I'm 2 years and 2 months out from my clipping surgery after rupture. I have two clips for the same annie; it was not a simple berry annie, so the surgeon had to use two clips to secure it. Not sure if that has anything to do with my current situation, but I wanted to clarify to those reading who have clips. I don't want to freak anyone out with my post; so if you have clips from a berry shaped aneurysm, don't worry, this situation probably does not apply to you, and furthermore, it will never happen to you. It seems there are only a handful of people who experience this type of issue, and I'm one in a million.
On my most recent CT scan (with dye), they found a post operative enhancement near the clipping site. This CT scan has been evaluated by my PCP, not my neurologist, and he is guessing it's a granuloma. I have an appointment coming up with my neurologist next week.
For those of you who have had non-perfect CT scans following your original treatment, have you ever had something like this? A granuloma? The weird part is that granulomas are very, very, rare, and related to the use of muslin, which I cannot determine if this was used in my clipping surgery, due to the lack of communication from my Neurologist. (FYI Make sure you see your neurologist EVERY year! I let my 12 months turn into 14 months, and now they treat me like I'm not even a patient until I see the doctor again. No access to prescriptions, nothing. ALWAYS keep your 1 year appointments, even if you don't feel anything is wrong. I've learned this lesson the hard way.)
Thanks for any feedback/input. Again, I don't want to freak anyone out with my situation, it's so rare, Google only delivers like 2 results on the issue, so if you have clips, you probably won't have to worry about this situation popping up.
Sarge, I took a look at NIH which is the National Institutes of Health here in the U.S.A. For members in other countries, I’m sorry I don’t know the equivalents, but there seems to be a lot of information at NIH. What I noticed on a search, is there’s a bunch of different types of granulomas. But before you go reading all of those studies, let me suggest you see your Neurologist first. PCP’s are great and I really like my new one. She explains a lot of things that my last one would just brush off unless I pushed with the questions. My new one gives a little class on the issue at hand. If they don’t know, she says it and sends you to the specialist.
What I have found out over the last couple of years is even the specialist relies on the specialist when it comes to CT scans, the MRI and MRA even the simple X-ray. What was explained to me is that the Radiologist and in our brain’s case there are Neuro Radiologists who spend their emphasis on learning to read and evaluate those scans. I know Dr. Q-W who teaches radiology students at WF, told me on one of my scans, she wanted to consult with the NeuroRadiologist first before sharing any information. So I would say wait and see what the Radiologist tells the Neurologist. Do you still see the Neurosurgeon who did your surgery?
Sarge...we all know our brain is complex...from its origin to impacts of disease/other..
When we share ...we are learning, attempting to learn...and learning should not likely frighten... well, unless it is something like a spider!!!
Conversely, in asking you...is IF there are any symptoms related to it (from learning data/stats) to any you have experienced? Or, to watch for?
The only thing I can share...is that I have viewed the records of someone that do note granuloma... and, my memory is slipping on any 'symptoms' noted. However, this woman had a berry aneurysm that was coiled...One of these days, I should be able to find those notes...obviously...there had to have been something that jogged my thought/memory...to even remember the basic word 'granuloma'
Thank you for the replies. Moltroub - I have changed neurologists since my original surgery. The new one is more focused on after-care and rehabilitation, and she moved from Charlotte, NC to Duke (hence my delay in getting there). I am very hopeful that "it's no big deal", as my triage nurse at the Neurologist has been very responsive, and I'm assuming if it were a big deal, they would have called. You are right; my PCP is the one who entered my test results, or general radiologist, as the CT was done at a radiology department, not the neurology department.
Patioplans - symptoms are headaches. Frequent, annoying, scary headaches. Based on what I've read, I should be watching for seizures; nothing yet.
I see the Neuro on Tuesday, I'll try to post an update shortly thereafter. Thank you again for checking in.
Update - Moltroub you were 100% correct!My neurologist wasn't happy with the radiologist who listed every possible condition on the report. The patient messaging technology is very new, and they need to separate the messages for doctors from the messages for patients, and stop lumping them all together. My neurologist is confident that the issue on the scan was a pooling of contrast dye, not a new growth or granuloma, as the radiologist suggested. Whew!