My Aneurysm Story: The Sitcom Nobody Asked For

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4/13/2025 — I was pretty sure I was having a stroke. My wife did the responsible thing and called 911. By the time the paramedics arrived, my body apparently decided, “Just kidding!” and the symptoms vanished. Paramedics left, wife drove me to the ER, where doctors confirmed: “No stroke.” Great news, except the right side of my body still felt like it was auditioning for the role of “Novocain Patient #1.” Hours later? Still numb.

Diagnosis for numbness? Nada. bonus diagnosis: A brain aneurysm. Surprise! I’m like, “Cool. So I came in with a flat tire, and you found a bomb in the trunk.” Also, my dad died of an aneurysm at 40. I’m 57. So, thanks, Dad, for the genetics. Couldn’t leave me money or a fast metabolism, huh? No — just the cranial pipe bomb. As months pass, cue a battery of tests: X-rays, MRIs, MRAs… basically everything short of a tarot card reading, an exorcism, and a magic 8-ball.

Fast-forward to July 31, 2025 — diagnostic cranial angiogram. Results of angiogram delivered 8/19/25. My neurosurgeon tells me: “You have an irregularly shaped anterior communicating artery aneurysm, ~5x6x8mm, with the aneurysmal neck significantly incorporating the proximal inferior A2 segment.” Which I think is medical Latin for: “Your plumbing is jacked up.”

Bonus fun fact: my brain’s arteries don’t talk to each other across hemispheres — like divorced parents who refuse to co-parent. Again, thanks, Dad.

Now for treatment options:

  1. Do nothing just… live my life like a walking piñata, waiting for the swing.

  2. Try a stent and coil, which has a 50/50 chance of working. So basically Vegas odds, except the prize isn’t money — it’s “not dying.”

  3. Craniotomy and clipping, which means they take out my orbital bone and part of my skull, then put it back together like IKEA furniture and hope they don’t have leftover screws.

Both procedures come with a 5% chance of “catastrophic injury,” I asked what that meant, and he just stared at me. You ever been stared at by a neurosurgeon? Yeah, not comforting.

So, my choices are:

  • Walk around with a live grenade in my head.

  • Gamble on a stent with coin-flip odds.

  • Or let a surgeon play Jenga with my skull.

Oh, and remember that right-side numbness from scalp to toes? Still unexplained. “Really? You can separate conjoined twins, replace a face, even 3D print a new jaw… but you can’t diagnose why my right ass cheek is asleep?”

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@Tjwell1 -

I learned a very long time ago that one thing that fathers give/teach us our sense of humor. I can say that is definitely true within my family, so I have a tendency to presume it is true in others - but is that right? My sense of humor was critical throughout my journey, and I find it helpful even to today. Your father did give you something wonderful to help you through as you determine what is best for you!

Like you, I apparently inherited my aneurysm from my father, but his was not found until after mine ruptured,. :rofl: Therefore, my path was chosen for me, so I have been down the endovascular path with coils & stents.

The good news is that all types are here on this forum, those doing watch & wait; endovascular repair like me; or craniotomy folks, and so you have wide group to ask all your questions! Of course, if you also decide you want to get a second opinion, we have names too!

I know a TON was dumped on your plate and you have much to think about, but please let us know if we can help out, or even if it just helps to vent to people who understand!

Fin Whale Fan :whale:

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Thank you for sharing your post visit update, Todd. Like @FinWhaleFan said we are here to listen or answer questions, share experiences, recommend providers, whatever helps.

(My neurosurgeon is comfortable having those hard conversations and has never answered my questions with a stare! Sorry to hear yours was not at ease to be specific.)

Sincerely @Shinykai

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You did a great job Todd of writing a story that is humorous, frustrating and spot on! My Dad did give me my sense of humor, he’s family deals with fear, sadness etc with humor, anger can be pretty high on the Richter Scale if one pushes long and hard enough. I can blame a whole lot of genetic stuff on Dad, just not my aneurysm. So he gets a pass on that, Mom also gets a pass. I’m the first. so I get to say “To boldly go where no one has gone before.” at least in my known genetic lines.

I don’t remember meeting my Neurosurgeon until the weekend had passed, BH says I did the morning before my procedure. I distinctly remember the first time I met her because I thought the Captain had come in and was hollering “Officer on deck, Officer on deck”. Did you know it’s really difficult to try to get out of an NSICU bed with all that’s attached so you can come to attention? This little spitfire of a woman came in and the energy of the entire Unit changed in the blink of an eye. Has she stared at me? As a matter of fact, yes she has! But it’s because she wouldn’t make a good poker player although her tells are short and fast. It’s because in the beginning with all the numerous follow up appointments we never knew what was going to pop out of my mouth. When she discussed having to do a craniotomy, I asked her if she was going to use a Dremel, a Foredom or just a 3 pound sledge hammer to crack my skull open? That definitely resulted in a stare😂.

