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Guidelines for sites linking to mayoclinic.orgG18 - May 2006 - Brain Malformations
Intro: He was in his prime, his early 40s, when the symptoms hit. Dizziness, vision problems, loss of balance among others. He thought maybe it was a stroke, but a trip to the doctor revealed something else. A pooling of blood in his brain called a cavernous malformation. More on this condition from Mayo Clinic.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:32 | 44-YEAR-OLD ADAM GLEISNER FIRST NOTICED THE SYMPTOMS WHEN HE TURNED HIS HEAD TO BACK HIS TRACTOR INTO THE SHED. |
Adam Gleisner |
"WHEN I WOULD DO IT, MY HEAD WOULD STOP TURNING BUT THE WORLD WOULD KEEP TURNING." |
| FIRST DIZZINESS. THEN BALANCE AND COORDINATION PROBLEMS, AND DOUBLE VISION. | |
| Adam Gleisner | "EVERYTHING WENT CROSS-EYED. WAS SEEING TWO OF EVERYTHING JUST LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD. THERE'S NO WAY I COULD FARM CROSS-EYED." |
Standup |
ADAM WAS AFRAID THE SYMPTOMS WOULD PREVENT HIM FROM WORKING THE FIELDS, THE LAND, THAT HE LOVES. |
| Adam Gleisner | "I'VE LIVED HERE ALL MY LIFE. IT'S ALL I KNOW." |
| ADAM'S SYMPTOMS WERE CAUSED BY A POOLING OF BLOOD IN HIS BRAIN CALLED A CAVERNOUS MALFORMATION. | |
David Piepgras, M.D. |
"A CAVERNOUS MALFORMATION IS AN ABNORMALITY OF BLOOD VESSELS." |
| MAYO CLINIC NEUROSURGEON DR. DAVID PEEP-GRASS SAYS THE CONDITION CAN BE MILD, CAUSING NO SYMPTOMS, OR IT CAN BE SEVERE, AS IN ADAM'S CASE. SO IF THE COLLECTION OF BLOOD IS BIG ENOUGH, | |
David Piepgras, M.D. |
"IF IT IS CAUSING CONTINUED NEUROLOGIC IMPAIRMENT, OFTEN THE BEST TREATMENT IS TO REMOVE THE HEMORRHAGE AND THE ASSOCIATED MALFORMATION." |
To animation |
THE OPERATION INVOLVES MAPPING OUT THE BRAIN TO IDENTIFY THE EXACT SITE OF THE VESSEL MALFORMATION, AND REMOVING IT. FOR ADAM, THE SURGERY WAS A SUCCESS, BUT RECOVERY WASN'T EASY. IT TAKES TIME FOR SYMPTOMS TO GO AWAY. |
| Adam Gleisner | "I BASICALLY HAD TO LEARN HOW TO WALK AGAIN." |
| ADAM'S BALANCE IS STILL OFF, AND HIS LEFT HAND ISN'T AS STRONG AS HIS RIGHT. BUT HE'S ABLE TO WORK AND LIVE ON THE LAND HE LOVES WITH HIS FAMILY. | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. | |
Tag: Again, Adam's symptoms were the result of a slow leaking of blood in his brain. If the leak had happened in a different spot in his brain, he might have developed other symptoms such as speech problems, headaches and seizures. For more information, log on to our Web site at ...
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