Hello!!
I went in for TIA symptoms in 4/20 and was told I have a brain aneurysm. I was started on blood thinners and had a flow diverter pipeline placed on 4/24. A few weeks later I developed what is like a migraine and it radiates to my neck. My first neuro said it’s normal but it’s so pain and makes me nauseous. Does anyone have advice for me? I went to my primary and she put in a stat referral to neuro so hopefully I can get treatment or medicine for this? I was also told I need a repeat DSA in 6 months and I will stop my second blood thinner.
Good morning Brittany! Thank you so much for starting a new topic! I’m a bit confused on your use of “Neuro”. Is the first your neurosurgeon and the second a neurologist? I understand from members here that some blood thinners are not tolerated well and there’s bloodwork to check them. So I might start by asking your pharmacist if any medication your on has these side effects. They’ve got a longer list of possible side effects than we can usually find on the internet. If there is one or two, write them down. Your pharmacist could call the prescribing physician and let them know. You can also reach out to them through your patient portal.
Has the migraine and neck pain been going on for a month now? When did the first Neuro say it’s normal? Did they give you a time frame? I’d probably reach out to them again and ask what you can do to resolve it. I could get pretty short with a person on my Neurosurgeon’s team and was elated when that person was replaced. She was really bad about gaslighting me. One of the ways to get around the medical gaslighting is to keep a journal of your symptoms, etc. Here’s one site with recommendations Headache Journals: Tracking Your Migraine | AMF
Here’s another with a template and the same app recommendations Tracking Diaries | National Headache Foundation
Don’t forget to hydrate which will help. With every angiogram I had, I was told to drink 3 32 ounce Gatorades and twice that in water for several months, plus protein and rest as needed. The mantra my neurosurgeon gave me was hydrate, eat protein, hydrate some more, rest and repeat as needed. I rarely get a headache since she installed my stent
Hope you get some relief soon. Wait for others to help you out here, it can take awhile. I almost forgot, do you know when the appointment will be that your PCP referred you to?
Hello!
Thank you so much for the information and responding. Yes , I meant my first neuro surgeon the one who did my procedure. I did a follow up with the office and was told these migraines are normal and I was given a 5 day dose of steroids. I went to my primary about the migraines and she put in a referral for a neurologist and neurosurgeon seeming mine was not helping me. AND mind you when I was first having these pains, I called the office and it literally says on their voicemail will take two business days to call back… they weren’t lying. So I feel like they were no help to me. I get they “prevented” my death, but I also don’t want to live with a migraine 24/7. I am currently on a second dose of steroids until I can see my new neurologist.
I have been trying high protein and hydration but unfortunately I am still getting the pain.
Thank you so much for the clarification! I always called the triage RN number and got to know a couple of them really well over the phone. Had lots of issues, constant, never ending migraines for several years it seems. The stent pretty much stopped them.
I learned from the NP my neurosurgeon has had for several years that the fastest way to get in touch and a response was to use my patient portal. It was one of the first things she taught me. Dr. Quintero-Wolfe (Dr. Q-W) is at a teaching hospital in Winston-Salem. Locals still call it Baptist unless they’re dealing with the children’s hospital (Brenner’s). It used to be I’d get a response by end of work day or the next morning. My NP would always say she discussed whatever was going on with Dr. Q-W. It’s a little bit harder since Atrium took them over and they’ve switched things around. RNs would reply and I had no clue to who they were. I got really confused. But I recognize their names since they’re replying through their link and not Ms. Ryann’s or Dr. Q-W’s. Ms. Ryann got it straightened out for me. I might met them in June, who knows…
It’s not uncommon for our surgeons to tell us that what they’ve done has no impact on what happens afterwards. We truly think if 1 + 1 =2 then obviously the work they did is the cause. I used to argue with mine about it. She’s the one who suggested I see a neurologist. The PCP I had back then told me he didn’t know what to do for me. I changed PCPs not my neurosurgeon which was his suggestion. But I think the surgeons must be using algebra like my first algebra class in 9th Grade when the teacher wrote 1 + 1 =0 on the board. Funny I’ve never forgotten that, it’s been awhile.
The hardest thing we all end up learning is that we need to be patient as a patient. Neurologists deal with the aftermath of brain surgery I think. Mine tried me on all kinds of meds, none of them worked so he suggested another option which I did and it was a great help so I recommended it. The second time I tried it, the procedure hurt like the dickens and I told the neurologist I’d never have another. I don’t recommend things that cause pain.
Hopefully you discussed your protein and hydration practices with your PCP. These are something we really need to do correctly. A lot of times we also need to replace our electrolytes. If you are reading other topics, you’ll see this Stress Reduction: Library of breathing videos/resources . Migraines can be caused by a multitude of things, stress is common.
Please continue to reach out, we are here for you!