Yet when it comes to all the risks she taught me well enough I could correct her Residents when they wouldn’t openly discus the worst ones. She found great humor in it, would send in a Resident she would need taken down a bit by themselves. Then she’d come in when she heard me correcting them rather harshly about lying and say something like “I see you’ve met our patient”. I would commence on telling her that the Resident needed to learn the risks better and not blow the most dangerous ones off, after all we have to sign off that all the risks have been thoroughly explained and understood. It’s very frustrating when I have to sign off on both the procedure and anesthesia and they haven’t given me full disclosure.

What does “a 5% chance of a catastrophic injury” mean exactly? Are they meaning feeding the roots and not walking on the grass, going into a vegetative state or something else? Is the 5% in the surgeon’s specific patient population, the State, the Country or the world? My surgeon has never given me a statistical statement, ever, she nor the hospital she works at collects them. I know because I asked. I also asked her if it was because they don’t want to list the fatalities and she didn’t answer. I took it as a yes because she will not tell a fib. I could be wrong, I often am, I didn’t press her.

Todd, we are here for you with personal experiences of course. I eventually had a stent and more coils installed for my multi-lobed aneurysm, she was procreating daughters like a rabbit. It’s up in the LICA bifurcation and guess where the stent is? In my ACA😂. It did resolve a good deal of problems I had so I’m going to live with it and just call myself a wired, caged, airhead. I read recently from anther member having a stent I’d never heard of that it was made for our kind of oddities. I just can’t remember who posted it or what type it was. Might remember tomorrow, next week or a month or two…

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It’s the sick joke that isn’t funny, right? Been there, done that, wrote and published a book “Malformation: when bad things happen to the right kind of people”, went blind, had three more bleeds, lost my appendix, gall bladder, and part of my small intestine, and here I am. I say all that to say, life ain’t a straight road. In fact it’s a dead end many times that forces you to turn around and double back. Here’s a few things that have helped me:

  1. You’re alive. I know this seems basic but seeing as how strokes and avm bleeds are the silent KILLER, be grateful you survived.
  2. Be on guard. After the first and second bleed I asked the doc “doc am I good now?”. Sure he replied
  3. Then bleed 3 happened and a stroke. Don’t trust anyone 100% with your help but you because you live with the body you got!
  4. I just wanna say I’m glad you’re here. Every day that you are on this side of the grave pushes up the average of people who die from stroke/brain bleed.

Finally, I wrote my story along with the council of my doctors, neurologist, studies, schooling, and a penchant for a tad bit of irony in my book “Malformation: when bad things happen to the right kind of people” available on Amazon today. I’m glad you’re here and I wish you all the best as you continue!

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"Welcome” to the Time Bomb Club. Those of us who found out through incidental testing at least know that it is there. Pulsatile tinnitus instead of a “stroke” is what led to my diagnosis (Dec 2022), otherwise I could have written the same post. Learn all you can about symptoms to watch for, do your will & medical directive, etc., wear a medical alert bracelet with your diagnosis and just continue to live your life. At 68, the only change I have made, besides joining this group, is a move from Fayetteville, NC to Winston Salem to be closer to a level one trauma center (among other reasons).

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Todd, thank you for sharing your story with us! The way you incorporate humor with everything you’re going through really shows your strength. I can’t imagine how hard it is to face these choices that all carry risk, especially with the family history you mentioned. I know it must be frustrating not getting answers about the numbness, since it makes a complicated situation even harder. I don’t have medical advice to give, but I wanted to say I admire the way you’re handling it with openness (and a lot of humor). Keep us updated whenever you’re up for it, we’re here to support you through the process!

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Please get a second, third, fourth opinion! Feel confident when making these decisions! Ask as many questions you feel necessary! YOU, are in charge! Please feel free to reach out to the wonderful people here! We all have been where you are! Positive thoughts!

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Update: I have seen another Dr., an endovascular specialist, who assured me my aneurysm can be repaired endovascularly. He, however, recommended the surgical option, a 70%/30% recommendation of craniotomy. I have a consultation at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville with Dr. Tawk. Anyone here with experience with Dr. Tawk and or Mayo Clinic Jacksonville? Thank you.

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Glad to see you’re advocating for yourself! The new doc is recommending a craniotomy? Interestingly both a craniotomy and endovascular methods are called procedures, both are surgeries, just different types as I understand it. Sorry I didn’t get the 70/30, can you explain that?

Personally, I don’t know any doctors in FL but we’ve several members who live in the State, fingers crossed someone knows Dr. Tawk. You might also try the search feature and type the doctor’s name.

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Thank you. 2nd opinion Dr. is in favor of craniotomy 70% over the less favorable endovascular route 30%.

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Thanks for the clarification! I think what confused me was he said it could be repaired endovascularly but recommends a craniotomy. Is he more comfortable doing craniotomies or is the location of your aneurym just better for clipping or is it the differences in the flow of your main arteries? Yes, I just figured out we were having conversations in two topics…

I did see several places where Dr. Tawk has been mentioned in a very positive note. Have you seen those?

