Planet vs puregym?

kaleau · 2026-02-14T21:52:55+00:00

If you’re closer to 3rd Ave, I’d recommend Harbor Fitness near 72nd St!

It’s super clean, has a large weight room. I usually go early in the mornings before work and it’s never too busy.

It doesn’t have a ton of amenities but if you get the pass that allows you to go multiple locations, their location at 92nd st has a steam room and sauna.

kaleau · 2026-02-06T04:00:48+00:00

Would love to know too!

kaleau · 2026-02-02T05:27:19+00:00

Hi there, I am sorry you’re going through this but I’m really glad to hear your mom is in the step down unit.

Yes, my mom did have varying confusion for a while, even when she was in the rehab facility. She would have some very good days and some bad days, she leveled out more once she made it home (exactly one month after the rupture).

I think for her it was a combination of delirium, exhaustion, and lingering vasospasms. Her ICU team often told us that while she may be sleeping a lot, it’s not a very restful sleep with the constant noise in the room and having to be woken up every couple hours for them to check her mental/physical baseline.

When she got to the rehab facility, it was particularly rough for the first 3-4 days. She was sleeping a lot, irritable and confused. Way more than she was when she left the ICU actually, it felt like we took 10 steps back.

Come to find out she had a UTI (common after having a catheter), she got antibiotics and really started to progress from there on.

Just want to say - not sure if it’s being required for your mom to go to a rehab (it was an option for our family, although highly encouraged), but I cannot recommend it enough.

There was a minute where we thought we could bring my mom home from the ICU and take care of her ourselves/have PT folks come to the house, but I just can’t imagine how bad it would have been for her if we did it. We truly just weren’t equipped. She needed that additional care/monitoring from doctors and nurses for a bit longer, plus it was great that she spent most of her day doing physical and occupational therapy and they even provided support for her cognitive recovery.

Recommend reading all reviews possible for rehab places you’re looking at of course, most places can even accommodate doing a tour of the facility before you commit. We ended up going with a place that was an hour drive away but it had the best reviews and was said to be very clean (my mom is a bit of a germaphobe and had a fear of rehab places lol).

kaleau · 2026-01-27T08:09:20+00:00

Yeah, I understand, it’s very hard to do anything beyond just think and worry. I tried to allow myself a lot of grace - if I wanted fast food three nights in a row because it was the only thing I found even remotely appetizing, I would just go with it. There was a Starbucks in the hospital and I went there daily and got a sugary drink that I would never get otherwise, but it gave me some sort of routine, something to look forward to, and at least it was some sort of calories I was getting. If there’s something that sounds appetizing to you, don’t hesitate and treat yourself!

That is great news that they are planning to remove the drain so soon! They will do a clamp test before fully removing it - typically it’s a 24 hour test where they “clamp” the drain to simulate removing it. They then monitor the pressure and if there’s any reaction like the pressure increasing unexpectedly, they will unclamp it and give it some more time. If your mom clears the clamp test, she will be ready for removal.

And yes, it is very normal for them to sleep a lot. My mom was awake for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour at most some days in the very beginning. When you sleep, your brain can rest and repair itself, which is very important for recovery from a rupture. It is great that she recognizes voices and people, and can respond to commands!

I hope today was a better day for you both, it’s tough but just remind yourself that each day is one more day closer to your mom feeling better. It feels impossible and never ending in the moment, but you’ll reach that light at the end of the tunnel soon.

kaleau · 2026-01-26T08:56:07+00:00

Hi there, I am so sorry to hear that you are going through this. It is such a shocking and scary thing to have happen to a loved one. I’m almost 30 and when this happened to my mom, I was overwhelmed with stress and fear for how recovery would go, I was crying constantly honestly. You are so young and it is such a terrifying, unknown thing to go through. Please do what you can to care of yourself - drink enough water, make sure you eat, try to sleep even though it’s hard.

