Surviving an almost fatal brain aneurysm, with Alicia Trujillo

[00:00:00] All right, I'm recording now. Hi Alicia, welcome to Overlooked.

[00:00:05] Hi Golda, how are you?

[00:00:06] I'm good. I'm so happy to have you on the show. You are such a good friend of mine and it just feels a little weird that I'm talking to you for the show because there's so much that we say to each other that should never be put on a microphone, let's face it.

[00:00:19] Absolutely.

[00:00:21] But this is just great to have you and you're sharing a story that I think is really important for other people to hear, but I can imagine is very hard to share. So thank you for being open to sharing it.

[00:00:35] Yeah, it is hard to share.

[00:00:45] This is Alicia Trujillo. She's a good friend of mine, and we've known each other for years. I already know the story she's about to tell you, but I've never heard her tell it in my life.

[00:00:55] In this way before. It's quite a story.

[00:00:59] So do you want me to start and tell you what happened to me?

[00:01:03] Yep, go on.

[00:01:04] So three years ago, it was a not very hot summer's day here in England, but I decided to still go swimming in the outdoor swimming pool.

[00:01:13] The pool was a bit cold, 18 degrees, but I thought, well, you know, I'm here anyway.

[00:01:19] It takes me a while to get in. I'm sort of getting in slowly, slowly, you know, letting the water come up a little bit closer, closer, closer, closer.

[00:01:26] And then I suddenly get my body in.

[00:01:29] I got the world's worst headache.

[00:01:32] It's as if you shot me in the head.

[00:01:34] And it's here just on the right hand side above my forehead on the bone.

[00:01:39] And it's just indescribable, the pain is.

[00:01:43] I can't really tell you how long it went on for.

[00:01:46] Feels like ages, but it could have been seconds.

[00:01:49] And I'm standing there in the pool going, ow, this is hurting.

[00:01:54] But I thought it was because the pool was a bit cold.

[00:01:56] So I continued swimming and I swam two more lengths.

[00:02:02] And then suddenly the pain went into my neck.

[00:02:05] And a few years ago, I'd had neck pain.

[00:02:07] So I was like, no, no, no, no, let's just get out of the pool.

[00:02:09] This is terrible.

[00:02:10] So when I got out of the pool, I felt sick.

[00:02:12] But I thought maybe I have hypothermia because it was a bit cold.

[00:02:16] So I got dressed and then I walked towards the bus stop and I felt really ill.

[00:02:22] But I thought, OK, I can make it on the bus.

[00:02:24] And when I get off the bus, I can make it to my house.

[00:02:27] So I got home.

[00:02:29] I got quickly into my bed.

[00:02:30] The intense headache had gone, but it had been replaced by a room, room, room kind of headache all over my head.

[00:02:38] A couple of hours after that, I threw up my lunch.

[00:02:42] And I thought, oh, this is weird.

[00:02:44] Anyway, I still didn't think anything of it.

[00:02:47] Next day, I went for a walk in the park with a friend.

[00:02:51] And I just thought, oh, well, the pain is just muscular now because it was in my head, the headache.

[00:02:57] And it was all along the back of my back.

[00:02:59] And it just went like that.

[00:03:03] On the Monday, I rang the GP.

[00:03:05] I just wanted them to give me some medication because I just thought it was a muscular problem.

[00:03:10] And the GP said to me, you know, if that headache continues, you should go to A&E, to the emergency room.

[00:03:16] And it was by four o'clock on the Monday when I spoke to her.

[00:03:19] And I just thought, I can't be bothered to go to the hospital now.

[00:03:22] So the next morning, this is Tuesday morning, I went to the hospital, 7 a.m., got there.

[00:03:27] They saw me and they did a CT scan.

[00:03:30] And after they did the CT scan, they said to me, you've had a brain bleed.

[00:03:35] And I was like, oh, my God, did I have a stroke?

[00:03:37] And the doctor said, no, you haven't had a stroke.

[00:03:39] You've had a subneuracroid hemorrhage, which is a bleed to the brain.

[00:03:49] Eventually, they did a second scan.

[00:03:51] The neurosurgeon came up to see me.

[00:03:53] By this point, it was about 8 p.m. on that Tuesday night.

[00:03:57] And he said to me, I have good and bad news for you.

[00:04:01] And I was like, well, OK, what is it?

[00:04:05] So he said to me, the good news is we've located the bleed.

[00:04:08] We know what it is.

[00:04:10] It's a ruptured aneurysm.

[00:04:12] The bad news is that we have to do a cremeotomy.

[00:04:15] So that means we're going to have to open your head up and do a brain surgery.

[00:04:19] I still had a headache.

[00:04:21] I still had the whoom, whoom, whoom.

[00:04:24] And then after the operation, when I woke up,

[00:04:27] the first thing I remember was, oh, my God, the headache has gone.