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2nd opinion Dr said it could be done endovascularly, but said he would recommend the craniotomy 70% vs endovascularly 30%. 1st Dr said he and 2 Drs he consulted said the endovascular route was only 50% likely to be successful, but wouldn’t recommend one over the other. I haven’t searched for Dr Tawk here, but will be doing exactly that today. Thank you!

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Thanks again Todd, I also put a request for help in the welcome today

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This Halloween, my costume comes with stitches and an ICU wristband. Update (Sept 27th 2025): Met with Dr. Tawk at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I’ve decided to go with clipping. Soonest date? End of October. Which means — built-in Halloween costume. Plan is: one night in ICU, 3–4 days in the hospital, and four weeks out of work. Honestly, had a great experience with Mayo and Dr. Tawk. For the first time in months, I feel confident. The ticking time bomb in my skull finally has an expiration date. Trick or treat.

I have “an irregularly shaped anterior communicating artery aneurysm, measuring ~5x6x8mm, with the aneurysmal neck significantly incorporating the proximal inferior A2 segment.” My aneurysm treatment is further complicated as the arteries in my brain do not flow properly between the left and right hemispheres, a genetic abnormality.

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That’s wonderful news Todd! Happy for you and it is a relief not to have to figure out how you’re going to scare the kiddies this year. Just kidding, although when children would actually trick or treat in our old neighborhood I loved to do two things - carve 5-8 pumpkins using templates of course and scaring the teens that would come by for candy. Had to be really nice to children all year long, except that one night if I wasn’t working. The teens that had grown up in the neighborhood expected something, but they never knew what I’d come up with. It was hard staying ahead of them, sometimes they’d offer lots of suggestions in Summer for what I should do.

Make sure you’re hydrated for several days prior to your procedure so it’s easier for you and the RN to put the IV in or give shots. Breathe out when the needle goes in, keeps the muscle relaxed so it doesn’t hurt as much. Learned that when I had to get allergy shots and it helps a lot. I usually tell them I’m going to breathe out when they stick me so they’ll watch my breathing. Let us know when the big day is, please and thank you!

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Thank you. Looking forward to putting this behind me.

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Update as of 11/17:

Thank you to all who have me in your thoughts and prayers! I was very fortunate that my aneurysm was found before rupture, as I would have a very different tale to tell, I am certain.

I had my unruptured aneurysm clipped as scheduled on 10/28. One night in ICU, I had a CT scan the evening of the surgery, and all was well, no leakage or other issues. My ACOM aneurysm was located behind my right eye, and it was swollen shut, and most of the pain/discomfort was pressure behind my right eye. Had an angiogram on 10/29, again, no issues found. I was hopeful to be released from the hospital on 10/31, but my BP was too high, so they kept me another day, releasing me on 11/1. We opted to stay in Jacksonville post-surgery as we live 4+ hours away. Had post-op follow-up scheduled for 11/11, so had hotel through 11/12. Post-op check-up on the 11th was good; sutures were removed. Barring any setbacks, I am cleared to return to work on 12/1 with some lifting and climbing restrictions through 12/7. Came home on the 12th as planned, things are going well. Had some nausea on the 14th and 15th, which caused me to vomit around midday each of those two days. Still have a steady but tolerable headache, taking meds to manage my pain. I have numbness surrounding the incision and discomfort if I put any pressure on the area. Other than that, the inability to raise my right eyebrow, the constant headache, and fatigue, I am not noticing any lasting effects.

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Hey Todd,
That all sounds about normal in my humble opinion and it sounds like you’ve come through it all fairly well. That fatigue, that’s normal. If you’re able to manage the headaches with meds at this point, you’re doing OK. The fatigue I experienced post craniotomy was beyond anything I’d ever experienced before, just complete exhaustion. Often the medicos like to give us a 6-8week recovery timeline which can give us a ‘guideline’ of sorts. I say guideline because for some of us it can be a shorter recovery time, but for some it can be longer.

Another thing I have found is what I refer to as a ‘honeymoon period’, where things seem to float along amazingly well, initially. But then the honeymoon ends, reality brings us crashing back to earth with a storm of symptoms. Sometimes the end of that honeymoon can be really soul destroying, especially if it overwhelms us. Just when I think 'Yea, I got this thing beat…" it throws me a curveball from left field that knocks me off my feet.

My Advice: Keep that little bit in reserve. We hope you never need to draw on that reserve. But trying to find that energy when you have nothing left can do you more harm than good. Having a little in reserve can always help.

You’re doing OK.

Merl from the Modsupport Team

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Thanks for the wonderful update Todd! As Merl suggests, keep your reserve handy and try not to use it if you can. Managing a hardware store can be a bit on the stressful side, especially with the holidays coming, please make sure you follow your doctor’s instructions. Don’t be dumb like me and push everything to the limit and beyond, it doesn’t help in my experience.

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