I slept like a baby and went into surgery laughing due to listening to comedies over and over every spare minute I had. I also listened to mediation cd’s and avoided talking to anyone about the surgery. I slept like a baby and my husband spend his nights wondering how I slept so soundly. Laughing is good medicine, try it! Good luck and try not to worry some aneurysms hold out for a long time without bursting. The best thing you can do for yourself is to find peace, worrying only makes things worse. Best of luck !
I can only imagine your frustrations, but if it were me I would try to find another doctor even if you had to come to the states, your life is to precious. Good luck.
I am sorry to hear your story. I was lucky. They found my first anuerysym in 2011 and operated three months later. I did not have symptoms, but I did have anxiety and stress while I was waiting. I had to take Xanax to stay calm. My surgery was very successful. I had two additional annies on the other side that I also had successful surgery on in 2014. I am doing well and my condition is stable. Stay calm and if you can't see you GP to get something to help you stay calm do that. Stress can raise you BP and you don't need that when you have an annie. I am in Maryland and had a great surgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center which is a teaching hospital. I had great care. I prayed a lot when I was going through all of my surgeries. If you are a spiritual person, appeal to that side of yourself that trust that God will heal and comfort you at this time. I will certainly pray for you, but it definitely helps to pray for yourself. God can give you peace that transcends all understanding. You'd be surprised at what he can do. Try it. Good luck to you. May god bless you.
Best,
Charis Taylor, Baltimore, MD
I don't have much to offer, more so than what's already here, but I just want to offer you a quick note to say that I totally get the waiting game. It's so hard when you are dealing with the unknown and knowing doesn't help a lot but at least it feels like progress. It took me two months from diagnosis to get to a surgery, out of state no less and not covered by my insurance, and it felt like years. Every day was like a week gone by. Even when I finally had answers about my particular aneurysm it was still tough to stay focused and not worry. I have faith to lean on though, so that helped a ton, as did many friends and family praying for me. Try to just focus on each day, one little step at a time, and don't get ahead of yourself or allow yourself to fly off the handle with worry. If you feel you're going off the rails, take a break and relax somehow and reset your mind. And I know firsthand how frustrating referrals and doctor's offices and such can be, but at the same time you mustn't let that stop you from getting the care you need. Call as many people as many times as you need to and ask all the questions twice if you have to in order to get yourself seen by someone as quickly as possible. Size and location of your aneurysm will help you know how quickly it needs attended to, but sometimes that's not the whole story and frankly any aneurysm should be considered dangerous until it is treated. I also feel that since you are having symptoms that's also an indication to be seen sooner rather than later. Please be your own advocate and please check in with us and let us know how you are doing! It is perfectly ok to vent here, ask questions, and ask for moral support and more. God's speed to you!
I don't know about Canada but here in the USA I went to the Emergency Room of our local hospital, St Luke's, when I awoke and could not stand up and started to throw up and they did a CTA which showed I had 2 Annie's one on the rt and the one on the left was very large and had to be treated right away and they transferred me to their neurosugerical hospital and did the surgery in 3 days. When the neurosurgeon came in to pre-op he told me I had 4 not 2 and they would take care of them. I had a crainiotomy for the large one which they clipped and one on the opthalmic arterie they wrapped and the other 2 are small and they are watching them now yearly. I most certanily would look for a second opinion!
You are in my thoughts and prayers for a good outcome. Blessings!!
Not very helpful, perhaps, but I'm thinking of you and holding you in the Light, and can only recommend the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Hi,
I know how difficult it is to get an appointment with specialists in Canada. Really hope someone in the Health Ministry can do something to improve the entire system.
Like suggested by other members, go to ER. Go to the one where your neurologist's office is and highlight to the ER Dr that you have difficulty in getting appointment with the neurologist. Hope the ER Dr will communicate with your neurologist so you may get an earlier appointment.
The other way is have your GP refers you to another neurologist.
Good luck.
I know my GP ordered my MRI after we had the CT scan, and then my Neurosurgeon ordered the dye scan before surgery...for me when I was waiting I saw another Neurosurgeon, I wanted to be sure on what had to be done and how . Your GP can set up the appointment for you instead of you trying to. Your GP can also get you in quicker if you tell them there making you wait and your not feeling well about waiting. Line up another Neurosurgeon if you can cause they have different out looks on what they may or may not do.