[00:04:30] Thank God for that.

[00:04:34] I woke up and I was in intensive care.

[00:04:36] I was in intensive care for four nights.

[00:04:39] And then they moved me to the brain injury ward.

[00:04:42] I'd never even heard of a brain aneurysm until this happened to me.

[00:04:48] And when the doctor in A&E told me what I had,

[00:04:51] I said to him, well, how do I spell that?

[00:04:52] And he was like, do not Google it.

[00:04:55] Just don't.

[00:04:57] And I was like, OK, well, if he's telling me not to Google, I'm in hospital.

[00:05:02] They're doing what I need to do.

[00:05:04] So, I mean, as I say, I now know a lot more than I ever did.

[00:05:09] And I now know that I'm very, very lucky because one in three people die.

[00:05:14] One in three end up severely disabled.

[00:05:18] And one in three end up like me, which is with incredible recovery.

[00:05:27] This is Overlooked, and I'm Golda Arthur.

[00:05:29] The rest of Alicia's story is coming up after a quick break.

[00:05:33] This is the last episode of Overlooked in the season.

[00:05:36] So thank you for listening all along.

[00:05:38] We're going on a little break after this.

[00:05:41] And if you want to stay in touch with me and the show

[00:05:43] and join the Overlooked podcast community,

[00:05:46] sign up for our email list on the website, overlookedpod.com.

[00:05:54] Hi, I'm Dr. Sarah Finlayson, a gyne-oncologist with the Gynecologic Cancer Initiative.

[00:06:00] The Gynecologic Cancer Initiative is a British Columbia-based team

[00:06:04] committed to transforming research and helping women understand,

[00:06:08] prevent, and survive gynecologic cancers.

[00:06:12] From precise diagnostics to innovative prevention strategies

[00:06:16] and groundbreaking clinical trials, we are already driving change.

[00:06:22] I'm Joan from Surrey, BC.

[00:06:24] I'm a stage 4 uterine cancer survivor.

[00:06:26] I'm very privileged to be able to work with the GCI

[00:06:29] to help other women through research programs.

[00:06:32] It took nearly a year for my wife to be diagnosed

[00:06:35] with stage 4 high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

[00:06:39] With GCI's ongoing work and assessments,

[00:06:42] testing, and raising awareness of gynecancers,

[00:06:45] I hope physicians will prioritize the possibility of gynecancers

[00:06:49] during patient assessments to improve diagnostic times.

[00:06:53] Discover how you can join our mission

[00:06:55] and be part of the change at gynecancerinitiative.ca.

[00:07:05] Are you curious about what it's like working in healthcare today?

[00:07:09] Do you believe in the power of storytelling?

[00:07:12] I'm Dr. Emily Silverman,

[00:07:14] the host of The Nocturnist Podcast,

[00:07:17] where healthcare workers share personal stories

[00:07:19] of joy, sorrow, and self-discovery.

[00:07:22] Each episode, whether a compelling performance

[00:07:25] from one of our live shows,

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[00:07:30] or an engaging conversation with guests

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[00:07:34] aims to connect, provoke, and inspire.

[00:07:37] Learn more at thenocturnist.com

[00:07:40] or subscribe to The Nocturnist

[00:07:41] wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:07:47] Okay, back to my conversation with Alicia.

[00:07:50] I mean, oh my gosh, I don't know where to start.

[00:07:52] There's a lot there.

[00:07:54] Let me start here.

[00:07:55] Do you know what caused it?

[00:07:57] Do they tell you what caused it?

[00:07:59] No.

[00:08:00] So that was obviously my first question.

[00:08:02] I said, is it because I have a very stressful job

[00:08:05] because I work on live radio news programs?

[00:08:08] And they were like, no, it's nothing to do with that.

[00:08:11] The only thing they could say to me

[00:08:12] was that the aneurysm was quite large.

[00:08:14] I can't remember if it was seven millimeters.

[00:08:17] And so they said it was quite large,

[00:08:18] which meant it had been sitting in my brain

[00:08:20] for quite a few years.

[00:08:23] But things that normally cause aneurysms,

[00:08:25] which is if you smoke, which I've never smoked,

[00:08:27] if you do drugs, I've never done drugs.

[00:08:29] So the only thing that gets me into the bracket possibly

[00:08:32] is women who are 50.

[00:08:34] I was 49.

[00:08:36] So I have no idea if it's got anything to do

[00:08:39] with hormones, with lack of estrogen.

[00:08:40] I have no idea what it could possibly be.

[00:08:43] The doctors didn't know either.

[00:08:44] They couldn't tell me.

[00:08:45] So what is that?

[00:08:46] So when you say, you know, among the risk factors

[00:08:49] for having a brain aneurysm is women who are 50,

[00:08:53] what were you told about that?

