I have sufffered for months with sinus, ear and tension/migraine headace issues. Last week after an MRA I was told I have 2 very small aneurysm. 1x2x2 on the ACA and 2x2x3 on the Left MCA. I have an appt with a neurosurgeon in a few weeks.
I am so glad I have found this site because I have so many questions before I go see the doc. I am sure they will want to do the wait and watch approach but here are my concerns with that and I need your thoughts: I have 2 first degree relatives (my father and his brother) who have had ruptured aneurysms. My fathers was large, he was 31and he survived. my uncles was small and on the same artery as mine, he was 46 and he survived as well. Also, my maternal grandmother ruptured and did not survive at the age of 51 as well as her mother before her at the age of 51. I just turned 41. So there is extensive family history.
Also, I have been having symptoms for 2 months that came out of nowhere. All of the sudden I have high blood pressure consistently 150-160/100. I have had documented mild vision loss, double and blurred vision and I have had a constant feeling of pressure in my head. They keep telling me this is a tension migraine...but I am not in pain. I just feel like my head has a huge balloon in it that is expanding. Before November I was healthy other than my sinuses which have bothered me for years. Now I am just so scared. I am hoping this surgeon will at least do more diagnostic tests before deciding in the wait and watch.
From what Im reading here....there is really nothing they can do about annies this small? Even though my history raises my risks...anyone have any info for me?
Hi Rhonda...only the Neurosurgeon can determine this situation...he/she looks at many factors, and one is the history in your family of ruptures...I think you will need to wait and see what they tell you...now as far as your Bp...that is a risk factor...that happened to me right before they found my aneurysm's...and I was placed on meds to control...I do hope you are seeing your General Doctor for the raised Bp...it is important to control all those risk factors involved in possible rupture...
Be sure to write down all your symptoms esp the vision problems when seeing your Neurosurgeon...tell them all...and be sure to bring a person along with you...so there are more sets of ears in the room...
Keep us posted...sending positive vibes your way ~ Colleen
Wow you have quite a family history! Be sure to detail all your symptoms--the pressure and the vision problems were defineatly warning signs for me when I expereinced my 1st aneursym...I think I'd really hammer on the family history part to the doctors too. Best of luck to you, Rhonda, will have you in my prayers!
I was diagnosed right before Thanksgiving with a 2 mm. I have no idea the location, but I also have family history. My appt with a neurosurgeon is tomorrow, so hopefully I will know more then! I am only 31 with 2 little kids, so the anxiety is rough. I don’t know if my “symptoms” are related either. I got 2 severe headaches which led to the MRA. Haven’t had any since , just mild headaches occasionally and some weird minor dizzy feelings sometimes. Hang in there and I will pray for you too! Sounds like we have similar situations.
In April of this year i had my 2mm aneurysm coiled. I also have a family history of aneurysms. I am so grateful and relieved that they were able to coil the Annie. Went back for my 6th month angio and everything looks great. Good luck! I hope you will be able get the answers and find peace in what ever the dr decides.
Hi Rhonda, welcome of BAF, I was told when I had my aneurysms that it not only depends on size but also location, so I would definitely research this. I had a burst aneurysm in Feb 2011 (coiled) and at the time they found another which was coiled and stented in April 2012, as far as I am aware neither of these were large but because I'd already had one bleed and the fact that the second was on my PCA they decided it would be better to operate. I wish you luck with your Neurosurgeon I hope it all goes well for you and you get the answers you require, Jill
Thank you for replying to this, I have been trying to find someone who had a very small aneurysm coiled. How was your procedure and recovery? Were the doctors worried about operating on such a small aneurysm?
Just like others have stated it all depends on where the anni is located. My Dr. did tell me that the smaller the anneurysm the more difficult they are to coil. But he said that with the history and my age it was better to have it coiled but it was my decission. I had trust in my dr and he came highly recommended. I made sure though that he would promise me that if he got in there and thought that it could not be coiled to not even try and get out. Which he did promise. :) The procedure went great. I was in the hospital a couple of days. No problems with bleeding. I did have a headache for the first couple of months. Not everyday day and by the second month they subsided to maybe two to three a week. I noticed the headaches would get worse if I did too much or if I used my brain a lot that day. Now I rarely get headaches. I also noticed and still do at times that it is hard to stay focused. At times it is even hard to think of the right wording when I speak. This has gotten a lot better lately which I am glad. I have always had somewhat of a hard time putting words together but really noticed it after my procedure. Good Luck. I am glad to help in anyway. If you have more questions or concerns please let me know. It is scary and the unknown is the worse. I know that I for sure did not want to do the watch and wait game. I am glad that I chose to have my annie coiled.