Take control cause all you have is your self, dont feel bad on pushing the issue on wanting to be seen.....please dont wait because they making you...One thing we all know, time matters and so dont you......take care
Find another, better Dr
Go to er or ask for a callback from the neuro dt himself. I had a different situation with my son. When I told the doctor I couldn’t get in, he told me to ask for him directly. Saying there’s a possibility I’ll be waiting as I’ll be 'fit into the schedule" ! IIT WORKED. You are paying them. You are their source of income. You are the “customer” so nicely demand to get help soon as possible! Why not push for what you need? It’s your body, mind & spirit being affected and the aneurysm could easily rupture. Personally I didn’t know I had one until I tripped on my pups leash actually fell hit my head on ground and bam sounded like my brain exploded! Luckily even though it was an sah I survived with mental disorder but physically good. GET SOMEONE TO LISTEN NOW! It’s your right!!!
Out of the states? I am in NY State…MRI/MRA done then they sent me to Buffalo…the University of Buffalo team headed my Dr.Hopkins. I would write to him…or others who would then get on the case of your neurosurgeon… I had my MRI on Dec. 18… By Feb. 4th I had my first procedure…a stent…followed by coiling in April. They wanted to do without waiting. But, yes, the wait is debilitating…well once you’re told what’s wrong…I also waited through Christmas…I had all my shopping done so it was just go with the flow. I was so stunned/in shock I couldn’t function very well. I guess if you can’t put more pressure on your neuro, or get a second opinion, I would just keep busy with work, etc…but nothing strenuous. Baby yourself. It 's your life… I/we wish you all the best! Mine was in the rt. carotid up in the circle of willis. I had a procedure where they put the stent in by going up through your femoral artery…in your leg…go through the heart and on up…I was awake…unlike most I read about here. They are taking x-rays every few minutes as they do their work. Less invasive than clipping…I was told I could lose sight as well as hearing that way.
Hi Tosha,
I see that you live in Ontario.
Some of the best Neurosurgeons in Canada are there.
I suggest you contact your GP and ask him to refer you directly to a Neurosurgeon, bypassing the Neurologist (if possible in the Canadian healthcare system) After all, the Neurosurgeon can best determine your timely need for surgery, not a Neurologist.
Good luck to you.
Anne-Marie
ICA fusiform aneurysm, PED Stent Dec. 2013. Aneurysm gone Dec 2014.
I can’t thank you all enough for the prayers and support, I know nobody that has ever lived to tell their story unfortunately. All your kind words and advice mean a lot, I have decided to try a different GP, my current GP has left me with to many,
" I thinks" and uncertainties. Thanks again every one!
Tosha, I also wouldnt pay much mind to the GP saying it couldnt be treated if it ruptured. New treatments for brain aneurysms are always advancing and I doubt any GP would be that informed about this. He/she may have even been referring to what they were taught in medical school years ago, or perhaps just assuming this. I doubt any GP would be that knowledgeable about treatment of brain aneurysms so dont pay much attention to that. But at 4.9mm it is small so that's a good thing. they may even decide to watch it to see if it gets larger in the future (I have a 4mm that is being watched and the surgeon decided it was too small to be much risk for rupture).
I was told there was going to be a long wait until my neurologist could get me in for an appointment after my referral, I kind of lost it and started crying and kinda screamed at the receptionist and she magically got me in with in about two weeks! 
As for what can be done if they rupture, I know every case is different but I had one aneurysm that had been leaking blood into my head for six days before I got proper treatment and a second one that ruptured while in surgery and I’m still here and suffer from very limited side effects five months post surgery so there is always hope. Best of luck
Thank You Sharong,
I m trying to put aside what my GP said but at my last appointment he informed me that the 4.9 mm wasn't the actual size of it, he told my husband and I that the was the size of the growth medially but not the actual size, I have so many questions and he was unable to give me answers and when he did there were a lot of I thinks..... Thank you for sharing your story , it helps !
sharong said:
Tosha, I also wouldnt pay much mind to the GP saying it couldnt be treated if it ruptured. New treatments for brain aneurysms are always advancing and I doubt any GP would be that informed about this. He/she may have even been referring to what they were taught in medical school years ago, or perhaps just assuming this. I doubt any GP would be that knowledgeable about treatment of brain aneurysms so dont pay much attention to that. But at 4.9mm it is small so that's a good thing. they may even decide to watch it to see if it gets larger in the future (I have a 4mm that is being watched and the surgeon decided it was too small to be much risk for rupture).
"I have so many questions and he was unable to give me answers and when he did there were a lot of I thinks....."
and this is why I think you should ignore what the gp said about not being able to treat it. gps would see very few patients with brain aneurisms and they dont treat them so I think they would know very little to be useful. I live in australia and we have a public health system too so I know how frustrating it can be. when I had my rupture (8mm acom aneurism) I got the best of care in hospital. I did have the complication of vasospasm because the hemorrhage was so bad, but again my doc did a stellar job. but when it comes to non emergencies, I totally identify with the waiting game with public health.
