I have had or “has been found” a pericollasol (however, you spell that 2 mm for a year. Six months ago, I started having migraines and pain in my jaw. I have been to the dentist twice now and it is not my teeth. I had another scan it was still the same. So, they sent me on my way, told me to see a headache doctor and not to go to the ER every time I had a headache. True enough. The doctor I saw was very knowledgable ( if not a bit young) and honest. I like him well enough, But now, that I got a message that is time for my yearly scan ( which they recalled the message since I had one 5 months ago), I am thinking maybe I should get a 2nd opinion. I am sure that the doctor will tell me the same thing, but do you think a 2nd opinion is okay? And yes, it is only 2mm but I do not like it there and even though they say it is in a difficult spot, there are days when I just want it gone. I know people do not get surgery on 2mm aneurysms but it bothers me.
I couldn’t agree with you more they are a bother they limit what you can do I have three brain aneurysms 1 doctor says they can operate another one that’s very well-known says it’s not necessary so as far as a second opinion they all have a different one I suffer from headaches all the time wake me up at a dead sleep I don’t think they really know good luck best wishes
What I’ve been told by my Neurosurgeon and Neurologist was that aneurysms do not cause headaches until they rupture, or are significantly large enough to press on a nerve. There’s probably a lot of folks on here who would disagree and that’s ok. I would probably call the Dr who sees you to monitor the aneurysm and make sure it was recalled because you’ve just had a scan. As for another opinion, that’s a personal call. Do you trust the Dr that is monitoring your aneurysm? Is your headache dr addressing and helping your migraines?
If a second opinion, makes you feel any better at all, get one. Prayers
I would respectfully disagree with your doctor. The whole reason they even found my aneurysm is because I had a thunderclap headache. It had not ruptured but it was there and I do not think I would have woken up out of a dead sleep if I had not had one; I did not even know what that was headache was until I was told what it was. Maybe, the migraines are just stress-yup, I agree with that.
Do you still have 3 aneurysms? Have they operated on any of them? How big are they? Man, I have a massively stressful job and it worries me that it is going to pop some days.
Ruptured aneurysms do cause “the worse headache of your life”. I have found no data that indicates unruptured aneurysms cause headaches, and I have no experience of my aneurysm causing any of my previous headaches. If you find the studies, would you mind sharing?
Brain Aneurysm Foundation Webinars they have some interesting videos here. You should watch them try not to stress yourself out over this. Treat it like any other medical condition listen to your doctors. Some video say aneurysm do not cause headaches others say it’s a possibility I get cluster headaches also sounds weird but I’ve learned to deal with them answer your question no they have not operated smallest aneurysm is 2.3 mm, middle one is 3 mm largest one is just under 5 mm. When you feel stress coming on anxiety whatever take a minute walk away relax meditate find a Center whatever you want to call it then return to what you were doing I know it’s easily said but after a while you’ll learn for your health to do it don’t let nothing get to you funny thing is you learn respect life a little more good thing about this site there’s always somebody to talk to do your best not to get stressed everybody deals with it in a different way I know that good luck need somebody to talk to I’m not the best but I’m here
cerebral aneurysms: The authors described a 42-year-old woman who had three severe acute headaches within 1 week. The CT brain and CSF examinations were normal. Despite the absence of blood within the CSF, conventional angiography showed diffuse, multifocal, and segmental cerebral vasospasm and a saccular aneurysm at the point of origin of the right posterior cerebral artery. However, no evidence of old or recent hemorrhage was seen during aneurysmal surgery. Four weeks later, the follow-up angiogram was normal. The authors concluded that unruptured intracranial aneurysms can present with “thunderclap headache” and cerebral angiography is necessary for these patients even when the CT and CSF are normal.
Thanks for this! It doesn’t give the link to the study, just the website. Do you mind trying again?
I found it Abbycat! Thank you so much for keeping me on my toes, it’s much appreciated!
It’s from here. https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/72/1/6
This was the conclusion of his paper
Thunderclap headache is a clinical emergency which mandates a swift evaluation with investigations aimed at excluding a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Early CT has high sensitivity and specificity for detecting subarachnoid blood. However, when negative, lumbar puncture is always required. In those patients with normal neurological, CT, and CSF examinations, further imaging to search for an unruptured intracranial aneurysm is not warranted and may be misguided. Prospective studies indicate that the overwhelming majority of these patients have an excellent long term prognosis without an increased risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage or sudden death and there is as yet precious little evidence that patients with unruptured aneurysms can present with thunderclap headache. Furthermore, given the prevalence of unruptured aneurysms in the population, the likelihood of uncovering one as an incidental finding is not remote, and implications of such a finding are not inconsequential.
