Hi Guys, I finally got my report, Just wondering if you can help me make sense of it?
There is an aneurysm associated with the left internal carotid artery. this aneurysm arises immediately distal to the origin of the ophthalmic artery. It is approx. 6x5 by 6mm. the neck is a little difficult to measure but is probably 3mm. The aneurysm is directed cephalad and slightly anteriorly.
In the right internal carotid artery at the level of the cavernous sinus there is an apparent out-pouching of 2 x1mm this is concerning for another aneurysm.
There is a tiny communicating artery. They are not able to identify a posterior communicating artery on either side.
What the heck does this all mean??
Thanks for listening.
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Hello @prtnpink
Iām sorry you have to go through this. I think the best answer to your question is to talk to your doctor about this. We can all figure out by reading the report that this is an anatomical description of your aneurysm, one or two of them, the size and location. The important question in my opinion is what will the recommendations be going forward and this is a conversation you should have with your doctor.
I myself have some mixed feelings about the fact that we can read the reports before we have gotten in contact with our doctors, and I am a retired nurseā¦ā¦ I think it sometimes creates more anxiety than necessary. You need someone who can walk you through the steps and explainā¦ this is what we found and this is what we recommendā¦. and this must be a specialist, your doctor.Please take a deep breath and try to stay calm. Get back to us whenever you want, we have been through a lot in this group.
I wish you all the best.
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HI @prtnpink,
I agree with @oct20 that your physician/surgeon is the best person to explain your results. I am waiting for an MRI report to float down into my patient portal, and it is driving me bonkers. I completely understand why you want the āwhyā behind why. It is human nature to seek to understand, I believe. Do you have an appointment set up to discuss the findings? I know you live in Canada, so I am not familiar with the steps one has to take there. We are all here for you, and please let us know how you are doing!
Kim
@prtnpink
A couple of weeks before my follow up appointment with my neurosurgeon after I had my ruptured aneurysm, I found out in my patient portal that there was a procedure scheduled for me in the OR three months later. It almost drove me crazy not knowing what and why something was planned. When I finally sat down with my neurosurgeon and he explained that he recommended a second procedure with a stent and more coils in order to close the aneurysm completely, it all made sense.
Please let us know how you are doing.
Lena
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@prtnpink I really agree with @oct20, not only will your doctor know, but he or she will have looked at the imaging and may be able to read it better. I know this sounds odd, but I used to get my images then met with my Neurosurgeon the same day as itās a bit of a drive for us. The report that got into my portal was confusing and a bit scary. It didnāt sound like any of the other reports I had. When I asked my Neurosurgeon about it, she took one look at what was written, jumped up, forgot to close the door and made a call to Radiology. Letās just say before she sat back down, what was written was changed. Now, we always wait for her to do the interpretation of the image, before we look. But I think she also looks at the findings before we speak to her 
That being said, 9 times out of 10 she followed up with an angiogram, on my last procedure she didnāt have to. Another thing you might try is keeping a medical terminology notebook and talk to your doctor about what you think the word means. I did that in the beginning with mine and it helped us a great deal. My Neurosurgeon would ask me at the next appointment if I had remembered what words we had discussed meant. I loved being her āstudentā she is a fantastic instructor! (Ok, she was probably just measuring memory, but I tend to romanticize things). Most of us donāt have any type of medical training and words can be confusing.
Let us know what your doctor says!
Moltroub
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Print out the report to take with you to your appointment. Highlight any and all words you would like to discuss. As you wait for your appointment, you will have a lot of questions going through your mind, just jot them down on the report so you donāt forget to ask. We think we will remember what we want to ask, however once we are there and the doctor is talking, we may forget about what we had thought of during the wait for the appointment. Take long deep breaths, try to stay calm, and call to see if you can get an earlier appointment for the explanation of the report and a plan. I feel for you, Iāve been in that situation and it is very stressful. Take some āmeā time, and try to process the information as best as possible. Another suggestion is to get a new notebook for any notes and questions youāll have during the process so you can always go back and look at which doctor said what and when. Make sure you date/time each new entry. I hope this helps. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and send you good vibes along the way.
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I agree with all, met with your Doctor and discuss the new report and ask every question you can think of. I discovered Knowledge is power, for me, yes is really scary, but when we know whats happening, it helps to have answers and make a plan. I make 2 copies of my questions, 1 for Dr and 1 for me and we go over it together and as Dr discusses report, have him speak in āeasy to understand languageā and what the treatment plan will be. Good wellness in your futureā¦
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For me it makes it even worse when I get a report and look up information on Dr. Google then have to ask my doctor about it when I go in because he doesnāt mention it and itās obvious he didnāt even know you have a report he needs to read. Personally I just have too many doctors involved but when you get to this level you always need a specialist for everything.
