July 2006 support group meeting

On July 15, 2006, Dr. Jonathan White will give us an overview on different types of aneurysms, why and how they occur, what their symptoms are, and what groups of people are prone to suffering from aneurysms.

Dr. Jonathan White is a board certified neurosurgeon who specializes in the treatment of brain aneurysm and other brain blood vessel abnormalities. He works for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as an assistant professor of neurosurgery where he also completed his residency training.

His research interests include outcomes after aneurysm surgery, cerebral blood flow and cerebral bypass for the treatment of aneurysms and stroke. Dr. White performs over 150 blood vessel operations a year. UT Southwestern Medical Center treats over 400 aneurysms a year via open surgery and endovascular techniques. A multidisciplinary approached is used and each case is reviewed by a panel of neurologists, radiologists and neurosurgeons. For more information, you may call Dr. White’s office at (214) 648-8500

Our Mission

The Dallas Brain Aneurysm support group will meet on the 2nd saturday of every month to provide patients and survivors with educational tools and emotional support needed to cope with aneurysms. The goal is to help alleviate fears and concerns through education and group discussions. We invite prominent neurologists/neuro-surgeons, social workers, nurses and survivors to educate us about the origin of brain aneurysms and AVM's, treatment and prognosis, recovery, support and on-going research in the field of aneurysm treatment

We hope this forum will particularly provide a place for patients and their families/friends to get information and support in dealing with issues related to brain aneurysms, treatments and recovery.

• If you have just been diagnosed, it may help to talk to people who have already been treated, to learn and understand what you might expect - and also, it's encouraging just to meet people who are already on the other side of the experience. You can also ask as many questions as you want. People here will understand, and if there's no one there that day who knows the answer, we'll find someone who does.

• If you suffered a rupture, it may help to get ideas from others in recognizing and dealing with some of the effects it can have: memory problems, depression, coordination/muscle control problems, balance problems, speech or word-finding problems, or a number of other possible issues. Knowing you're not the only one can be comforting - and others in the same boat can also offer practical tips by relating their own experiences.

• If someone you care about has suffered a rupture, it may help for you to understand more about what happened. The statistics are still high for people who suffer a rupture to die immediately or soon after, and those who recover often have various difficulties or changes in their abilities. Since ruptures often happen suddenly and with very little or no warning, it can feel like the rug was jerked out from under your feet if you're going through this yourself or with someone you love.Things may (probably will) change as a result of the rupture - maybe drastically - and it's not easy to come to terms with the losses.