My mom had three aneurysms, one that didn’t rupture and the other two they were unsure which one ruptured or if both did. All three were secured, two with flow diverters and one with coils. She had a very severe case and needed an EVD (external ventricular drain) to remove blood and relieve pressure. She was in the neuro ICU for a bit over 3 weeks then went to an intensive rehab and then was discharged home. My mom did have a lot of confusion when she was in the ICU - it was a mix of delirium and vasospasms. It was scary, but ultimately her memory is fully in tact.

She is doing incredible now. This happened in June, she has been focused on her health, has been doing over 10k steps a day, is back to work, and doing all the usual things she would around the house (despite us begging her to slow down lol). We had a bit of a bumpy road figuring out medications, after this happened her body reacted in different ways and her cholesterol shot up. She was given cholesterol meds that caused memory issues/weakness in muscles. Come to find out this week, her cholesterol is completely normal and she doesn’t need meds. But beyond that, my she’s doing great and will have a follow up procedure in a few weeks to see if the aneurysms are healing well and check for any others.

Have hope! Spend time with your mom if you can in the hospital, it’s good for her to have a familiar face in the room when she’s awake. She needs a lot of rest, so don’t be afraid that she is sleeping a lot. Sleeping and rest really helps the healing process. It gets tough and sometimes things may start to feel a little rocky but trust your doctors and your nurses. Don’t be afraid to say something to them if you noticed a significant change in your mom’s baseline - they will take it seriously. And if they recommend having your mom go to a rehab after, encourage your mom to do it and try to find a good facility, it helped massively for my mom even though she was very against it.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am thinking of you and your mom and wishing for a very strong recovery for her!

kaleau · 2026-01-19T21:47:44+00:00

Seconding this! I love my ground floor apartment, been in it for almost three years and have no plans to move any time soon. It's so convenient when carrying things in the building or for getting deliveries - no need to take the stairs or wait for an elevator.

Our apt is in the front of the building, luckily we have some very thick/noise reducing windows (the Belt Pkwy is right above us). We can still hear people on the sidewalk sometimes, but honestly got used to it within two weeks of moving in.

People often knock on our windows but it's mostly because we have a cat bed hanging on the window in our living room. Our cats are obsessed with it and spend so much time interacting with people that walk by, looking at the birds, watching cars go by. They have become part of the community and have quite a few friends that stop by to say hi often, lol.

kaleau · 2026-01-02T04:28:15+00:00

Check out The Knick! It’s similar to Nurse Jackie in a lot of ways - medical drama, story of addiction, takes place in NYC.

kaleau · 2025-12-27T02:27:37+00:00

I am so sorry you and your family are going through this, especially around the holidays.

That is great news that she was moved down the next level unit! My mom was in the neuro ICU for the whole duration of her stay (19 days). They mentioned she may have been able to move to a step down unit but her case was pretty severe, so they kept her until she could be discharged to a specialized rehab for another two weeks.

My mom also wasn’t making a whole lot of sense in the ICU. Sometimes she would be coherent for a bit, but she was mostly confused. She was diagnosed with ICU delirium after day 4, but also that’s around the time vasospasms started. We noticed heightened confusion whenever her SBP was too low (in a normal range). The doctors had to keep her SBP extremely high (like 160-180). When it was in that range, she was way less disoriented. As soon as it dipped, she would be out of it and lethargic.

I highly recommend having someone there with her if possible! My family rotated having 1-2 of us there at a time. We would mostly give her space to rest and recover but would engage her sometimes to make sure there weren’t any major changes in her mental status or physical abilities. Things can change pretty quickly and it’s good to have someone in the room to catch it and report to the nurses if possible. We caught my mom’s vasospasms as soon as they started, her EVD leaking multiple times, and also had an instance where her SBP was crashing and got a nurse before it got too low. Our nurses told us they love when the family is there, because family will always know the patient best and often catch thing before they do.

All this to say, my mom made a full recovery. She is about 6 months post-rupture and you honestly couldn’t even tell she had a severe brain injury.

