MANILA, Philippines – Did stress and overworking lead to a businesswoman’s collapse and comatose state?
That seemed to be the case, at first, for Erika Duran, a busy and ‘workaholic’ businesswoman who owns several businesses.
According to GMA Network’s BaliTambayan, it all started with headaches that Duran ignored. Perhaps she didn’t think that the headaches were severe or a cause for concern because she lives a healthy lifestyle. In her post on Facebook, Duran shared that she even goes to the gym regularly and counts her calories - who would have thought that she would suffer such a scary moment?
 |
| Duran collapsed at home due to possible overworking and stress. Photo credit: Erika Duran |
She narrated that despite experiencing headaches for a long time, she has been busy with her businesses. Due to her numerous responsibilities, she barely had time to get enough sleep. She also had so many things to think about, leading to sleep loss.
It’s easy to conclude that Duran was overworked and stressed due to her numerous responsibilities.
Last November, she experienced a severe headache. Her companion also saw that she was drooling. It turned out that she suffered a seizure. Realizing that she might lose consciousness, she asked to be rushed to the hospital.
On the way to the emergency room, a blood vessel burst in her brain, leading to coma.
In her Facebook post, Duran shared that she wasn’t even 50-50 at the time – it was more like 70-30. She was moved to a bigger hospital, Makati Medical Center, which was more capable of handling her situation.
Her cerebrovascular neurosurgeon, Dr. Guillermo V.T. Liabres, discovered that she has arteriovenous malformations (AVM), a congenital condition that can affect the flow of blood in the brain. Because it’s actually congenital, she already had this condition at birth, but the symptoms only manifested recently.
The doctor explained that the heart pumps blood to several parts of the body, including a direct line to the brain through the arteries. Blood isn’t pumped efficiently for a person with AVM, which can lead to eventual rupture.
On BaliTambayan, the doctor explained that while the condition was already present at birth, it’s still possible that stress and lack of sleep from overworking contributed to the pressure, leading to the rupture of Duran’s brain blood vessel.
Thankfully, although her condition was critical for some time, Duran survived. While doctors warned that she might lose her ability to talk, walk, or do other things, her recovery appears to be great - and she didn’t lose any of these. She can even do TikTok and post on social media again…
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