[00:08:54] I wasn't told anything.

[00:08:56] This is when I started just looking.

[00:08:57] When you Googled.

[00:08:58] Yeah, when I Googled.

[00:09:00] Yeah.

[00:09:01] They didn't tell me anything.

[00:09:02] The people I spoke to were neurosurgeons

[00:09:04] and they just felt that they've done their job,

[00:09:06] which is to fix you.

[00:09:08] Yeah.

[00:09:08] I guess surgeons are born to go inside and cut

[00:09:12] and they go inside and cut

[00:09:13] and they fix the thing

[00:09:14] and then they walk away, right?

[00:09:15] And we love surgeons for fixing us,

[00:09:17] but that just seems sometimes

[00:09:19] willfully inadequate for the rest of our lives

[00:09:21] to have to ask questions

[00:09:22] and find answers, right?

[00:09:24] Yeah, yeah.

[00:09:24] I mean, I was just like,

[00:09:25] could it be this?

[00:09:26] Could it be that?

[00:09:26] And they're like, no, no.

[00:09:28] And then the neurosurgeon who saw me,

[00:09:30] it was very blunt.

[00:09:31] He says to me,

[00:09:32] you're lucky to be alive.

[00:09:34] Wow.

[00:09:35] I'm lying in hospital going,

[00:09:36] okay.

[00:09:37] Wow.

[00:09:38] Right.

[00:09:39] He's put it all into perspective.

[00:09:41] Yeah.

[00:09:42] So when you Googled,

[00:09:43] what did you find

[00:09:44] when you were allowed

[00:09:45] to finally Google

[00:09:46] when you were past this?

[00:09:47] What did you find?

[00:09:48] So that's when I found out

[00:09:49] that I was in the right bracket,

[00:09:51] the one in three die.

[00:09:53] I looked at, as I say,

[00:09:54] the risk factors.

[00:09:56] I mean, high blood pressure,

[00:09:57] but I don't have high blood pressure either.

[00:09:58] That was another risk factor.

[00:10:00] So I really don't know.

[00:10:02] The way I've dealt with it

[00:10:03] is just to stop wondering why

[00:10:05] and how,

[00:10:06] because I can't cope with thinking,

[00:10:08] oh, you know,

[00:10:09] if I had smoked or something,

[00:10:10] I would go,

[00:10:11] oh my God,

[00:10:11] it's because I had so many cigarettes.

[00:10:13] So if I had high blood pressure,

[00:10:14] I'd say,

[00:10:14] oh, well, that's obvious.

[00:10:16] But if it is the only factor

[00:10:17] that I'm a woman,

[00:10:18] well, what can I do?

[00:10:20] You know?

[00:10:20] Let's go back to the story

[00:10:22] of how it unfolded for a minute.

[00:10:24] You know,

[00:10:25] when you look back on it

[00:10:26] and you have such specific details,

[00:10:28] well,

[00:10:28] A,

[00:10:28] because you're a journalist

[00:10:29] and you pay attention

[00:10:31] to these things,

[00:10:31] would be because

[00:10:32] I'm imagining

[00:10:33] that there's like

[00:10:33] a heightened awareness

[00:10:34] of what's going on

[00:10:35] around you

[00:10:36] in those moments.

[00:10:37] So when you look back

[00:10:38] to how that unfolded,

[00:10:40] what are some of the markers

[00:10:43] or the turning points

[00:10:44] that you particularly remember

[00:10:46] that you think,

[00:10:49] oh,

[00:10:49] that was an important moment

[00:10:51] or that was a terrifying moment

[00:10:52] or that was an enlightening moment?

[00:10:54] So,

[00:10:54] I mean,

[00:10:55] obviously the terrifying moment

[00:10:56] was the headache itself

[00:10:57] and all the descriptions

[00:10:59] always call it

[00:10:59] a thunderclap headache

[00:11:00] and that is exactly

[00:11:02] what it was.

[00:11:03] It just went bang.

[00:11:04] So that's,

[00:11:05] I'm never going to forget.

[00:11:06] And then many times

[00:11:08] after that,

[00:11:09] I kept on getting headaches

[00:11:11] and I got very worried

[00:11:12] and I went back to A&E

[00:11:13] several times over.

[00:11:14] But the headaches

[00:11:15] I've had since

[00:11:16] have never been like that one.

[00:11:18] So I guess it's reassuring

[00:11:20] to know that

[00:11:20] unless I get something

[00:11:22] as bad as that,

[00:11:23] I'm okay.

[00:11:24] And if I did get something

[00:11:25] as bad as that,

[00:11:26] I'd immediately go to hospital.

[00:11:28] The thing that always

[00:11:30] haunts me

[00:11:31] is the fact

[00:11:31] it took me five days

[00:11:32] to go to hospital.

