Obviously my post was in reply to lbfowlerjrmd's post -- and perhaps came out a bit wrong. It's just that when he said 'enjoy the time off' I don't think he realized that I'm facing the end of my sick time with no real leads yet on what I'm going to do beyond that. I'm going to be on the street in the not too distant future unless something changes.

I faced a long-ish upgrade time at my regional (7 yrs from DOH to first flight in the left seat), and lived with my parents until I was 29 -- yep 29 just to save up a 'furlough cushion' should the need ever arise.

My total hospital bill was in the $320K range, and while my 'generous' insurance company is paying most of that -- they are still leaving me with a debt that will essentially wipe out my entire life's savings. That 'furlough fund' is about to go up in smoke.

I didn't study aviation in college, but unfortunately my major was a semi-useless one unless you actually did internships for them (which I didn't -- just didn't have the time, to be honest), so finding work in the media/journalism field is bleak, at best.

I certainly don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I did spend a lot of time in the hospital reading about aneurysms, the lasting effects they have on most people's lives, and how many lives they take - percentage-wise.

It seemed (thankfully) I was never in any serious danger throughout all this, as after the rupture I was still walking and talking -- albeit with a headache from hell and puking all over the place. Thankfully, I didn't waste any time (I had a room full of trainers at the gym telling me to just go home, they were all convinced I was coming down with the flu) and got myself to an ER ASAP, and was in surgery 12 hours after the onset of symptoms.

I'm very unfortunate that this happened at all (and that it's happening NOW), but I do realize that, all things considered, I'm extremely fortunate to have bounced back the way I did. Yes, I got a real preview of what it's like to be crippled. The first two weeks after surgery I could barely stand, let alone walk, and needed the help of two people just to get out of bed.

I see my parents no less than once a week. I just came back from Austria a week ago, visiting my family there. I have a terminally ill aunt that I may have seen for the last time. I'm certainly not ignoring my family.

For those of you who have not experienced something like this (I mean the situation more so much than the actual condition), you do spend a lot of time being thankful that the outcome was good. Eventually, though, that stops being enough and you do have to face the reality of the crap coming down on you. Losing your job, bills deep into into the five figures, a hiring wave you've been waiting forever for that you're going to miss out on, etc.

I have dreams all the time that life is normal, I'm going to work and signing in for a trip. Then I wake up and immediately remember the situation that I'm in -- every single day.

I don't know where you guys are in your careers -- major, regional, fractional, etc. -- but I did the best I could trying to keep my record clean so that I could make it to a major someday. I'm 33 yrs old, and have waited a while. I know I'm not the only one. It's a very depressing thing to realize that everything you've worked so hard towards -- the 15hr days, the countless 4am wakeups, the grumpy Captains, the manipulative schedulers, etc. everything you've endured towards reaching your goal -- is all in serious jeopardy. It sucks. It hurts. I'm sure you guys realize it's not simple as I just sit out 2 years, and then get on with a major. After 2yrs I'll have problems not being current, will need long-term training again even if going to previous equipment. This could turn into a setback of several years, not just 2.

Sorry for the rant, but the point of the thread is that it is possible to get your medical back sooner after an aneurysm. 6 months (very rare), 1 year (rare), or 2 years (the norm). I just want to do everything I can to help ensure I'm taking all the steps to get mine back in the least amount of time possible.