Hello old friends. I’d like to share my recent health scare with all of you. Over the holidays I began having severe headaches. After many doctor visits, numerous tests and several red herrings attempting to determine the cause, I was diagnosed with an internal arterial tear (a dissection) and large brain aneurysm. Last month I underwent surgery for 8.5 hrs and there were complications along the way. Nevertheless, my amazing doctors at Memorial Hermann in Houston overcame them and completed the operation without causing a stroke, hemorrhage or having to sacrifice any of my physical or mental faculties (aside from those that were already sacrificed :^). I was very lucky as the outcome of this condition is often less positive. There remain a number of risks, but my overall prognosis looks very positive. Nevertheless, they did shut down a portion of my left vertebral artery inside the brain and re-routed the flow of blood. They had ended up occluding the vessel using nearly $100K worth of platinum coils. Although this is what they call a spontaneous event (not caused by an accident or lifestyle activity such as smoking) I have to remain concerned about situations that result in blood pressure changes or any constriction of blood flow and will be selling off the majority of my cigar collection. I just turned 40 and have a beautiful family and a great career. I am very thankful and hope to be around for quite some time.
All the best, Bill
