The Thursday   after the Fourth of July started out as any other Thursday at work for Ashley Bell, but, soon enough it would become one of the last normal days that she would have at work for about six months.  On Friday, July 11, 2014 Ashley started to experience some weird things. Her vision would come and go in her right eye. The right side of her body would occasionally go numb, and when Ashley tried to say the things on her mind she was not able to form the words in her mouth. After Ashley noticed that she was acting extremely weird, she had various tests done to see what was wrong with her. The doctors gave Ashley IVs, a CT scan, and a MRI. The CT scan and MRI were perfectly normal. Finally on August 2nd, the doctors decided to give Ashley a MRA to check her brain and her heart. MRA stands for magnetic resonance angiogram and shows pictures of your blood vessels.   The results for the MRA came in and three days later the doctors gave her the results.  Ashley had a brain aneurysm behind each of her eyes. An aneurysm is a bulge or weakening in an artery. The most common places being in the heart or brain and is usually fatal if not found in enough time. “The doctors told me to get to UAMS in Little Rock or a certain hospital in Memphis right away,” Ashley said, “It was just shocking that they waited three full days to tell me the results. It might have been even longer if I had not called the doctor and said that something was extremely wrong. ”
Ashley quickly went to UAMS on the 5th of August and on the 7th underwent her first six hour brain surgery to get the bigger of the two aneurysms clipped and coiled so that it would not cause any more problems for her. The doctor was scared that Ashley might lose her vision in her right eye, which is right in front of the aneurysm that they cut, but Ashley came through it rather well and has kept her full vision. Ashley had to stay in the hospital for five days before she could go home and even after that her family kept her under constant supervision, fearful that she may fall and rupture the other aneurysm behind her left eye. On October 7, Ashley had to undergo a second six hour surgery to clip and coil the other aneurysm in her brain, but during this surgery to make sure that Ashley did not bleed out when they cut her aneurysm the doctors at UAMS had to stop her heart for a little while to cut out the aneurysm. Ashley’s heart was stopped for almost a whole minute so the doctors could cut the aneurysm. To date Ashley is the only person to ever have her heart stopped for an aneurysm surgery in the state of Arkansas. “The doctor didn’t even tell me before surgery that he would be stopping my heart. I think he did that so I would not be scared.” Ashley said recounting the experience, “I think it’s awesome that medical care is that advanced that my doctor could stop my heart for one minute and save me.”
Ashley started going back to work on December 9, 2014 and is glad to be back at her work. Ashley is also going to start helping people just like her who have had to go through an aneurysm, and she will also help people who have aneurysms and are scared of the surgeries they will have to receive. “I have done an interview for Channel 11 in Little Rock and my story is going to be placed on the UAMS website.” Ashley said, telling us about what she plans to do for the future, “I’m also going to be a patient advocate for my doctor, so I can talk to people just like me who are scared.” Ashley is so thankful that she was able to get through this in one piece and has since recovered from both of her brain surgeries, but Ashley will still have to go occasionally to UAMS for checkups and will have to for the rest of her life to make sure that the aneurysms haven’t started to form again and will have to go back to make sure that the coils in her head will stay where they are supposed to stay. “From my point of view it was really scary.” Ashley said, thinking back on her surgeries, “I’m thankful for my medical team, and I am so blessed for the support of my husband, my children, and my family.