I had my appointment with the neurosurgeon today. He recommended doing an angiogram next month so he can get a good look at the aneurysm. Found out mine is in the right middle cerebral artery. He said that 2 mm is very difficult to coil, but he will know for sure if he can do it after the angiogram. He said I have the standard 3 options. Watch and observe it for growth, coil it (if its coilable), or clip it. He said the risk of rupture is VERY low with an aneurysm of this size, but my young age and family history make it more reasonable to go ahead to treat. Totally up to me of course. He said for unruptured aneurysm at my age and health, either surgery would be minimal risk. He was awesome, said he treats over 100 aneurysms every year. So…now waiting to get an angiogram to find out more. Lol, more waiting for answers I guess. Let us know what your surgeon says!!
They are going to call me soon to schedule it for sometime after the first of the year. Yes it’s where they go in through the artery in your groin. It’s an outpatient procedure. He said it doesn’t take him but 15-30 minutes for the actual procedure, but my total time there will be about 4-5 hours. It’s the only way he can actually visualize the aneurysm to know if he could treat it with coils. It’s also something they would do before clipping too, so it’s a very necessary test. I can still decide to watch and observe it after the test of course, well just have better information to make our decision with. I’m not too nervous about it yet, but I’m sure I will be when I schedule it!!
I saw my neurosurgeon yesterday and loved him. He was very compassionate and understanding. He does want to treat both of my annies because of symptoms and family history. For me, the risks are higher in the waiting than in the surgery. I have my angiogram Monday morning....great way to end out the year...I hope I see the light show I have heard about on here..thats just perfect for New Years Eve! He said he would discuss which surgery would be better for me after the angio, but he is leaning toward the clipping. I am very scared...but I am so ready to be done with this and live again!
Wow they are getting you in quick! Please let me know how the angiogram goes and what your experience is like. Prayers for a smooth procedure and clear answers!
I will definately let you know. I know these things are case by case basis and from what I was told...they considered my family history (4 1st degree family with ruptures)..size and location, the fact I have multiple aneurysms and my symptoms. He said because my father was 31 when he ruptured that size of mine really did not matter. basically, mine can rupture at any time. And, I am young and healthy. Risks of rupture definately outweigh my risk of sugery to fix. Important note...even though i have been diagnosed with migraine over and over even though I have said I feel no pain ...only pressure...this surgeon agreed that my symptoms may in fact be related to location of aneurysm.
I will let you know how all goes. thank you for the prayers...much appreciated!
I had a 5mm aneurysm on the bifurcation of my left middle cerebral artery clipped on November 20th. I had high blood pressure as well when I was diagnosed and felt a pressure in my head sometimes worse and sometimes not too bad. I noticed I had pain in my head when we had low pressure especially when we had Hurricane Sandy. I always had trouble with my sinuses in the fall but that had stopped when I started going to a chiropractor.
I did not experience a lot of deficits from the surgery and now I am so glad I had it and it's behind me. Try not to be scared and stay as positive as possible. I had a lot of people praying for me and that helped immensely. You will do very well because of your health and age. Good luck to you and take care,
Hi Rhonda - I had a smaller aneurysm clipped in May 2012. Like you, I have a strong family history of aneurysms and that was certainly one factor that led to the clipping. My surgeon is also proactive and because I was 33 at the time of surgery and healthy, he really wanted to get it fixed. I realized quickly my threshold for waiting and watching was low. I have two young kids and wanted it fixed so I could be sure that I would be around a long time.
Mine was showing about 3-4 mm on scans so pretty small. The surgeon said when he got in there it was a bit bigger, an abnormal shape, had blood swirling in it and was an abnormal shape which all made it at a higher risk for rupture than we had originally thought. I was extremely lucky with my surgery and the outcome has been great. I am glad I had it done and feel thankful to be here with my family and not worry.
It is such a long road and so emotional after being diagnosed. It is hard to know what the right choice is and it so personal. Good luck with everything and try to stay positive. Keep us posted.
Hi Kim, thanks so much for sharing your story! I am 31 with 2 small kids (4 and 1 years old). My aneurysm shows about 2 mm on MRA but should be having an angiogram this month to get more detailed information on it. Can you share your surgery experience and recovery? How long were you in hospital, any complications, how long before you were able to care for your kids again and feel 100%? I know it sounds trival for the long run, but the idea of not being able to pick my baby up for up to 6 weeks just hurts my heart! So glad you have a positive experience to share, we all need to hear that things can and do work out for the best!
Maryanne, I’m roflol you caught the year and apologized! You rock! As I’m getting used to typing, I will close this tomorrow if no one responds. You can always try to send a PM, hopefully the email hasn’t changed.