[00:11:35] I mean,

[00:11:36] no idea.

[00:11:37] This was 2021

[00:11:37] so we're in COVID

[00:11:38] so you weren't really

[00:11:40] encouraged to go

[00:11:41] to hospitals anyway.

[00:11:43] So the five days

[00:11:44] is something that

[00:11:44] does stay with me forever.

[00:11:47] One of the other things,

[00:11:48] I guess I now feel so lucky

[00:11:49] that I'm fine.

[00:11:51] Obviously,

[00:11:52] the recovery was slow

[00:11:53] but I was fortunate

[00:11:55] that at the time

[00:11:56] my parents were both alive

[00:11:57] and they picked me up.

[00:11:59] They live in Birmingham

[00:12:00] which is two hours away

[00:12:01] from London

[00:12:01] and I lived with them

[00:12:02] for about eight months

[00:12:04] and I was just looked after.

[00:12:06] Yeah.

[00:12:07] Tell me about those eight months

[00:12:08] what that was like.

[00:12:09] So I was off work

[00:12:10] for four and a half months.

[00:12:11] I worked for the BBC

[00:12:13] and they were fantastic

[00:12:14] in letting me stay at home

[00:12:16] full pay

[00:12:16] with check-ins

[00:12:18] finding out how I was doing

[00:12:19] and then when I went back,

[00:12:20] I went back face return

[00:12:21] which was just

[00:12:22] a few hours

[00:12:23] every day

[00:12:24] for the first month

[00:12:27] which

[00:12:28] was the right way

[00:12:29] to do things

[00:12:29] and it took me

[00:12:30] quite a long time

[00:12:31] when I got back to work

[00:12:32] to actually get into

[00:12:34] stopping having headaches.

[00:12:36] The eight months

[00:12:37] for my parents,

[00:12:38] well,

[00:12:39] I felt very fortunate

[00:12:40] that I didn't have to do anything.

[00:12:41] My dad cooked

[00:12:42] and I just sort of

[00:12:43] hung out with them

[00:12:44] and just went for walks

[00:12:46] every day

[00:12:46] because I'm a huge believer

[00:12:48] that fresh air

[00:12:49] and nature

[00:12:49] will help you

[00:12:51] and,

[00:12:51] you know,

[00:12:52] the doctors did say

[00:12:53] you've got to get yourself

[00:12:54] walking and doing things.

[00:12:55] I ate well

[00:12:56] and I was just looked after

[00:12:58] which

[00:12:58] is a huge part

[00:13:00] of recovery,

[00:13:01] I think,

[00:13:02] is to know

[00:13:03] that you don't have

[00:13:03] to do anything.

[00:13:04] There are people there

[00:13:05] for you.

[00:13:06] I also have a very big

[00:13:07] network of friends

[00:13:08] who were messaging

[00:13:08] and texting

[00:13:09] and finding out

[00:13:10] how I was doing.

[00:13:11] So all of the support

[00:13:12] I think

[00:13:13] for any kind of recovery

[00:13:15] is key.

[00:13:16] I had lots of anxiety.

[00:13:17] The anxiety

[00:13:18] of it happening again

[00:13:20] and if it happened again

[00:13:21] would I end up

[00:13:21] badly disabled

[00:13:23] or dead?

[00:13:25] But I fortunately

[00:13:26] was able to see

[00:13:27] assistance from

[00:13:28] a neuropsychologist

[00:13:29] who I saw once a week

[00:13:30] which helped me a lot

[00:13:31] just to talk it through

[00:13:32] and talk through

[00:13:34] my anxiety

[00:13:35] and my,

[00:13:35] as I say,

[00:13:36] my anxiety was,

[00:13:37] I mean,

[00:13:37] I didn't feel I could

[00:13:38] come and live

[00:13:38] in London on my own again

[00:13:40] so it took a lot of time.

[00:13:42] I had friends

[00:13:43] who came to Birmingham

[00:13:44] who came down

[00:13:45] on the train with me,

[00:13:46] accompanied me

[00:13:47] on the train,

[00:13:47] stayed with me

[00:13:48] in my flat in London

[00:13:48] for a few nights

[00:13:49] and I got the train

[00:13:50] back on my own

[00:13:51] but even the thought

[00:13:52] of getting a train

[00:13:53] on my own

[00:13:53] terrified me.

[00:13:54] I mean,

[00:13:55] I'm a hugely

[00:13:56] independent person

[00:13:57] but this,

[00:13:58] just all these things

[00:13:59] terrified me.

[00:14:00] I now live on my own,

[00:14:02] I can now go to work,

[00:14:04] I now do my normal life

[00:14:05] as I did

[00:14:06] but it's taken a while.

