Hi everyone, I wrote a post before about my Dad having a 5mm aneurysm which needs to be operated on and we are just waiting for the neurosurgeon to call up for the operation date. I thought it was an unruptured aneurysm but it turns out that it had actually bled a few months ago a little bit but then clotted by itself. Now I'm freaking out that it will burst again before they operate. And I'm also really scared about the operation itself. I think they are planning on clipping it but I'm not sure yet.
I can't stop worrying about the fact it bled already and that the operation won't go well. I guess I need to hear more successful stories. It's just really scary.
SummerGirl, everyone here is a success story. We or someone we love was fortunate enough to survive and/or to teach the medical community something so the next person’s experience is better. Remember to stay calm and breathe. It won’t do you or your dad any good if you freak. Help him to stay calm as rises in blood pressure isn’t so good for some. This is a very scary time for both of you. My second was coiled and ended up being not near as bad as we thought it was going to be. However our only experience was 26 days in ICU and 2 on the floor. If I had come here before the second coiling, we would have been more calm.
My dad is a lot calmer than I. I live a few hours away from my parents so I've been calling them on the phone every day, twice a day. I have moments when I'm calm then moments when I lose it. This forum has helped because I didn't know much about aneurysms before I came across this place, I knew only that they were scary and deadly things in the brain. I didn't know there could be so many survivors from it! I just hope the surgeons call him up soon and operate on him and I just hope so strongly that he comes through it okay. It's the worry of 'what if' that brings me down. I will definitely be helping to raise awareness of aneurysms now, at least that's come out of this.
Good for you! It is okay to break down every now and then. And it’s really okay to talk to your parents not only about your concerns but also what you find out. I don’t know where your parents fit in, but some people like to be empowered by knowledge, others, well not so much. You’re really the best judge. I am sure they will appreciate any suggestions when meeting with the doctor. Members here are really good at providing suggestions for making a list to take to doctors appointments. Do a quick search or if you can’t find it, ask.
I like to say I had a pipe burst in my head. My father, though very intelligent, had difficulty understanding a ruptured aneurysm. So I told him - his stroke (ischemic) was like the sewer line getting clogged and backing up, and not making it to the septic tank. Mine (hemmoraghic) was more like the water line burst and flooded from the basement up.
I think the members here are generally really great about sharing information as they discover or experience it. It’s one of the things that makes this group so amazingly supportive. Don’t forget to take time to go to the BAF site. Not only do they have lots of information but they have numerous links to many, many different reputable sites.
I had the same experience as yours as a son of a ruptured aneurysm survivor. My father had headaches one early morning. I checked his bp and was shocked just to know his systole was already 200. Didnt wait for the diastole, hurried to prepare him to put him to the nearesr hospital and saw him slowly faint and lose his consciousness from his bed in which time i grabbed his 240-pound big frame and brought him to hospital where it was found that there was already a massive clot in his brain. It was just a small hospital as it was the nearest and we didnt know if we could trust. They were saying that we just wait til his bp remains stable before we transfer him to a good hospital. We asked if his bp will improve if we wait but they said they are not sure. We asked a 2nd opinion abt what will happen if we prolong him in that condition and we were told that it is just gonna get worse he could die. So that night we risked and called an ambulance from a much better hospital and he was operated initially the next day by drilling to ease the pressure inside the brain and abt 2 days later had his successful coiling. The doctors were displaying grim faces about his survival because it was very fatal we were preparing for the worst already. But through God’s miracle, he is still with us though he is not the same anymore. It is never easy but we are happy he is still with us. Just like you we had no idea about aneurysms prior to that. If it happened to my father it can also happen to your loved one. I pray for his recovery. Positive thinking and prayers, thats what i did. I just pictured him walking with my mother and it happened years after, considering he went out of the hospital paralyzed from head to foot and couldnt speak and understand.
I completely understand how scared you are. I will tell you my dad's survival story.
My dad had a bled when he was 36, was in a coma for 9 days. When stable they transported him to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The location of his aneurysm was in a part of the brain that could not be operated on. So as the dr. said, mother nature healed him. 6 years later, once again, the annie leaked so he spent about 4 months in Johns Hopkins again. This time a test that was done partially paralyzed him on his right side. He also developed a blood clot in his leg. It was a long hard hospitalization but he survived and came home using a walker. Over the years, he got rid of the walker and you would only notice a slight limp when he was tired.
Dad is now 84 years old and he still has the aneurysm. About 5 years ago, a doctor tried to talk him into having it fixed but he refused. At this point, the risk of surgery itself wouldn't be good and it was his choice to make.
5 years ago, I found out that I had one and mine was coiled. Have MRA's done yearly and things are good. We have a bad family history of brain aneurysms beginning with my Great Grandmother and 3 of Dad's cousins. I also wonder if his brother may have had one but don't know for sure.
I will keep your dad in my prayers. Sending you calming thoughts. Take care.
Hi summergirl! Good of you to join us on his behalf! Hang in there you have some things in you favor, like the fact so many of these operations have already been successfully done and the fact you are on the right path! As a permanently disabled survivor i wil keep you in thoughts and prayers! tc xoxo think positive~~
We are now trying to find the neurosurgeon who will do dad's operation. Everything's a bit of a muddled up mess at the moment as the neurologist that was dealing with dad is off work for a while now and the person he's passed on his work to hasn't been in touch with dad or dad's GP yet. And dad lives 5 hours away from the hospital that will hopefully be doing his operation so it's not like he can just rock up to the hospital and ask what the heck is going on. His GP is now trying to get hold of the neurosurgeon but it's just ridiculous what's happening. How they can let him be out while he has an aneurysm that has bled once and clotted is just unbelievable.