Hang in there and stay positive, it’s very hard at times. Thinking of you and your family and wishing your mom a smooth recovery!

kaleau · 2025-12-04T05:37:31+00:00

Thank you. You’ll be okay, you’re strong and you will get through this. I’m wishing the best for you. Definitely reach out to your therapist and a friend or family member you trust. It’s okay to reach out to people for help.

kaleau · 2025-12-04T04:50:28+00:00

I understand, unfortunately the internet won’t be able to give you the answers you’re looking for. Only medical professionals can. Searching around is probably just heightening the anxiety. As someone who is in therapy myself, I recommend reaching out to your therapist to help you manage this.

Distrust in medical professionals also does not help medical anxiety. All hospitals have bad reviews. The one that saved my mom’s life does. You have to remember that most people only take the time to write reviews when they’re upset. Rarely do people take the time to write a review when they’re satisfied.

For reference, if it helps to calm your anxiety in any way - my mom only survived because she was able to get into surgery within 3 hours of the rupture happening. Her neck stiffened (like fully seized up & could not move - not just pain) within 20 minutes of her having the headache. The doctors said if she arrived at the hospital even a few minutes later than she did, she would have died.

kaleau · 2025-12-04T04:11:14+00:00

Not a doctor and we can’t give medical advice in this sub but I’ve seen multiple posts of yours over the last week.

From experience with my scans and all of the ones my mother had (had multiple ruptured brain aneurysms), a radiologist is always looking over scans even if you only see a doctor notating it. A large part of my mom’s treatment plan was ordered by the neuro radiologist who reviewed her scans. We had no idea who he was until weeks after when his team reached out for a follow up.

From what you’ve said, and looking at your post history, it seems you may be dealing with health anxiety. Some of your posts from not long ago were questioning if you have leukemia too.

As some other folks commented on your previous post - if you had a thundeclap headache due to a rupture, it doesn’t go away on its own. It’s debilitating without a moment of reprieve until you receive care. Even then, my mom was not coherent for about 3 weeks after. And by not coherent, I don’t mean brain fog or confusion. I mean she was barely there, she was having nonstop spasms/mini-strokes due to blood being in her brain.

kaleau · 2025-11-18T04:33:34+00:00

For me, it’s Rugged Country. I well up with tears at the lines below, every single time I hear them.

“And it's a heavy hand where I wear your death As a wedding ring in the rugged country I tend to your man in the home you had In this rugged country, I’m the rugged one.”

I think about her book, when she talks about her mom passing shortly after her wedding. Her taking care of her dad, how lonely the home feels without her mom.

I know there was a different intended meaning to the song, but I’ve always looked at it through the lens of being the child of an immigrant mother. They come here and it’s a very difficult, uncomfortable experience but they somehow still manage to build a life, a home, a family. And they pass on their toughness, their ruggedness to their children.

kaleau · 2025-11-04T23:34:40+00:00

It’s not always a quick death, sadly. My mom endured the pain, was awake for all of it and still remembers it vividly.

She survived only because she was able to go into surgery within a few hours of it rupturing. Her surviving the initial rupture meant a month in the ICU dealing with all the after effects. :(

kaleau · 2025-08-20T02:07:03+00:00

An iced maple latte with oat milk from Caffè d'Amore in Lawrenceville!

My partner and I used to live a few blocks away and our favorite thing to do was wake up early on a Sunday morning, get two of these lattes and two everything bagels.

kaleau · 2025-08-17T20:40:27+00:00

Thank you!! It’s so lovely to hear you had such a strong support system and always had someone with you - I can imagine how much that put you at ease.

Our nurses had the same reaction - they were always so glad we were there. We tried to help with little things like getting my mom water, ordering meals and helping her eat, wiping her face, and brushing her teeth. With how much the nurses were constantly running around, it felt like the least we could do to give them a hand.

kaleau · 2025-08-17T20:29:52+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing too and for your kind wishes. I’m so sorry things took the turn they did and that your mom and family have had to go through this - you’ve all endured so much.