[00:14:07] So I remember

[00:14:08] talking to you

[00:14:09] as you were sort of

[00:14:10] slowly returning

[00:14:11] to work,

[00:14:12] returning to some tasks

[00:14:14] that you would have

[00:14:16] to do for work

[00:14:17] as a producer

[00:14:18] and an editor

[00:14:19] and a journalist

[00:14:19] at the BBC

[00:14:21] and I remember

[00:14:22] being blown away

[00:14:23] by the fact

[00:14:24] that you were saying

[00:14:25] to me,

[00:14:25] I can't do

[00:14:27] a really simple thing

[00:14:29] that everyone does,

[00:14:31] you know,

[00:14:31] I can't look at a screen

[00:14:32] too much,

[00:14:34] typing is hard

[00:14:35] and I remember thinking,

[00:14:38] wow,

[00:14:39] do we ever just

[00:14:39] take this stuff

[00:14:40] for granted,

[00:14:40] you know,

[00:14:42] as you were

[00:14:43] in this recovery journey,

[00:14:44] as you were trying

[00:14:45] to get back

[00:14:46] to some semblance

[00:14:48] of being functioning again,

[00:14:50] was there one frustration

[00:14:51] that stood out

[00:14:52] above the others

[00:14:53] where you were thinking,

[00:14:55] wow,

[00:14:55] this is really basic

[00:14:56] and I have to learn

[00:14:57] to do it all over again?

[00:14:58] It was not so much

[00:14:59] learning to do it

[00:15:00] all over again,

[00:15:01] it was to

[00:15:02] not have a headache.

[00:15:03] At the beginning

[00:15:04] when I first started,

[00:15:05] you know,

[00:15:05] if I just worked,

[00:15:07] looked at a computer

[00:15:08] for half an hour,

[00:15:09] massive headache.

[00:15:10] Even before I went

[00:15:11] back to work,

[00:15:11] just watching TV

[00:15:12] for 30 minutes,

[00:15:13] massive headache

[00:15:15] and that did hit me

[00:15:16] thinking,

[00:15:16] oh my God,

[00:15:17] am I never going

[00:15:17] to be able

[00:15:18] to watch TV again?

[00:15:19] And when I went

[00:15:20] back to work,

[00:15:21] it was just

[00:15:22] learning to pace,

[00:15:24] which for anybody,

[00:15:25] I mean,

[00:15:25] and particularly

[00:15:26] as journalists,

[00:15:27] we don't pace.

[00:15:28] Everything's immediate

[00:15:29] in our life,

[00:15:30] in journalism.

[00:15:31] It's now,

[00:15:32] now,

[00:15:32] now.

[00:15:33] And learning

[00:15:34] to not do anything

[00:15:35] now,

[00:15:35] learning to have

[00:15:36] to say,

[00:15:37] no,

[00:15:37] I can't take

[00:15:38] more than one task

[00:15:39] on a day,

[00:15:40] which normally

[00:15:40] I could take

[00:15:41] three or four.

[00:15:42] Learning to say

[00:15:43] to the rest

[00:15:43] of the team,

[00:15:44] who actually were

[00:15:45] very good,

[00:15:46] no,

[00:15:46] I can't do that.

[00:15:47] I have to just

[00:15:49] do one thing

[00:15:49] today,

[00:15:50] work on one item,

[00:15:51] calling one interviewee

[00:15:52] and that's all I can do

[00:15:54] and today I can only

[00:15:55] call them.

[00:15:56] Tomorrow I can write

[00:15:57] up my notes.

[00:15:58] What does that feel

[00:15:59] like, Alicia,

[00:16:00] having to say no?

[00:16:01] I mean,

[00:16:02] I've learned to do it

[00:16:03] and now I find

[00:16:04] I value my life

[00:16:05] more than my work

[00:16:06] so I think

[00:16:07] it's very important

[00:16:08] to say no.

[00:16:09] Luckily,

[00:16:09] I had people,

[00:16:10] everybody who I work

[00:16:11] with knew me

[00:16:11] so that makes

[00:16:14] a big difference.

[00:16:14] If I was starting

[00:16:15] a new job

[00:16:16] or something,

[00:16:16] it would be really

[00:16:17] difficult to say

[00:16:17] to people no

[00:16:18] but if everybody

[00:16:20] knows you

[00:16:20] and they know

[00:16:21] that's not really

[00:16:22] who you are

[00:16:23] but you are

[00:16:23] in a recovery

[00:16:24] process,

[00:16:25] then they'll listen

[00:16:26] and they'll pay

[00:16:27] attention.

[00:16:28] And that really

[00:16:29] helped me

[00:16:29] that everybody

[00:16:31] was very supportive.

