Hi I’m new to this site , please help me , iv seen my neurologist in Thursday, I live in England, mine is 4 mm , he said not to worry, live your life normal for another 30 years as mine was incendantly found , in having another scan in 12 months , I have no symptoms xx
Welcome Nicola! I’ve moved your post from the Welcomes to General. Incidental finds are quite common here. I have learned from our UK members that it can sometimes be daunting to be able to see a Neurosurgeon. Is your Neurologist willing to refer you? Sometimes members have told whatever specialist who did the initial imaging they’re not comfortable with go live your life statements. The year wait for another imaging is to see if your aneurysm has changed or grown. There are many risks associated with endovascular procedures and the more invasive craniotomy. They have to be weighed in.
Also please take a big deep breath. Learn to do some type of relaxation breathing and practice it multiple times a day. It helps keep our blood pressure down and it also helps us to feel more in control of a situation. Our brains do need plenty of oxygen. Remember to do any lifestyle changes your doctor has recommended if you can. The way I look at them is it can’t hurt to live healthier and there’s a chance it could really help, especially if one uses cocaine.
Be cautious on what you read on the internet. People can feel a lot of fear with incidental finds and that of course comes out in what they write. We do have many members who are on the watch and wait list. Some of them have a good amount of fear and some do not, more of concern and the need to gain knowledge. It all depends on the type and location of their aneurysm.
We are here to share our experiences and will gladly share with you. For me, I only allowed a few minutes of my day to basically acknowledge mine. I truly didn’t want it to control my life, I had enough things to focus on with the change of it after I ruptured. However, I believe if I ignored it completely, it would come out worse later on down the road if that makes sense. If you don’t mind my asking, what caused the imaging that found your aneurysm.
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Mine was found in December 2022, at 4mm. Last scan was January 2024 and it is now about 5mm. I’m 67 and just doing watch & wait. My GP did put me on Metoprolol to keep my blood pressure down, even though my BP has always been normal. I do wear a medical bracelet with my diagnosis, and have notified everyone of my treatment wishes. At a reputable medical site (like Mayo Clinic) I found a list of what could indicate a rupture is imminent. The only strenuous thing I do is mow my lawn, which jumps my heart rate up to about 130-140. So, I take plenty of breaks and do deep breathing, etc. to get my heart rate down. So, I really don’t worry about it. When I first found out about it I was really scared, but this group and my own research have helped my come to terms with this condition. I have a bunch of other problems that worry me more.
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I live in England, I think we watch and wait first to avoid risks, but I’m so anxious x
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Hi, mine is mca, I had mri scan done on my ears, with pressure noise, and dizziness, of which neurosurgeon said it doesn’t relTe to it, he told me I’m 0.01 percent risk x
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I live in the U.S. Anxiety is not surprising, since we have a “time bomb” in our brains. At least we know it’s there! I don’t know how old you are, but stay with the group, and prepare as much as you can.
Because of other medical problems, I am not planning any treatment for my aneurysm any time soon. I have a major life event coming up in January 2025, and once that passes I will re-evaluate treatment.
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I’m 53
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Thank you! A lot of our members with incidental finds have had theirs found for similar issues which I find very interesting. They’re also told it doesn’t relate to their symptoms. My Neurosurgeon has never given us percentages as she doesn’t keep tally (data) I think of her patients and their aneurysms. But I’d be pretty pleased with that low percentage of rupture.
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I find it interesting that the Metoprolol doesn’t control your heartbeat. I was on it for SVT, my pulse was always around 120 bpm no matter what I did, even for the cardiologist on their treadmill. When I ruptured someone at my local hospital assumed I was on it for high BP and now can’t get it off my record. I’ve never had high BP except twice in my life, once with 3rd degree burns and when they kept it up in NSICU with the Triple H therapy for my vasospasms. Deep breathing would keep taking it down and they’d have to give me more drugs🤣. I don’t take it anymore, my Neurosurgeon didn’t want me on it after I was released but no one told me. You might want to check with your Neurosurgeon or Neurologist, whoever is following it.
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I know, it’s crazy, right. For the first 10-15 minutes after getting out of bed, my heart rate jumps to about 110-115, then settles back to normal. So not POTS. Was sent to cardiologist because EKG before gallbladder surgery (Mar 2022) showed bradycardia (59) bpm. Had two week heart monitor (Dec 2022) which indicated SVT. The only other time my pulse goes crazy (about 90) is getting in car to drive–anxiety after kid ran a red light and totaled my car–Dec 2022 (after heart test finished). I will say that my BP has been all over the charts since my shoulder problems started. Went to Urgent Care with ~90/65, they were surprised I got there on my own. And its been as high as ~140/85–kind of like the graph of my brokerage account!
My averages now are 118/75, pulse 69.
Not happy with Raleigh neurosurgeon/Fayetteville neurologist, so not being seen. If I make it to next February, I’ll look into treatment at Cleveland Clinic, since I have lots of available support in Ohio.
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Having a good support group is just as important in my opinion as having good doctors. I hope you get some doctors you can work with.
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