Any idea on a coiling with stent on a 3.5 x 7 marginally in transitional left ICA would take to get back to work?
If it's a catheter, should be a few days down like a heart cath, yes? any history here?
If you had a coil w/stents. What were your issues? How long did they stay? Did you have any challenges afterwards? short term? longer term? Driving, able to go back to work?
Did anyone have an unruptured aneurysm that had any issues with deficiencies after this procedure?
Thanks, Joe
Found it after passing out/or seizure week ago last Thursday, Neuro appointment this past Wednesday and now going in Thursday June 2nd, so no time for planning if needed.
JR everyone is different - it's a one size doesn't fit all thing. I have known some people who were back at work in 3 weeks and others that took several months. Be prepared for fatigue and headaches afterward. Both were bad for me - my headache ended about 3 1/2 weeks after the surgery and I have not had them since (Oct. 2011 was my coiling/stent). They were having trouble controlling the headache in the hospital, I kept asking for Fioricet (several people on this forum told me to ask), but my doctor kept saying it wouldn't work. Well, it did with Oxy 5 mg, and I was able to start cutting down within a few weeks. Fatigue - the only thing you can do for that is just lay down and sleep. It eventually subsides. Some have it worse than others.
I was out for 24 hours and when I woke up, my hips were killing me. I couldn't move because they still had the catheter in me. They removed it early evening on my 2nd day - some people are able to go home on the 2nd day, but it was iffy for me to go home on the 3rd day - I made it happen late afternoon on day 3. My hips turned out to be lower lumbar, evidently at some point when they were moving me, my back was screwed up. I have 4 bulging discs now with nerve pain that goes down my left leg and the end of my right foot. This is very rare - I don't know of anyone else this happened to. I also was very breathless afterward - I couldn't walk very far without being out of breath. Loads of tests, a reason was never found. It just eventually became better. Again, rare.
I do have memory problems - I was diagnosed last year with Neuro-Cognitive Disorder. The neuropsych doctor who diagnosed me believes it is from the brain surgery. Again, not everyone has the memory problems that I do. I did have some pre-existing, especially after 4 years of cancer treatment, so it's hard to separate what could be from just the annie coiling/stenting, at least for me. Everyone's experience is different, like I said before. My back/breathing problems are something I have not heard other people have problems with.
The main thing to be aware is that headaches are normal - my neurosurgeon said that they really didn't know why. Fatigue is also normal and it varies from different people how long they have these. My headaches were gone by 4 weeks. Some people also have their coils compress over time - that is why you will need follow up for years to come. I have annual MRA's because of the location of mine, most people can go longer with time. I had an angiogram at 3 months and because everything was fine, I was able to discontinue Plavix. The 325 mg aspirin I will take the rest of my life and I'm sure you will too. You, like me, are among the lucky ones - we were diagnosed before rupture. Good luck on your coiling/stent June 2. We will be thinking about you. Let us know how you are when you are up to it after the surgery. Take care,
Sherry is spot on as usual:). Everyone is different. I ruptured so not a lot of help for you with my experience. I was lucky, my will was already made out with Power of Attorneys. The hospital needed those. I would get some one to come in and help if you live alone. Keep hydrated it will help. Good luck!
Thanx All. I was hoping I'd be the exception. I had open Heart, CABG x2 plus a PFO closure in Jan 2016 and was back to work 3/4 time in 3 weeks, so I was hoping the location and procedure would be like a regular heart catheter and viola healed. I guess I have to resign to "It'll be what it will be" or I will be what I will be.
It's just frustrating to have 1 week from Neuro Appt to Surgery, to much to be ready for for yet can't get a darn thing done. Did have a peaceful weekend, but always run a slight headache, and some major, so always wondering; will this one get worse and be the one. Sux. I do live alone, my wife lives with her mother who has dementia, but we didn't want to move her out of HER environment and add undo stress, so her we are. I do not want her to have to babysit or deal with another with dementia type issues or behavior. It's like a possibly no win situation. Can only hope for the best. Wish me luck and pray for the skills of my Neuro. Thanks All Joe
Joe, it’s not like dementia…ok I can’t cook unsupervised lol but I just grilled some mean burgers today and everyone leaves me set my pass on the grill. I had back surgery the year before I ruptured and it definitely isn’t the same. But I still walk and talk. I stayed with my parents during the day for a couple weeks until my neurosurgeon said I could go home and stay by myself. Someone came over at lunch to make sure I remembered to eat as I was still sleeping a lot. And everyone I love would call, text (I learned in ICU) or email me to make sure I kept hydrated and ate my 90 grams of protein.
But you’ve got my thoughts and prayers for you and your Neurosurgeon. I always said a prayer for mine while she was inserting the cath. Apparently I did it the first time as well but I don’t remember. The last angiogram, she was late, I got nervous and forgot to start praying. My Doc stopped and said “well?” I said what? She said are you forgetting somebody? “Jesus,Mary and Joseph” said I! I did my job, she did her job and all is good. It was exciting to know I don’t have to have any more angiograms, just the MRAs every year now.
Things will go well, take your time recovering, don’t give up on yourself, try a little more each day. Keep hydrated and get that protein in!
Ha about the protein. Had a kidney stone a month and a half after my heart bypass and the Doctor then told me it was due to the high protein I took after surgery 90-100 Grams min a day. I know how to get the protein in. Thanks Moltroub.
Work Tuesday and Wednesday then my day to start a new life again...