@Mary i have found that I have to have signed all the releases for the specialists and PCP to share what theyāre doing. And then we have to follow through with the specialists to make sure our PCP has been sent the paperwork. Itās not easy to keep up with all of it, so I just tell every specialist to make sure they send their findings and images to my PCP, neurologist and Neurosurgeon if needed.
Make sure you have a current release of information with the proper contact numbers and fax numbers! Besides naming my PCP and other specialists, I usually add any and all doctors that request the information. Iāve never known a doctor request information for a patient they donāt have.
Best,
Moltroub
Good idea with all doctors requesting. If an unknown would ask for it I might go see them - even if it was a mistake at least somebody would be paying attention. I just made the change of my primary care and heās pretty young and new. Emphasis on pretty. Iām not real sure about him yet. Before I never met a stranger and I found it easy to establish new relationships. I have noticed that I no longer have that ability and I donāt want to. When I try, it feels forced to me and Iām sure they can tell Iām not comfortable. I like my secluded little corner of the world. The main hospital I use for tests has a program where I can request copies of the reports. Every time I have a test done, I go online and have them send me a copy. That way I know I have one to show the doctor if they didnāt get it. To me itās just as asinine that they wonāt let me print my own reports on my portal as it is that they wonāt allow me to give access to any of my other doctors. But I pretty much run into brick walls because every body wants their own test. I think my new PCP was overwhelmed with my history and now heās probably just buried in paperwork and I have just begun. I just had my neurologist and him copies of my file. We are starting all over again next month adding a vascular to the mix.
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Hey Mary,
A bit like you establishing new relationships is not something I want to do, I find it takes just too much energy. I can do it, Iām just more selective/critical with the who, when and why than I used to be.
āā¦because every body wants their own test.ā And that annoys the daylights out of me. Now when I have scans done, I wait for the report. āThe report wonāt be done for an hour yetā¦ā āThatās OK, Iāll waitā. At least this way I have a copy for my file, so then when 'Dr āXā asks for a particular scan which has already been completed, I have the proof, I have the report and Iām not repeating on top of repeating the same scan. These scans, these reports are about me. They belong to me, not the medico who ordered them. In some cases Iāve obtained digital copies of the actual scans themselves. I have it all documented. Iāve had to āre-invent the wheelā (go through the whole processes) before. Never again.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
For my Neurosurgeon and the portal I have with her, I can allow a āone timeā access though Iāve never used it. I have learned to suggest they be specific with what they want so as not to become overwhelmed. Sometimes I just offer for whomever Iām seeing to see the last report from my neurosurgeon on my phone. They will scroll down to her findings and they have my latest right then. I always remember that most doctors have to use their own personal time after office hours to read their patients history, to do any research a patient may require, not to mention trying to have a personal life. The PCPs I had that were under the local hospitalās umbrella were taken down to 12 minutes for each patient. That included the vitals that are taken. I try very hard to take it easy on all my doctors. Sometimes it works, most times I run my mouth to much. Most people have never held a job where their work crosses over into their personal life and takes time away from their family, hobbies, etc. I try to be patient and kind for the ones whoāve had a calling in medicine.
Hi All, Thanks for your replies, I talked to the neurosurgeon over the phone they are not letting patients in the hospital right now. It basically went like this, I will have a CAT Scan in 6 months with contrast dye to get exact measurements of my aneurysms and we will go from there. When I tried to talk about my symptoms He abruptly said aneurysms donāt cause symptoms. So yeah I was just totally invalided. He is supposed one of the best neurosurgeons in Canada.
@prtnpink thanks for the update! Last I heard our neuro patients are being flown to SC as thereās no room in several counties. Hang tight, before you know it the six months will be done. Iām not sure he was invalidating you. Many of our symptoms are just not caused by aneurysms though we all tend to think theyāre the culprit. I tend to be a bit more lenient with neurosurgeons than other doctors, donāt ask me why as Iāve never figured out the answer. But my guess is they are asked this so much that they just get tired of it and that is what causes them to be blunt instead of explains the why notās. Maybe they all need to send a letter or email out explaining why symptoms couldnāt be related to the aneurysm instead of cutting patients off. Wouldnāt that help us all!
I have no clue as to how surgeons are rated to be the bestā¦maybe with the amount of surgeries or research or inventionsā¦I canāt figure that out. But if he is the best, I donāt think it relates to bedside manners or simple human compassion, just his ability as a surgeon which would mean he doesnāt have many patients die on the table. This is a guess of course as I donāt know how specialists are rated. If anyone knows, Iād love to learn!
Just remember if you get a thunderclap head, trust me, you will know the difference go to the Emergency Department.
Be patient,
Moltroub
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I could not agree more. One of mine was highly rated but had the bedside manner of a house brick and when there was issues that needed follow up, he placed the cause/blame on me, as if I had some sort of control. Hmmm.
So, donāt be placing too much in āratingsā, they donāt measure everything and can be very subjective.
Merl from the Modsupport Team
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