[00:16:32] I mean,

[00:16:33] one day,

[00:16:34] like two or three

[00:16:34] months into my

[00:16:35] recovery,

[00:16:36] I called three

[00:16:37] different people

[00:16:38] just to find out

[00:16:39] a story

[00:16:40] and then I had

[00:16:40] a world's worst

[00:16:41] headache

[00:16:41] and I couldn't

[00:16:42] believe it.

[00:16:43] I was like,

[00:16:43] oh my God,

[00:16:44] I can't even ring

[00:16:44] three people in the

[00:16:45] go and try and

[00:16:46] write down what

[00:16:47] they're saying

[00:16:47] which normally

[00:16:48] was just day-to-day

[00:16:49] task.

[00:16:50] So it was those

[00:16:51] kind of things

[00:16:52] and it was just

[00:16:52] learning to,

[00:16:53] as I say,

[00:16:54] pace,

[00:16:55] stop,

[00:16:56] do something

[00:16:57] next day.

[00:16:58] And as I say,

[00:16:59] to tell people,

[00:17:00] I cannot do this.

[00:17:01] What did you learn

[00:17:02] about the biology

[00:17:03] of your brain

[00:17:04] in this process?

[00:17:06] That it needs

[00:17:07] a lot of water.

[00:17:08] I didn't know that.

[00:17:09] That was the only

[00:17:10] thing they told me

[00:17:11] when I left the hospital

[00:17:12] and it was a nurse

[00:17:13] who said to me,

[00:17:14] drink three litres

[00:17:15] of water.

[00:17:15] Three litres?

[00:17:17] Three litres a day.

[00:17:18] She said,

[00:17:18] you've got to drink

[00:17:19] three litres a day.

[00:17:19] Wait,

[00:17:20] how much is that

[00:17:20] in cups?

[00:17:21] They normally

[00:17:22] recommend eight cups

[00:17:23] so it's probably

[00:17:24] like 16 cups.

[00:17:26] Sixteen cups of water.

[00:17:27] It was quite incredible

[00:17:28] because the minute

[00:17:29] I could feel the headache

[00:17:30] starting,

[00:17:31] glass of water

[00:17:32] kills it.

[00:17:33] I mean,

[00:17:33] they gave me

[00:17:34] a special medication

[00:17:35] when I came out

[00:17:35] of hospital

[00:17:36] which was to

[00:17:36] reduce brain injury

[00:17:38] but that lasted

[00:17:38] for about 20 days

[00:17:39] and then after that

[00:17:40] they just said to me,

[00:17:41] you know,

[00:17:42] if you have a headache

[00:17:42] take paracetamol.

[00:17:43] So I took paracetamol

[00:17:45] and drink water

[00:17:46] and drink water

[00:17:47] and drink water

[00:17:48] and get fresh air.

[00:17:49] So for example,

[00:17:49] if I'm sitting at my computer

[00:17:50] and I get a bit of a headache

[00:17:52] if I walk out

[00:17:53] get fresh air

[00:17:54] some of that headache

[00:17:55] goes away

[00:17:56] instantly.

[00:17:57] So that's what I learned

[00:17:58] that I had no idea

[00:17:59] that the brain required

[00:18:00] a lot of rest

[00:18:01] and a lot of water.

[00:18:03] And just so

[00:18:04] just so everybody's clear,

[00:18:06] right?

[00:18:06] Like I'm just trying to think

[00:18:07] okay,

[00:18:08] a lot of rest,

[00:18:08] a lot of water.

[00:18:09] Do I do that?

[00:18:10] No.

[00:18:10] And I remember

[00:18:11] when we worked together

[00:18:12] and I remember working

[00:18:19] with any sort of regularity

[00:18:21] when you're

[00:18:22] a journalist

[00:18:23] working in news,

[00:18:24] right?

[00:18:25] So this is like

[00:18:26] a fairly alien way

[00:18:28] to live.

[00:18:28] I think for most

[00:18:29] journalists,

[00:18:30] I would say for most

[00:18:31] New Yorkers,

[00:18:32] even,

[00:18:32] you know,

[00:18:33] and Londoners as well,

[00:18:34] we live these

[00:18:34] kind of crazy

[00:18:36] fast-paced lives

[00:18:38] in New York.

[00:18:39] Certainly everybody's

[00:18:40] obsessed with work,

[00:18:41] myself included.

[00:18:42] Figuring out how to

[00:18:43] like take care of your brain,

[00:18:45] you know,

[00:18:46] and the intricacies

[00:18:46] of your brain

[00:18:47] being connected

[00:18:48] to the rest of your body

[00:18:49] is not a thing

[00:18:50] that we prioritize.

[00:18:52] Not at all,

[00:18:52] but you know,

[00:18:53] if the headache comes on,

[00:18:54] that reminds you

[00:18:55] that you've got to

[00:18:55] do something about it.

[00:18:57] And I guess

[00:18:57] having had a near-death

[00:18:58] experience

[00:19:00] makes you put

[00:19:00] everything in context.

