I live in the UK and had a CTA scan done for a suspected annie, I have just had an appointment to go to a neurovascular clinic on 5 th February, so still 2 weeks to go. I also received a short report on the scan which states that I have a 6mm anterior communicating artery aneurysm. However the clinical decision states 'it is unlikely she will benefit from treatment'. This has scared me so much. Does it mean its untreatable, is it about to burst and kill me? I wish they hadn't sent me the letter, now I have over 2 weeks to think about every bad thing that might happen.
Hi Chris, read yr post and understand your concern about having an anneurysm and possibly not getting treatment for it, it must be very worrying for you. My experience is that here in the UK specialists adopt quite a cautious approach to treatment. Two weeks ago I had further surgery to recoil an aneurysm with a 22mm diameter and insert a stent. I originally had it treated two years ago and it had regrown. I also have a 5mm aneurysm on my anterior communicating artery which was found a couple of years ago along with the bigger aneurysm. My specialist monitors this smaller aneurysm regularly but feels that at the moment I would not benefit from having this treated. Carolyn
Thanks for your reply Carolyn, I really appreciate it. I have calmed down a bit down. It appears that the doctors/surgeons are much more aggressive with their treatment in the US. I will try and muster a bit of British 'stiff upper lip' until my appt next month. Wow your annie was big, how are you feeling after your surgery? I do hope that your recovery is going well. Thanks again, Chris
Hi Chris...Gosh I don't no...Have you called the Doctors office for clarification...?
You have my prayers ... that you will get some information before the 2 weeks...~ Colleen
Hi Colleen, thanks for taking the time to reply. I am trying to look on the positive side. Unfortunately, because of the way things work in the UK, I won't get any answers until my appointment in 2 weeks. When I saw my GP last week he said to me that 6mm is small and probably wouldn't be treated surgically, though obviously if the annie needed intervention then this would happen regardless of the size. Thanks for your kind thoughts and I hope you are well. Chris
Hi Chris I think that because they have referred you to a neurovascular clinic they are possibly considering coiling or a PED rather than surgery, I was told if it wasn’t for the PED they would not have operated on mine because of where it was. Please try and stay calm. Hugs Lynn
Hi Chris
I think in the UK intervention is rare if the aneurysm is smaller than 7 mm as the risk of surgery is higher than the risk of doing nothing. It's different if there is a very strong family history of ruptures and treatment is always individualized for the person. Also, they are less likely to rupture if at the front as yours is, than those at the back. Mine was 30 mm and I was seen by neurosurgery within 4 days of the MRI for an angio, but clearly yours is much less worrying or they would have seen you immediately. One of the great advantages of our NHS is that treatment is not dependent on what we or an insurance company can pay and we are not likely to be offered a treatment we don't need. That is always a concern in any healthcare system where the doctors/surgeons are personally paid for the items of work they do.
You've almost certainly had your aneurysm some time already, possibly years without rupture so its not likely to in the next 2 weeks. Radiologists, the doctors who report scans, especially if working in a hospital without neurosurgery will not know what needs to be or can be treated, so I suggest you relax, do some nice things and wait to see what the expert says when you see him/her in a couple of weeks. Waiting and not knowing is always a bit scary I know. Check out the patient info on the main BAF website http://www.bafound.org/unruptured-brain-aneurysms
Please ask any questions you have here and we will try to answer. Someone will have experienced the same things. You are not alone.
Judith
Thanks for your reply, Evy. It is so heartening to hear from others who have gone through all this. I am feeling a lot calmer now and will try to focus on my normal life until I go to London. It is so easy to let this rule and run your life and until I really have to, I am going to try and stay grounded. Thanks so much. Chris
Judith, you will never know what a relief it was to receive your reply yesterday. I was just about to go to sleep and knew that my brain would go into hyper-drive the second I put the light out, then I got the ping on my phone and read your message. I can only say thank you. It came at just the right time and was so calm and reassuring to me. I know that everything you wrote is true and I am just refocussing and trying to step back a bit from all this annie stuff until I know exactly what or if I have a problem that needs treatment.
I have reading about your journey through this and I do hope you are continuing on your road to recovery. I see that you live in Hampshire. Two of my siblings live in Hythe near S'ton and I love visiting them and the New Forest ponies. I bet it looks magical there right now with all this snow. Take care. Chris
Hi Chris
I live in the South Downs National Park just north of Portsmouth and it is indeed very pretty with all the snow. I had my op in Southampton. I am continuing to recover, but have not been able to get back to my job. My fatigue, memory problems and a few other problems affect me doing the intellectual aspects of my job well. I am going to get an occupational ill health pension though.
I hope you slept OK and feel a little less anxious today.
Best wishes
Judith
hi Chris! Hang in there, maybe means only one way of treatment that wouldnt benifit, medical stuff is so difficult to anylize. Write down all questions for the nueros. i'll definately keep you in thoughts & prayers for strength & fortitude! During the upcoming days think positive, stay away from scary stuff on tv or the internet. May God's peace & love surround you. ps -let us know, we care about you!
Hi Chris,
We live in Bedfordshire in the UK. My wife had a SAH August 2011 which was coiled but she also has an small unsecured aneruysm which is being monitored and she is due two have her second angiogram on the 7th Feb. I think in the UK they don't like operating until it is absolutely necessary, I am sure if they thought it was un treatable they would of told you. It 's more like that they are getting all the different information together before they decide what action to take, if any they may decide to monitor it for a while to see if it is getting any larger. Why don't you go back to your GP tomorrow and ask him/her to explain exactly whats going to happen. Failing that phone either the Brain & Spine foundation helpline 0800 808 1000 or Headway helpline 0800 800 2244. I am sure if they can't help they will be able to point you in the right direction. The fear and the not knowing is worst part you can't worry about it for another two weeks . Best Wishes John & Sue
Oh this must be so frustrating...please know I will continue to keep you close to my prayers during this time you must wait...try and rest and do things for You...~ Colleen
Hi Ron, thank you for taking the time to reply to me. I'll take your advice and write down all my questions before my appt and I am certainly more positive now after calming down a bit and reading all the messages from everyone on the site. Take care and enjoy your Sunday. Chris xx
Hi John and Sue, thanks so much for your message. The love and support that comes from the members of this site continues to amaze me and I thank God for it. I have read about you Sue on these pages and I do hope that you are well this snowy Sunday. After some of the wise words, I am continuing to calm down after a rather scarey Saturday morning. It certainly does appear that the NHS is much less aggressive with their treatment of unruptured and incidentally found aneurysms than in the US. For all I know, this little intruder has been lurking in my head for the last 30 years and was only found after my MRI for migraine. Thanks again, regards Chris
Chris, This site was a life saver in days and months after Sue's haemorrhage if there was anything i wanted to know I had answer within hours instead of days waiting to speak to doctors ,everyone is so supportive and kind because they understand what your going through. As you say if you had n't had the scan for the migrine you would be none the wiser. The consultant said to Sue that the are people walking around with these things that never know they have them. I am glad to hear you feel less anxious. We found the surgeons at Addensbrooke in Cambridge absolutely brillant and I'm sure you will find them equally as understanding at your hospital keep us posted to how your getting on. john & Sue
Hi Chris- I’m not sure where you are at in your information gathering but I had about the same size and anterior communicating artery Annie. My neurosurgeon def. discussed the possibility of waiting but I had a warning headache and chose not to. I also had a wide- neck so they thought it might be difficult to coil, however my doc did and I’ve had no problems since with a clean 1 year follow up! You are in my prayers if I can answer any questions please ask!