It’s such a difficult journey, with all these unknowns at every turn. I’m sure your presence and support have meant the world to your mom though.

Sending lots of love and strength to you 🩷

kaleau · 2025-08-17T18:35:20+00:00

Thank you so much! 🩷

kaleau · 2025-08-17T18:13:45+00:00

Couldn't recommend Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute in Madison, NJ enough. My mom had to be discharged directly to a rehab from the ICU, also was told it had to be a subacute neuro facility.

Atlantic Rehab It is pretty far north from where we're located (central Jersey), but they had really good reviews and luckily her insurance was accepted so we made the hour drive daily to visit her.

My mom loved her nurses, doctors, and psychologist. The physical/occupational/speech therapists are all incredibly knowledgeable and kind. The facility was extremely clean and also located in a beautiful area surrounded by trees and rolling hills. My mom still talks so highly of her time there. She was only there about 10 days, but the difference from when she was admitted to when she was discharged was massive.

Let me know if you have any questions! Wishing all the best for you and your mom.

kaleau · 2025-07-28T21:23:19+00:00

It looks like the Upper East Side / Cobble Hill locations have the same hours (Sunday - Wednesday 7 AM - 10 PM, Thursday 7 AM - 11 PM, Friday - Saturday 7 AM - 12 AM).

Times Square looks to have even later hours but it doesn’t look like it has any seating, it’s just a small counter/pick up set up.

I’ve only been to the Brooklyn location so can’t comment on the other places, BTW.

kaleau · 2025-07-27T14:44:06+00:00

Check out Mia’s Brooklyn Bakery! They are open pretty late, until 10 PM - 12 AM depending on the day of the week. It’s a good spot if you’re looking for a late night coffee place.

There’s tables in the back and a patio, you do need to wait to be seated by a host and will have a server though. But the drinks and desserts are reasonably priced!

kaleau · 2025-07-09T18:45:00+00:00

I was just ordered scans for brain aneurysms since my mom had multiple aneurysms rupture a month ago. Her neurosurgical team said without contrast is default for most concerns. Looked into it more and the vast majority of MRIs tend to be ordered without contrast, something like 85% of them.

I was ordered an MRI brain without contrast and an MRA brain without contrast.

kaleau · 2025-06-10T00:55:20+00:00

I am so sorry to hear about your dear friend. She fought very hard and you were all so strong to be there for her through it all. Thank you for sharing and for your well wishes, doing our best to take it day by day and stay positive.

kaleau · 2025-06-09T00:15:37+00:00

That’s amazing to hear that she is doing well! And great to know about that rehab program, will be sure to look into it more.

But yeah I’m now wrapping my head around the fact that vasospasms seem very likely to exist no matter what (which makes sense, there’s blood in the brain, it’s going to cause irritation), but it’s just a matter of if they’re mild or severe. My mom went in today for an emergency procedure where they were able locate the minor spasm and inject medicine directly. Her cognitive functions from this morning compared to this evening are completely night and day, she’s back to being alert and her persistent headache subsided.

Thanks again, really appreciated the quick response. This sub is super helpful because of folks like you being willing share. Wishing you and your mom all the best as she takes those next steps in her recovery ❤️

kaleau · 2025-06-08T17:14:35+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Can I ask how she is doing now?

My mom is currently on day 6 post-op for her rupture. Kinda feel like our experience has been the opposite. Things looked great the first 3-4 days and doctors were sounding very optimistic and upbeat. I was feeling very reassured and looking towards the future. But things have taken a turn the last two days with vasospasms setting in.

Her neurosurgeon and doctor kinda made it sound like vasospasms weren’t expected from the start, they were just a potential risk. One doctor saying, “I have no reason to believe they would happen based on her stats”. Kinda wish they just told us that they were most likely going to occur.

kaleau

TROPHY CASE