I just found out that my aneurysm is considered to be highly unusual in that it is lumpy with several “blebs”. It is located at the MCA ACA ICA junction. Clipping surgery has been recommended and may occur as soon as February (will meet with the doctor next week). The research I’ve done on the surgery at this specific location has me scared. The stroke percentage can be up to 10% during and after surgery due to this location. Has anyone had a clipping done at a similar location, and if so, how did it go? I’m 52yo female, no high blood pressure, no family history, not a smoker, overall healthy.
I just found out that my aneurysm is considered to be highly unusual in that it is lumpy with several “blebs”. It is located at the MCA ACA ICA junction. Clipping surgery has been recommended and may occur as soon as February (will meet with the doctor next week). The research I’ve done on the surgery at this specific location has me scared. The stroke percentage can be up to 10% during and after surgery due to this location. Has anyone had a clipping done at a similar location, and if so, how did it go? I’m 52yo female, no high blood pressure, no family history, not a smoker, overall healthy.
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Yay Sue for posting two new topics! My aneurysm with its more than 24 daughter sacs is at the LICA bifurcation. Which I think is pretty much where yours is or close to it. From what I’ve learned a bleb and a daughter sac are terms used interchangeably and mean the same thing. I wish surgeons would all use the same language it would make life simpler!
Mine ruptured at 5mm, Dr, Quintero-Wolfe aka Dr. Q-W for ease of typing chose not to do a craniotomy. When I was in NSICU, one of the Residents wanted her to do one because of my vasospasms of 21 days. (I need to correct my profile but I don’t want to have to retype the whole thing) Dr. Q-W said I wasn’t a good candidate for a craniotomy. I think it was the third attempt to occlude it that a craniotomy was possible so I cut my hair shorter and got my house and House in order along with updating our wills. Dr. Q-W has been in my brain 7 times with the diagnostic and fixing angiograms. She’s did put a stent in the ACA to try to occlude my aneurysm, the neck is still allowing a small bit of blood in it. I thought it was in the LICA until the cardiologist we went to see soon after that showed me. I said huh that’s interesting so he went on to explain a lot of things I don’t remember.
I do ignore my aneurysm for the most part and live life as I want to for the most part. Sometimes I get stopped in my tracks and have to figure out a different way to do what I’m trying to do. It’s all good, I’m still learning.
I would caution you on statistics. Make sure you know what the subject group size is that they’re referring. It mostly likely is a small group since we are a rare group of folks. It may just be one paper written by a group of doctors who studied one health care facility. I asked my neurosurgeon if they kept any records on brain aneurysms, rupture non ruptured, etc and that facility does not. I am also unaware of State in the USA keeping account of them, but I might be wrong. I’d love to know if those statistics are just one facility, state, country better yet the entire world. How hard could it be with computers now days?
When we get a procedure, we get anesthesia so are those statistics part of the anesthesia or all of the anesthesia? I know anesthesia has its own risks of stroke among a bunch of other risks.
Can’t help you on a craniotomy, but we’ve got members who’ve had them of course. Hopefully someone who’s had one for an aneurysm in the same location can speak to it. I have merged the two topics into one since they’re the same.
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Sue, I forgot to tell you I moved this topic to General where we put most everything, but I also see that your clipping topic is the same. I have merged them.
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Thank you!
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My pleasure. Please let us know when your big day will be so we can make sure you’re in our thoughts. Anything we can help with, don’t forget to ask! I’m hoping someone can help with the craniotomy question better than I have.
Hi welcome, and sorry for your diagnosis. I did not have this specific aneurysm but mine was an emergency and clipped. There are always big risks with this. 10% is not a lot and not getting it treated is a much bigger risk. Stay calm and be happy it was found. Stress can really make it worse. Breath and talk to your surgeon who knows better than internet thing you can read. It sounds like they think they can be successful with intervention and they didn’t admit you to the hospital which is a good sign. Prayers.
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Hey @SMDG
Those percentages they often give us, are a guess. A few mm to the left, a few to the right and the outcome can be vastly different. I wouldn’t be too concerned with the number. My neurosurgeon gave me a ‘Best case scenario’ and a ‘Worst case scenario’ best being all fixed, worst being death. Obviously, I’m still here, so I missed the worst case, but the ‘All fixed’ didn’t happen either, hence the additional surgeries. I’ve had to accept somewhere in between ‘Best’ and ‘Worst’.
I must also agree (in theory) with everything @Jasmine has stated
And
I totally agree… Stress can have a HUGE impact. But the reality… OMG!!! I was a ball of stress.
I don’t know how my poor wife puts up with me sometimes. I’ve required a few neurosurgeries (6 so far) and it never gets any easier. My mind races away and can lead me to all of those ‘worst case scenarios’. I found I needed to keep my mind occupied, doing something, ANYTHING. If I had time to sit… Time to think… Ohhh NO, NO, NO. Not good. By keeping myself busy I didn’t have time to stress or time to ‘think’.
Some people seem to be able to simply accept. I’m not one of those people, but by keeping myself occupied I can slow those incessant thoughts down (somewhat, anyway).
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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