April - wish I was writing to you under better circumstances. The discovery of an aneurysm turns life upside down and the decision to treat or not is a tough one.
I am 33 as well and have a 4 mm aneurysm that will be clipped May 30. For various reasons, this was my only option for treatment. It is the more invasive but in the end, the aneurysm will be fixed and the fear of rupture will be behind me. Once I am on the other side of surgery I can answer questions, but for now not much help.
I think in the end, you need to inform yourself, trust your doctors and make a decision that you and your family are comfortable with. Best of luck in this journey and this is a great place to get support and information.
Take care,
Kim
Good luck to you Kim, did they give you info about the procedure...what are you expecting? Why do they Clip, or coil?Trying to figure it out is so frustrating!!! I pray for a perfect surgery for you:)
Hi April...Only you can make the decision of the best procedure for your aneurysm...you need to look at what the Doctors tell you about chance of rupturing esp on a 2mm aneurysm and where it is located in the brain...
I had a 9mm on my basilar artery tip...it was leaking and really I had no choices...but to have it coiled...I have a 2mm behind my left eye and they are watching it...right now it is too small...and told me the risks of surgery are worse...so I keep my "fingers and toes crossed" and pray alot...
You have alot of issues to weigh in this journey...and I know it isn't easy...You have my Thoughts and Prayers ~ Colleen
Hi April, sorry to welcome you to the club. It's quite alarming at least at first I know. I had incidental finding of 3mm annie while checking on cause of weeks long migraine. They said 1maybe 2 annies then after angiogram said only 1 @ 3mm. No treatment since so small. Clipping only option at the time (1.5 years ago) as on RMCA and wide neck. They said flat out no treatment until 7mm anyway. I read here there's much more to that decision, I just wasn't informed. 2nd opinion doc @ head of OHSU brain center said 3 annies. 2 about 3mm and 3rd smaller. Again, no treatment and will likely never be an issue. They said many are walking around with these and never know it, and no treatment until 7mm or so. Well... after reading lots on this site, I'm not quite so confident about it but have little choice but to watch and wait and let it go. I refuse to let it rule my life. I wish you the best. Inform yourself, get 2nd or even 3rd opinion, until you're comfortable with whatever decision you make. Hugs to you, Mitch.
Hello April, I had my aneurysms clipped on the 23rd of April almost 2 weeks ago and I am doing great! That was my choice to have it clipped I am so glad I did now I never have to worry about it again! Best decision I have ever made. I was so scared wondering if I made the right choice, but now I know I did. I am back to doing almost everything I did before my surgery. Just still alittle sore but nothing terrible and the pain meds can't fix. I am really surprised how well I am doing, everyone is. I was thinking the worst about the surgery and recovery time. But if I had to do it over I would choose clipping again. Good Luck in whatever you choose.
Thank you to everyone! My appointment is May 11th, and I really want to be prepared with questions, this annie is in my left carotid artery. Im high strung, im always anxious and this triples it! Ive been having alot of stress in my life lately, so this totally put it all into perspective. I hate that its even in my head, im afraid they'll tell me its too small....thank you all for your guidence:)
Hi April Im 37 and my surgeon said the best thing for me would to have mine clipped…I did on april 12 th.I only had a fourth of an inch shaved.you cant even see my cut…im getti.g better each day…still weak sometimes and hard to go downstairs without my knees shaking but Im getting PT twice a week to help with balance…this is a big surgery but I would take it back in a second…I see how much better Im doing each day and Im just grateful I dont have to worry about it…just remember its not like any other surgery…you will have obsticles to overcome that is why you need to take it slow if you have a clipping…hope everything works out for you!