not. As it turned out, a second surgery was necessary two days later and then I seemed to rally and begin to improve. One thing I should mention.: I consume a lot of Warfarin (Coumadin) on a daily basis for another medical condition and that is why I bleed easily and also why the bleeding doesn't want to stop by itself! But, the message I am trying to broadcast is that if anyone bumps their head severely, they should be wary of any unusual symptoms that occur during the next 24 hours and, please, don't wait to seek medical attention if such symptoms persist!
FLECK
The recovery period was long and slow and I recall little of it. Physical and speech therapy were necessary along with mental exercises to regain my memory and reasoning skills.
I've known several people who have suffered brain bleeds. I lost a dear friend - a world-famous tenor - who slipped and fell on ice in Boston and never recovered because of a severe hemorrhage inside his skull. I mourn him still. My message: Please don't ignore a blow to the head. Be aware and vigilant for unusual signs that something may be wrong. I lift my glass and give you a toast: Here's to a long and (neurologically speaking) uneventful life!
For a related article of interest, search for A Fourth Indicator of a Stroke - The Tongue.
Brain Bleed - Been There, Done That FLECK
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