Dunedin woman Pip Falloon knows exactly how valuable it is
to have neurosurgery in Dunedin. Photo
Pip Falloon believes emergency neurosurgery at Dunedin
Hospital saved her life.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them."
When Mrs Falloon (49) did not turn up for work on Friday,
September 18 last year, her colleagues at Unicol knew
something was wrong.
About 10am, one was dispatched to her home and found her with
her housekeeper, who had discovered her just minutes earlier,
in the conservatory, and called an ambulance.
Mrs Falloon said she was "a bit gaga" and had lost control of
the left side of her body.
By the time she got to Dunedin Hospital, the then 48-year-old
was in a critical condition.
Doctors found an aneurism in the right side of her brain had
ruptured and was haemorrhaging.
A Dunedin Hospital neurosurgeon operated a few hours later,
placing eight clips on the aneurism to stop the bleeding and
drain the excess blood and other fluid.
By that stage, her brain had swollen so much part of her
skull had to be removed.
"There was quite a big hole there for a while."
She said yesterday she was "very lucky" there was a
neurosurgeon in Dunedin.
"If they had to transfer me to Christchurch, there was no way
I would have survived that."
After a month in Dunedin Hospital, she spent another month in
rehabilitation learning to walk again.
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