[00:19:02] So now

[00:19:02] I work four days a week,

[00:19:04] two in the office,

[00:19:05] and the days I go

[00:19:06] into the office

[00:19:07] are more tiring

[00:19:07] because,

[00:19:08] you know,

[00:19:08] it takes me an hour

[00:19:09] to get into the office.

[00:19:10] It's central London.

[00:19:11] It's busy.

[00:19:11] The office is busy.

[00:19:12] It's a huge building.

[00:19:13] It has like 5,000 employees.

[00:19:15] You know,

[00:19:15] it's a big place.

[00:19:16] It's noisy.

[00:19:18] So fortunately,

[00:19:18] noise and those kind of things

[00:19:19] don't affect me,

[00:19:20] but they obviously

[00:19:21] do tire you,

[00:19:22] even though you don't notice.

[00:19:24] You know,

[00:19:24] traveling tires you

[00:19:25] even if you don't notice.

[00:19:26] But what I definitely do

[00:19:28] every time I go into the office

[00:19:29] is I take an hour's lunch break

[00:19:31] and I do not sit at my desk.

[00:19:34] I refuse to do that.

[00:19:36] And I say to everybody,

[00:19:37] I didn't have a brain hemorrhage

[00:19:38] to come and sit at my desk.

[00:19:39] I'm sorry.

[00:19:41] And I think it's really important.

[00:19:43] We were talking about

[00:19:44] what you learned

[00:19:45] about your brain

[00:19:46] and we're talking about

[00:19:47] how it's changed,

[00:19:49] you know,

[00:19:49] some of the practicalities

[00:19:50] of how you work

[00:19:51] and how you live.

[00:19:53] Has it changed

[00:19:54] your outlook

[00:19:55] in life,

[00:19:56] your mindset,

[00:19:57] the way you approach life?

[00:19:58] Absolutely.

[00:19:59] Now I'm,

[00:20:00] I feel like an American

[00:20:02] sometimes being very grateful

[00:20:03] every day.

[00:20:05] Hashtag gratitude.

[00:20:07] Yeah,

[00:20:07] I am very grateful

[00:20:09] every day.

[00:20:10] I don't,

[00:20:11] I might moan about some things

[00:20:13] but I try never to moan.

[00:20:14] I consider myself

[00:20:16] very lucky.

[00:20:17] I know I had a huge

[00:20:18] medical problem

[00:20:20] but I'm fine now

[00:20:22] and that's what I always remember.

[00:20:24] I try and enjoy life more.

[00:20:26] Try not to sweat

[00:20:27] the small stuff.

[00:20:28] We always sweat

[00:20:28] the small stuff

[00:20:29] but I try not to.

[00:20:30] I try not to get too wound up

[00:20:32] about something at work.

[00:20:33] I do a bit

[00:20:34] but I try and remember

[00:20:36] that, you know,

[00:20:36] that's not important.

[00:20:37] I spend much more time

[00:20:39] with my family

[00:20:39] who are very important.

[00:20:41] I mean,

[00:20:41] sadly my dad died a year ago

[00:20:44] but, you know,

[00:20:44] those eight months

[00:20:45] that I stay living with them

[00:20:47] were eight months

[00:20:48] that I had with him

[00:20:49] before he passed away.

[00:20:50] So, you know,

[00:20:51] looking back on them,

[00:20:52] they were super important.

[00:20:54] I mean, obviously

[00:20:54] I understand how important it is.

[00:20:56] My friends are very important.

[00:20:57] Going out,

[00:20:59] going on holiday.

[00:21:00] I love going on holiday.

[00:21:01] I think I just,

[00:21:02] I know I'm different.

[00:21:03] And I think I'm different

[00:21:05] in my attitude to life.

[00:21:07] And as I say,

[00:21:08] in the fact that

[00:21:09] that I'm alive.

[00:21:32] So what do you think

[00:21:33] is the most overlooked aspect

[00:21:36] of this whole thing,

[00:21:38] this experience for you?

[00:21:39] And where is that

[00:21:40] inequality felt

[00:21:42] most deeply,

[00:21:43] do you think?

[00:21:43] I guess not knowing

[00:21:45] that aneurysms happen,

[00:21:47] that if it is a case

[00:21:49] that more women get them

[00:21:50] and women who are hitting 50,

[00:21:52] then that more people

[00:21:53] should know about this,

[00:21:55] the education,

[00:21:56] you know,

[00:21:57] recognizing symptoms.

[00:21:58] Obviously,

[00:21:59] I still don't know

[00:22:01] why it happened to me.

[00:22:02] And I,

[00:22:02] as I say,

[00:22:03] I try not to think why

[00:22:04] because there's no point.

