Shelly Orr, 29 (KTLA) |
POMONA (KTLA) -- Shelly Orr recalls the earliest signs of a tough road ahead. "I didn't have any energy at all as a kid, as far as I can remember."
Shelly, now a 29 year-old mom, battled serious fatigue when she was a child. Then, when she was a teenager, her strange symptoms worsened.
"My carotid artery was palpitating, my legs were swollen, I was very tired, and I was fainting," Shelly recalls. "Those were my symptoms."
Shelly went everywhere for medical help. "I saw doctor after doctor, saying my legs were swollen, my neck, I'm really fatigued." But no one could help her.
"I kept coming in with the same complaints, and they keep dismissing me, saying I was fine," Shelly says ruefully.
Finally, Shelly found her way to Dr. Ali Mesiwala of the Southern California Center for Neuroscience and Spine in Pomona. While other doctors had assumed Shelly had a heart problem, Dr. Mesiwala discovered that the real issue was in her headÂ…literally!
Dr. Mesiwala identified an aneurysm in Shelly's brain. "An aneurysm is simply a ballooning or blister that forms on the blood vessel," Dr. Mesiwala explains. "And because it's a weak point, it has the propensity to bleed."
Dr. Mesiwala concedes that Shelly's problem was even more serious than anticipated. "She had a giant aneurysm at the base of her skull that was easily seen on her scan, and two others nearby that could also be seen. She ended up having six total that we treated at the time of surgery."
The aneurysms were caused by an improper vein structure in Shelly's body. "The underlying thing that caused her aneurysms in the first place was a very large abnormal connection of arteries and veins in the brain called an arteriovenous malformation," Dr. Mesiwala says.
Shelly underwent two lengthy surgeries, in which Dr. Mesiwala re-routed and improved the blood flow to her brain, and repaired the six aneurysms.
Now Shelly's on the road to recovery, and her nine-year-old daughter Allyson helps her with her physical therapy. Shelly says the takeaway lesson for all of us from her experience is: don't ever give up hope in your hunt for medical help!
"Listen to your body," Shelly advises. "Don't ignore it, don't let doctors dismiss you."
And Dr. Mesiwala agrees. "If you're going to your doctor or health care provider and you have concerns, the key thing is to be as descriptive and precise as you can be in regard to your symptoms."
Shelly's looking at continued care and monitoring, her lifelong mystery's been solved - and the worst of her symptoms are behind her.
So -- is daughter Allyson proud of her mom?
"Heck yeah!" Allyson says, giving her courageous mom a high-five.
Shelly, now a 29 year-old mom, battled serious fatigue when she was a child. Then, when she was a teenager, her strange symptoms worsened.
"My carotid artery was palpitating, my legs were swollen, I was very tired, and I was fainting," Shelly recalls. "Those were my symptoms."
Shelly went everywhere for medical help. "I saw doctor after doctor, saying my legs were swollen, my neck, I'm really fatigued." But no one could help her.
"I kept coming in with the same complaints, and they keep dismissing me, saying I was fine," Shelly says ruefully.
Finally, Shelly found her way to Dr. Ali Mesiwala of the Southern California Center for Neuroscience and Spine in Pomona. While other doctors had assumed Shelly had a heart problem, Dr. Mesiwala discovered that the real issue was in her headÂ…literally!
Dr. Mesiwala identified an aneurysm in Shelly's brain. "An aneurysm is simply a ballooning or blister that forms on the blood vessel," Dr. Mesiwala explains. "And because it's a weak point, it has the propensity to bleed."
Dr. Mesiwala concedes that Shelly's problem was even more serious than anticipated. "She had a giant aneurysm at the base of her skull that was easily seen on her scan, and two others nearby that could also be seen. She ended up having six total that we treated at the time of surgery."
The aneurysms were caused by an improper vein structure in Shelly's body. "The underlying thing that caused her aneurysms in the first place was a very large abnormal connection of arteries and veins in the brain called an arteriovenous malformation," Dr. Mesiwala says.
Shelly underwent two lengthy surgeries, in which Dr. Mesiwala re-routed and improved the blood flow to her brain, and repaired the six aneurysms.
Now Shelly's on the road to recovery, and her nine-year-old daughter Allyson helps her with her physical therapy. Shelly says the takeaway lesson for all of us from her experience is: don't ever give up hope in your hunt for medical help!
"Listen to your body," Shelly advises. "Don't ignore it, don't let doctors dismiss you."
And Dr. Mesiwala agrees. "If you're going to your doctor or health care provider and you have concerns, the key thing is to be as descriptive and precise as you can be in regard to your symptoms."
Shelly's looking at continued care and monitoring, her lifelong mystery's been solved - and the worst of her symptoms are behind her.
So -- is daughter Allyson proud of her mom?
"Heck yeah!" Allyson says, giving her courageous mom a high-five.
