Actress Kirsten Storms is preparing for another brain surgery following the discovery of an aneurysm. This news comes four years after her last brain procedure.
The General Hospital star, 41, announced via Instagram on Monday, October 13, that doctors found the aneurysm during a brain scan in January. She is currently on leave from the soap opera.
Storms explained that her neurosurgeon had been monitoring a cyst left in her brain. This was after her 2021 surgery to remove a different cyst that was causing problems.
The January scan, however, revealed an aneurysm on the right side of her brain, which Storms described as “shocking.” She underwent an initial procedure that weekend.
Though she called the procedure “routine,” her aneurysm was “complex.” This meant doctors were unable to “coil” it during the intervention.
Endovascular coiling is a medical procedure designed to block blood flow into an aneurysm, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. An aneurysm is a weakened area in an artery wall. Johns Hopkins states that a ruptured aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding and damage.
Storms was able to return home in January. She finished her work commitments and moved to Tennessee with her 11-year-old daughter, Harper. Harper is shared with Storms’ ex-husband, Brandon Barash.
She will now return for a second surgery this month.
“Neurology things just make me a little nervous,” Storms shared on Instagram. She added that she is in St. Louis with General Hospital co-star Emme Rylan, knitting while awaiting her coiling procedure within the next two weeks.
Storms also used her health update to address her mental state before the surgery. She acknowledged that everyone faces difficult times. She noted that the January scan had “scared the s*** out of me.”
The actress also debunked false rumors about her January hospitalization. Someone had spread a blog post claiming she was hospitalized for a suicide attempt. Storms clarified that she was there for her aneurysm and did not understand why such a story was invented.
She thanked Rylan for being a constant source of support. Rylan was with her for the 2021 procedure and is present again for this one.
Storms announced in July that she would take a break from General Hospital and move from California to Tennessee. She indicated a potential return to the show in November or December.
She promised fans that the storyline planned for her character, Maxie, will be “amazing.” Storms has played Maxie intermittently since May 2005.