Hi All, I am new because in May 2010, my daughter had a brain bleed which turned out to be an AVM and aneurysm. She was in PICU at Arnold Palmer Childrens Hospital in Orlando, FL. She underwent an crainiotomy and 1 week later, was able to have the AVM and aneurysm removed. The AVM was located in the left temporal lobe. I was told that her right side (face, arm, leg) and speech would be affected. After 31 days in PICU, we were transferred to Brooks Rehab Hosp in Jacksonville, FL for inpatient recovery. She learned how to walk again, reconnect with her right arm and speak. We were there for 41 days. Currently we have been home for 30 days now and she received out patient therapy (PT, OT,and speech). She was 9 years old when this happened and just turned 10 last week. No prior symptoms. She was an elite gymnast on team gymnastics and in the best physical shape. My questions are: She currentely says about 5 words, how long does speech take to return? Her walking came back fast, currently she is unable to use her right hand and we are working on that in OT. I need some info regarding speech and how to give my daughter the best care bring speech back.
Hello Renee, my names Lesley and I am a lot older than your daughter, (56 now) but my AVM was in the left temporal & posterior frontal lobes. Last year, I had brain damage due to the surgeon not beeing to stop the bleeding (14hr surgery),having to take away viable tissue, then coma etc. When I ‘came to’ (2 mths later) I had an awful time trying to learn to talk, read, cook and so on. As your daughter is so young, I am sure that through time, she will get better; it just takes time. I had a great speech therapist and memory therapist, 10 mths of rehab (6hrs per week) and if you can have a look at an older blog “once upon a time”, I think that will give you hope for the future. Again, it all takes time and I’m still learning but so much better than I was. Love & faith certainly helps greatly (for me) as well. I wish all the very best to you and your daughter and will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us up dated with her progress, and send me a message if you would like to, Lesley.
Wow, Renee. I feel for you and your daughter. My son had an AVM removed one month ago, and from everything I’ve read about how kids recover from bleeds and from surgery in comparison with adults, they recover a lot more quickly. LOADS more quickly. Also, even if there is permanent damage in part of her brain, other parts of her brain will adapt over time to compensate for the damaged part. Adults’ brains can’t do this, according to what I’ve read. While I don’t have any specific advice to give you about how to help your daughter bring her speech back, chances are awesome that she’ll recover remarkably fast in all areas, including her speech and her hand.