I found out a year ago I had a 8mm aneurysm, mine however us partially clotted off. I have had a angiogram and my doctors decided to just watch it. I see my neuro doctor every 3 months and I have all the confidence in the world in him, but I still feel like I am walking around with a "time bomb" in my head. I am 33 years old and I worry that it will rupture, even though my MD said the chances are very very low. I still suffer from headaches, but they are not as frequent. Its just scary for me. I refuse to let the pain of these headaches stop me from my day to day life, I still go to work, care for my husband and son, and do what I am supposed to do. Sometimes I just think it is frustrating for my husband, and I get frustrated because he doesn't understand my pain or my fears.
Hi Amy,
I think it must be hard for people who don't have an aneurysm to understand the fear and uncertainty we live with. I, myself, have 2 aneurysms, around 5 mm each, which were detected incidentally over a year ago. I am 66 years old and do not have headaches very often. Because my aneurisyms have wide necks, I have been told that they are not good candidates for coiling and that clipping would be the best procedure for me. My current plan is to have an MRA every 6 months and leave it aone if the aneurysms do not change in size or shape. But if they start to be unstable, then I should seriously consider having the surgery. As i said, I don't often get headaches, but when I do, I get a little nervous and wonder if it is going to turn into 'the worst headache of my life' which is what they tell me is the sign of rupture. So if your headaches are really bad, then I can understand why that is scary. I have also been advised: don't strain, lift heavy things, etc. and every time I sneeze, or have a difficult bowel movement, I pray that this won't rupture it.
I am now at the start of a vacation that is the dream of my life, and traveled non-stop for 24 hours to reach our first destination: car, bus, trans-Atlantic flight, train, another shorter flight, car ride and am now in a little village in Scotland where I lived when I was 5 years old. I have always had trouble with air pressure when flying. Sometimes it days days for my ears to unclog and the headache that comes with that pressure in my head is pretty bad. Yesterday on the flight from London to Edinburgh, I felt like it was going to be one of those really bad episodes, but fortunately my ears unclogged within a few hours of landing, thank goodness. my MRA was supposed to be before we left for this trip, but I decided to schedule it for our immediate return. I did not want to risk getting bad news before the trip, and risk having to decide to cancel and do surgery instead. The fact is I am more afraid of surgery. So either way is nerve racking. I do want to live life fully, so hopefully I will be able to conue on as I am for a good long time. In the meantime it does help me to remember that each day is a gift, and to live it fully and with gratitude, even though it is full of uncertainty.
Good luck with your situation. You are a lot younger than me. Possibly a second opnion might be helpful to you.
All the best,
Christine
I have gotten a second opinion because my husband insisted on it, and they told us the same thing. My MD told me to live a normal life, however I have found out I am now unable to donate blood, something that I took a lot of pride in, since my mother needed many transfusions before she passed away, and I have O+. I also have to ask my MD if I can fly if we decide to travel. I become frustrated with it and some times think " why Me " but then remember that I never let anything get me down I have a 6 year old son that I have to see grow up and I refuse to let a headache stop me from that