Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - UVA - 8

daughter's name but instinctively knew
that she was going to heal completely.
The road to recovery has been long, and
Dabney is still on it, but each step of the
way, she has had remarkable people helping her relearn how to walk, talk, write,
read, cook, do basic math-essentially
everything again. One of her earliest
struggles was being unable to keep food
down because of the pain medication
she needed after major brain surgery.
At 5-foot-6, her weight went down to
110 pounds in two weeks.
"I remember one phenomenal nurse
who said, 'In order to get you out of
here, we need to get you to eat and that
means getting you off painkillers,'"
Dabney says. "She helped my family
learn how to use acupuncture points on
my head to relieve the pain. After two
weeks, I was totally off pain medication and only needed Tylenol, which is
remarkable because I was breastfeeding
and trying to maintain my milk supply."
Six days after her emergency brain
surgery, Dabney was reunited with her
daughter in a courtyard outside the
University Hospital cafeteria. "I had to
see her, but not in the hospital. I was
afraid she would be scared seeing me

WEBSITE

Removing Brain
Vessel Defects
Without Surgery
Samantha Dabney needed surgery
to remove the tangled blood
vessels that ruptured in her brain.
These tangles, known as arteriovenous malformations (AVM),
can sometimes be destroyed with
focused radiation therapy that
requires no incision. Learn more
about AVM treatment options at
uvahealth.com/avm.

SU M M ER 2019

in the hospital," Dabney says. "It took
all of my energy, but my nurses got me
showered for the first time. My mom
arranged scarves in a way that made it
look like I wasn't in a hospital gown.
Everyone tried to make me feel and look
as normal as I could. To see my daughter for the first time on this side of life
brought me joy and a sense of wholeness
that is indescribable. Seeing her was the
biggest gift. It was even more powerful
than giving birth to her."
From the doctors to the nurses and
therapists, Dabney says, "I've been phenomenally impressed with every person
at UVA." After leaving the hospital, she
would meet more amazing people at
UVA Encompass Health Rehabilitation
Hospital and the Wilson Workforce and
Rehabilitation Center. "I feel so lucky
because every single person I received
help from has been so instrumental to
my recovery. They have all been so professional and so good at what they do."

Samantha Is One of the
Lucky Ones

Last winter, Dabney was still doing
therapy to help with some speech problems. She is still unable to go back to the
job she loves, but she works every day at
her recovery and at being a great mom.
Dabney was relieved to get confirmation
from UVA neurosurgeon Min Park, MD,
that she has no reason to be concerned
about another brain bleed or passing the
condition on to her daughter.
Considering that her doctors didn't
expect her to survive the night, Dabney
has made a remarkable recovery. "Most
people with an AVM don't even know
it and live their lives without problems.
And most people who do have problems
die from them. Some of us are so lucky
that we basically fully recover, so I'm
one of those few lucky ones."
"There are many reasons I'm alive,"
Dabney adds. "But I knew in all of this
struggling that my daughter was the
light that kept this fire burning in me." ■

SIGNS OF
A BRAIN
ANEURYSM
Experts used to think that brain
aneurysms were something people
inherited and had little control over.
But now experts know that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor,
as it damages blood vessel walls.
Most brain aneurysms cause no
symptoms and may only be discovered during tests for another, usually unrelated, condition. Symptoms
may occur before an actual rupture
when a small amount of blood leaks
into the brain. These include:
Headaches
Dizziness
Eye pain
Vision deficits

BE ON ALERT FOR A
RUPTURED ANEURYSM

It's important to seek emergency
medical care immediately if a brain
aneurysm breaks. Signs include:
Sudden, severe headache
(sometimes described as a
"thunderclap" headache or
"worst headache of my life")
Neck pain
Nausea and vomiting
Pain above and behind the eye
Dilated pupils
Sensitivity to light
Blurred or double vision
Drooping eyelid
Fainting or loss of consciousness
Seizures
Loss of sensation
Source: www.joeniekrofoundation.com/
understanding/what-is-a-hemorrhagic-stroke

http://www.joeniekrofoundation.com/understanding/what-is-a-hemorrhagic-stroke http://www.joeniekrofoundation.com/understanding/what-is-a-hemorrhagic-stroke http://www.uvahealth.com/avm

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2019 - UVA

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