[00:22:06] But I guess,

[00:22:07] I wonder if there's

[00:22:08] some kind of factor

[00:22:10] that's just overlooked

[00:22:11] that people just think,

[00:22:12] you know,

[00:22:12] this just happens.

[00:22:13] It happens to X amount

[00:22:15] of people in the population.

[00:22:16] You were lucky.

[00:22:17] You know,

[00:22:17] this is it.

[00:22:18] It's,

[00:22:19] it's difficult.

[00:22:20] As I say,

[00:22:20] in my case,

[00:22:21] I was just purely ignorant

[00:22:22] as of anything to do

[00:22:24] with a brain hemorrhage.

[00:22:25] I didn't even know

[00:22:26] that happened.

[00:22:26] I mean,

[00:22:27] nobody in my family

[00:22:28] had had one

[00:22:29] because sometimes

[00:22:29] they say they're hereditary

[00:22:30] or they run in families

[00:22:32] or something.

[00:22:33] But nobody,

[00:22:34] nobody I know

[00:22:36] close

[00:22:36] had had one.

[00:22:37] So I guess

[00:22:38] it's a question of education.

[00:22:39] Now I know much more

[00:22:40] like Amelia Clark,

[00:22:42] the British actress,

[00:22:43] has had two.

[00:22:45] And then you start reading

[00:22:46] about more and more people

[00:22:47] and thinking,

[00:22:48] oh,

[00:22:49] well,

[00:22:49] this is quite common.

[00:22:50] But I guess

[00:22:51] it's the fact of

[00:22:52] maybe just

[00:22:52] learning more about them.

[00:22:54] I have felt

[00:22:55] that I've led my life

[00:22:56] quite healthily.

[00:22:57] Part of me thinks

[00:22:58] that because I have

[00:22:59] had a healthy life,

[00:23:00] I'm alive.

[00:23:01] I can't tell you

[00:23:02] if that's true or not,

[00:23:04] but it might,

[00:23:05] it must help.

[00:23:06] It's all those things

[00:23:07] that are important

[00:23:07] that keep me going

[00:23:09] and to know

[00:23:10] that I'm well.

[00:23:11] I have a few things,

[00:23:12] you know,

[00:23:12] I still get headaches.

[00:23:13] I get headaches

[00:23:14] if I get very stressed.

[00:23:15] I know I couldn't

[00:23:17] do the job I did before.

[00:23:18] I couldn't work

[00:23:19] on a live radio program again.

[00:23:20] For example,

[00:23:22] editing audio

[00:23:23] is difficult still

[00:23:24] and I never knew

[00:23:26] that required

[00:23:27] so much brain

[00:23:27] in the brain

[00:23:28] world.

[00:23:30] Because I did it

[00:23:31] in my sleep,

[00:23:32] Prima.

[00:23:35] So it's those

[00:23:35] kind of things.

[00:23:36] I mean,

[00:23:36] I just don't know really.

[00:23:38] I mean,

[00:23:39] as I say,

[00:23:39] I just try

[00:23:40] and look forward.

[00:23:41] You know,

[00:23:42] I've heard this story

[00:23:42] before, Alicia,

[00:23:43] but I've never heard

[00:23:44] you tell it

[00:23:45] in the way

[00:23:45] you told it today.

[00:23:46] So once again,

[00:23:47] thank you for

[00:23:49] sharing

[00:23:50] this story

[00:23:51] that has

[00:23:52] changed your life

[00:23:53] and I'm glad

[00:23:55] that you're

[00:23:55] just doing so well

[00:23:57] today

[00:23:57] and I'll see you

[00:23:58] real soon,

[00:23:59] I think.

[00:24:00] Absolutely,

[00:24:00] and thank you.

[00:24:01] And I hope

[00:24:02] just more people

[00:24:02] learn a bit more

[00:24:04] about brain hemorrhages

[00:24:05] and aneurysms,

[00:24:07] ruptured aneurysms.

[00:24:08] No, absolutely.

[00:24:09] Yeah,

[00:24:10] I hope there's

[00:24:10] a ton more research.

[00:24:11] Thanks so much,

[00:24:12] Alicia.

[00:24:15] Overlooked is written

[00:24:16] and produced

[00:24:17] by me,

[00:24:18] Golda Arthur.

[00:24:19] Jessica Martinez-Dios

[00:24:21] is our rock star producer.

[00:24:23] We're building

[00:24:24] a community

[00:24:24] around women's health

[00:24:25] so that no one

[00:24:26] is overlooked.

[00:24:27] If you'd like

[00:24:28] to be part of it,

[00:24:29] sign up for the newsletter

[00:24:30] at overlookedpod.com.

[00:24:33] Get in touch with us

[00:24:34] by emailing

[00:24:35] hello

[00:24:35] at overlookedpod.com.

[00:24:38] Thanks for listening.