On the other hand, acute neurological emergencies such as cervicoephalic arterial dissection and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis may present with thunderclap headache as the earliest or only symptom in a significant minority of patients. Brain CT is often negative in these cases, and lumbar puncture is either negative as in the case of arterial dissection, or may only demonstrate increased opening pressure in patients with cerebral vein thrombosis. Because of the neurological morbidity associated with delayed ischaemic or haemorrhagic events in these conditions, prompt and early diagnosis is imperative. In these cases, MR angiography is the imaging procedure of choice.
When appropriate investigations have excluded all potential secondary causes, a diagnosis of idiopathic thunderclap headache is appropriate. This disorder may be associated with angiographic evidence of diffuse multifocal cerebral vasospasm. Although this unusual angiographic abnormality is reversible and self limited, careful clinical observation is warranted, especially if focal neurological symptoms occur.
Please do not think I am trying to be obtuse here I am not. It’s just that when I got the little message that it was time for my yearly brain scan it just kind of brought all of those feelings back again.
But I hardly ever think about it until I get really stressed at work or something and I find myself holding my head in my hands and crying and then I realize that I need to slow down and take a breath. I know that stress doesn’t usually cause an aneurysm but it most certainly is not good for it.
Thank you for your advice and clarification. I wish you well. Hang in there
Absolutely not, although I can be slow to understand things, it’s why I need more clarification. I really do appreciate people who challenge me. What used to take nanoseconds to comprehend can take me a few days now. The more I am able to research, the more I can hold the information. I have dysphasia, but it’s not affected my writing…isn’t the brain fascinating?! And I don’t get innuendos at all anymore, so people have to spell things out. 
I think you and I are kindred spirits, similar paths, similar client population, similar stress including the politics. I just tell folks I am enjoying being on forced retirement.
Whenever I had to get my six month MRA, I’m a bit stressed the day or two before. Always concerned she has to go back in…but I finally got my “see you in two years” talk after my last MRA in December. The neck is still open 1.4 mm, but I am able to do what I want, just takes me longer or if it’s somewhere out of my driving range, I need to ask for a ride. Even those of us who ruptured, end up with a wait and see. Every time I was recoiled, we went back to day 1 and see if I would make it, sets you back, struggle to get near where you were, then wait till the next MRA, start making progress and then the angiogram. Every super bad headache would send us to the ER if my neck was stiff and I was throwing up. It’s an automatic CT scan. Last time they did the lumbar puncture. I think I was having a Vasospasm, but they don’t check for those once you have an SAH I vasospasmed 21 days in ICU, they check it with an ultrasound. Five years until I got on the two year wait list and boy are we excited! So for the next twenty some months all is good!
Web results
Webinars – Brain Aneurysm Foundation
Brain Aneurysm Foundation › webinars
I think may be doctors feel it’s more safe do not touch your aneurysm ( I have read somewhere that 2 mm they trying not to operate due it’s easy to break the artery or something else ) they also checking first if it’s growing , since it’s more chances to rupture … if it’s not , the scenario is to watch …
By the way doctors keep saying headaches are not connected with aneurysm , but if you read this forum , almost everyone with unruptured aneurysm struggles from headaches and migraines …
Mine is in a weird spot and not a very rare place. It is deep inside the brain, So, yes I would agree they probably do not want to touch it and I am okay with that, I really do not want people routing around my brain. It is just when you get that message that it is time to scan it, it brings up all those feelings
again.
Exactly…
From personal experience, I was experiencing stiff neck, headaches and pain in my shoulder blade from approx 10 years prior to my rupture. I went to see a Neurologist who told me that if it persists, then I should take a MRI. Unfortunately, I became too busy at work and just let it pass for the next 8 years. Then, the stiffness, headaches, and upper back pain became unbearable so I went to a chiropractor who adjusted my neck. I felt a weird headache and numbness in my neck. Then, after 2 days, it ruptured. But, in my case, it was a large (8mm x 10mm fusiform) aneurysm by the VA/PICA which most like pressed lower cranial nerve in the brainstem causing the neck stiffness.
I wonder why your neurologist didn’t do the MRI?