Yes all the time now after my first helicopter ride. I used to get the occasional ear ringing usually around allergy season but now it’s a lot more frequent
My recovery from coiling and a stent took a month. It was longer than normal because I had difficult intubation and I have a physical /mobility problem. I have headaches that are brutal, but I had them before the surgery. My stomach troubles have gotten much worse since starting on the Plavix and aspirin, I have to take Zantac twice a day, which doesn’t help all that much.
I hope you are fine alone, but I would not survive without my husband. Yesterday, when my husband was out for the afternoon, my headache was so bad I could not get up to get pills, water or an ice pack. You think you are fine alone, until you aren’t.
Maybe you could ask a friend or family member to stay with you for a few days right after the surgery. My older daughter came for a few days to help out. She set up everything to make it easy for me-a bedside table with Kleenex, baby wipes, lip emollient, disposable tooth brushes, eye mask. She put podcasts on my iPad, downloaded books on the kindle, added movies to my Netflix queue, brought me comfortable clothes that I could sleep in and also wear in public. She also stocked the refrigerator with healthy things for me to eat. Before my surgery my sister downloaded my favorite songs on the shuffle iPod, to help me relax.
Wow Joe, you have had quite a medical triage going this year. You're almost there. Did they say how long you would be in the hospital? Good luck - you will be fine. I suspect you will be one of those people who sail through the whole surgery, recovery and back to work in a month or less. Take care and let us know how you are when you are able.
Hey All. Good, Bad, Ugly and worse. Just facts, not to scare anyone, just all questions to ask your Doctors. and PUSH !! Doc said no MRI needed as could see what he needed on the CT. Had my aneurysm surgery on Thursday June 2nd. They coiled and stented the Left ICA. Back to recovery, and when out of sedation, did I guess the standard Neuro tests, but had no vision in the left eye at all. Doc ran out told wife I must have had a collapsed artery in the Ophthalmic artery and he would go back in and stent it. Emergency surgery. Come out, claimed was a clot that busted loose(jeez I guess someone wasn't using the fluoroscope or whatever very well. Stated the clot blocked just near the retina, and was too little, too late so complete lose of vision in left eye. Released me from a great Jacksonville Hospital the next day... No discussion with a counselor, grief aide, anyone except 4 neuro surgeons from the group stating sorry, there was a 2% chance of something going wrong and I hit the number. Losing of eye sight WAS NOT one of the risks explained to me. I was having panic attacks and had to force the Doctor to get me a med to calm my panic/anxiety down.
One day and discharged. Went home, on back deck the following day and passed out. They claimed it may have been a seizure of some sort, so epileptic meds now, they did an MRI in the ER and stated I had another stroke, but allegedly not in the same area, so should not have affected the same type issues.
ssues.
I try to find out when he went in if was too close to the optics why not stop and do a craniotomy, why the risk, no answers. The retina special states now must lazer the vein or arteries in the left eye or risk the pressure? and lose the eye ball itself.
So now: nerve fiber layer edema, sclerotic vessels, central retinal artery occlusion OS, branch retinal vein occlusion OS, moderate peripheral retinal ischemia (inferotemporal). And this is just the beginning I guess.
Ever just want it too end, or wonder whether it will.? Sorry had to vent.
Sherry, My dang sailboat hit the coral reefs, then the sand bar........
Sherri Long said:
Wow Joe, you have had quite a medical triage going this year. You're almost there. Did they say how long you would be in the hospital? Good luck - you will be fine. I suspect you will be one of those people who sail through the whole surgery, recovery and back to work in a month or less. Take care and let us know how you are when you are able.
Sorry you've had a rough time JR, I was watching you closely as you sounded as worried about coiling and stents as I am! mine should be in the next couple of weeks . I do like to look for the positive in things ..... you are here, able to post on here too and it is still early days yet, do you think you could have lived with the aneurysm and not had this done? like me, I doubt it. So even though things didnt go as smoothly as some you have come through it and things could be a lot worse...
Wish you all the best and hopefully you will get stronger every day xx
You sure did hit the coral reefs and the sandbar! My gosh it really is too much, but then it is part of the big gamble we all take against the potentially disastrous rupture outcomes. After my intubation nightmare (minor compared to what you went through btw) I am terrified to have my follow up angiogram in August in case re-coiling surgery is necessary. I cannot imagine what you must feel like, I can only wish you the best and pray for your recovery.
I agree Jacr . See the positive. Sometimes much easier said than done. I'll have to build my bridge and learn to get over it. It will just take a while to to ACCEPT it is what it is.
I'm so sorry - you really had a whole bunch of rotten complications. I am still living with the back problems and neuropathy that are the result of my after surgery complications, but that is nothing compared to you. How are you doing now? Did you have the laser?
Sherri
JR said:
One day and discharged. Went home, on back deck the following day and passed out. They claimed it may have been a seizure of some sort, so epileptic meds now, they did an MRI in the ER and stated I had another stroke, but allegedly not in the same area, so should not have affected the same type issues.
ssues.
I try to find out when he went in if was too close to the optics why not stop and do a craniotomy, why the risk, no answers. The retina special states now must lazer the vein or arteries in the left eye or risk the pressure? and lose the eye ball itself.
So now: nerve fiber layer edema, sclerotic vessels, central retinal artery occlusion OS, branch retinal vein occlusion OS, moderate peripheral retinal ischemia (inferotemporal). And this is just the beginning I guess.
Ever just want it too end, or wonder whether it will.? Sorry had to vent.
Still trying. Being monocular.vision is not as great in the good eye, but can see. learning to drive watching out for left hand turns or lane changes. Not so many anxiety or panic attacks, but still get that closing in feeling especially at night, everything darkens.