Logan Coleridge was used to taking hits in soccer. He’d been taking part in since he was 6 years previous and had sustained a number of concussions. However after a helmet-to-helmet influence throughout his freshman yr of highschool in August 2023, he began having debilitating signs.
The New Jersey teen mentioned he was very dizzy and had hassle balancing. His reminiscence was “terrible,” and he had a “severe” gentle sensitivity, he mentioned, together with “terrible headaches.” Beforehand a powerful pupil, he now struggled to focus within the classroom and couldn’t keep in mind college assignments or what he learn at school.
“I’ve got concussions in my past, and it wasn’t like a normal one,” Logan mentioned. “I knew it was something else.”
Logan Coleridge (#9) on the sector.
Becky and Barry Coleridge
Extra alarmingly, Logan wasn’t getting higher. A number of months of bodily remedy had no impact, mentioned Becky Coleridge, Logan’s mother. A neurologist who had been treating Logan since his analysis with stomach migraines the yr earlier than prescribed two medicines, each of which had unfavorable negative effects. An orthopedic physician advised his neck. Different practitioners had no solutions. Coleridge wished medical doctors to prescribe an MRI, however wasn’t capable of get one. In the meantime, Logan was lacking college virtually each week. Over-the-counter medicines couldn’t uninteresting the complications, and so they had been turning into extra frequent.
In early spring 2024, Logan was capable of see a concussion specialist after a very dangerous headache stored him from going to high school.
“The first thing he said was ‘Nobody’s given this kid an MRI?’” Becky Coleridge remembered. The specialist prescribed the scan, in addition to an X-ray of Logan’s neck. The Coleridges thought the scans may present Logan had a difficulty along with his occipital nerve, which runs from the neck to the scalp.
The outcomes had been a lot more durable to listen to: Logan was identified with an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. It was a situation that he and his mother and father had by no means heard of earlier than.
“Everything we read was very scary,” Becky Coleridge mentioned. “At that moment, we realized the danger he had been in.”
The Coleridge household.
Becky and Barry Coleridge
What’s an arteriovenous malformation?
An AVM is an irregular tangle of blood vessels within the mind, mentioned Dr. Andrew Russman, head of the Cleveland Clinic’s stroke program, who was not concerned in Logan’s care. AVMs put “a lot of pressure on the vein side” and may produce quite a lot of signs, he mentioned. The most important threat with an AVM is rupture, the place the vessels burst and trigger bleeding within the mind.
In a case like Logan’s, the place the AVM hasn’t ruptured, there can nonetheless be signs. These signs can have an effect on an individual’s motor expertise, sensory and visible notion, language skills and the way in which they stroll, Russman mentioned. The results can differ relying on the place within the mind the AVM has shaped, Russman mentioned.
The Coleridges had two choices to deal with Logan: Radiation remedy, a non-invasive method that makes use of targeted radiation beams to focus on and slowly destroy the AVM, or surgical procedure. Radiation remedy may take too lengthy, the household determined, and they also determined to have Logan handled by Dr. Howard Riina, a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon at NYU Langone.
Logan Coleridge’s AVM.
Becky and Barry Coleridge / NYU Langone
“He couldn’t go to school. His whole life was impacted by these headaches,” Riina mentioned. “They wanted an immediate solution.”
Riina mentioned the AVM, which was on a “headache spot” within the occipital area of the mind, was probably the basis of Logan’s signs. Individuals are born with AVMs, Riina mentioned, and so they develop because the physique grows, which might trigger elevated signs.
“Obviously, you don’t want to have multiple things going on in your head, but the concussion is what led to the imaging, which led to the diagnosis of the AVM, which was probably what was causing the headaches all along,” he mentioned.
Elevating consciousness and “focusing on a new beginning”
Logan underwent surgical procedure on July 17, 2024, almost a yr after his signs started. Riina carried out a craniotomy and eliminated the AVM. Three days later, Logan was discharged from the hospital to proceed his restoration at dwelling. Logan mentioned it was a “lonely” option to spend his summer time trip. At the same time as his restoration progressed, he couldn’t take part within the sports activities he cherished.
“I couldn’t really do the things that I love normally doing, like exercising, playing football was a big thing for me. I was just stuck in bed, pretty much having minimal activity,” Logan mentioned.
Logan Coleridge recovering at NYU Langone after surgical procedure.
Becky and Barry Coleridge
Now, Logan has solely the occasional headache, and the ache may be handled with treatment. He has follow-ups at NYU Langone, however Riina mentioned every little thing has come again clear. The Coleridges are working to encourage early testing: Becky Coleridge mentioned she needs Logan had obtained an MRI earlier in order that months of struggling and confusion may have been averted.
This yr has been a whole turnaround, Logan mentioned. He not misses college. He celebrated his sixteenth birthday and took driving classes. This summer time, he spent virtually each day on the seaside with mates. This month, he’s gearing up for a return to the soccer discipline.
“The whole experience was a fork in the road for me that I had to get through,” Logan mentioned. “I’m leaving that time in my life in the past and focusing on a new beginning.”