I had another aneurysm that was a similar size to the ruptured one and waited 6 months to have it dealt with but really, it all went fine and I just tried to put it out my mind when I thought of it. the main thing is dont panic about this, it will just stress you out, just remind yourself that stress is bad right now and you need to do whatever you can to keep it under control.
I also waited before I got my husband to call an ambulance with my rupture (even though I knew something was wrong but I guess I just didnt want to deal with whatever it was until I realised there was no choice, and besides, I was in the shower lol) but stay calm, and try to keep busy/occupied in the mean time. stress wont do anything to help (just the opposite). with my rupture the symptoms were classic and very pronounced. I didnt know what was happening but I just knew something wasnt right with my brain so I think youll know if something is wrong. Just keep in mind too, that people can live their whole lives with these and they never rupture, so a rupture is not a given and the odds are in your favour. don't be afraid and stay busy until you get an appointment. until you see a neuro, you wont know anything reliable about it. good luck :)
Hi, I had my 9.8mm aneurysm clipped October 20, 2014. I first went for the Cat Scan 3 years before that, yes 3 years. It took me over a year to see the neurologist, then that xray showed a "cloudy" spot so I was set up for an MRI. I originally had to go to a different city, Truro, to have it done and it took 2 years to get that. My entire journey started with dizziness/lightheadedness, that I was told had nothing to do with the aneurysm. Not sure as I still get this??
Here in Nova Scotia we had ONE neurosurgeon, we now have two, and the wait time was the worst. I am a pretty optimistic person and so carried on with my life until the MRI. Once I found out that I had an aneurysm and that it had a wide mouth and also a second little bump on it and that I needed brain surgery, I started to get worked up. I waited 10 months from the MRI to my surgery, it was clipped. I phoned the nurse in the neuro department every month and was told I was on a waiting list and that I may not get in until 2015. My family, daughter, and boyfriend, were all very scared for me including my 90 year old mother Luckily the time did come and I had a great operation and recovery. I just passed my 6 month mark and am doing great.
It is VERY FRUSTRATING and SCARY, but your surgery time will come. See if you can find out the nurse in that department and call her. They are there to help and realize with a life threatening condition like an aneurysm that we are going to be nervous and want reassurance.
Let us know your progress.
Fellow Canadian
Brenda
Wow Brenda! I m so happy to hear that you made it through all that, your symptoms sound so much like mine, so does the cloudy spot! I had that during my MRI and was sent for an Angiogram. Thank you for your advice, I went and had all my reports and referrals printed and am hoping to bring them to a new doctor that will speed the process up for me, I would really like to speak to a specialist who handles these types of medical conditions.
You take Care and Thanks again!
Hi Tosha, I have been waiting nearly 3 years to get a competent NS and Neurologist to take me serious. I'm still waiting for a diagnosis while I'm pretty much just existing and most of the time in excruciating pain from the pressure and headaches. I also have severe pressure in my eye (right) as well as headache at the base of the skull that has been constant since I've experienced this medical issue. I had to wait nearly a month to see a Neurologist while I was losing weight because the pressure inside my skull would increase when I would eat. I've now seen at least 4 Neurologists and 3 NS, to only be told there isn't anything wrong with me... no further testing than my previous tests done by the first neurologist and hospitals. Found a NS who believed I was suffering from a possible vascular issue in my skull after showing pictures of myself suffering with pillows propping up my head at night, laying on the floor with ice-packs, etc. Long story short, he said I was getting the brush-off and that I needed a team of doctors, so he sent me to his clinic for a vascular NS and Neurologist appointments...they spent less than 5 and 10 minutes with me, then released me with headache diagnosis. Trust me when I say this, you may have to go through a number of NS and Neurologist till you find the right one that will take you seriously. Looks as if you have a diagnosis and still having to wait, which is disgusting for someone to have to deal with. It's appalling for people to have to wait this long, but this seems to be the norm today. My advice to you is to not allow the wait or stress to bother you to make anything worst, and have hope that you will overcome this as I have been bed-ridden with no diagnosis, laughed at by doctors, lost family support because of the stress of seeing me go down in weigh and suffering, loss of career (I was in college), job, etc. Keeping myself calm and not to panic when my world is collapsing has kept me sane and alive. I'm still here and now have a friend who will soon be able to drive me in an RV to an out-of-state hospital that has a team of NS who can hopefully offer me help and a clear diagnosis. Remember to stay calm and positive no matter what comes your way. I hope you get the care you need soon. Take care.