Hi again. Have you gotten any more info or come to any decisions since we spoke on the phone?
Kelly, mine was coiled...and, I am not an out and otu promotor of those.
Linda Z always gives such great feed on her Pipeline...she's my greatest knowledge of them...
Will be great to know your results...
Pat
Thomas...you were blessed with quality care...which is not guaranteed.
That beautiful baby has a beauiful mother, too.
Wendy, thanks for sharing this info for so many...based on those few I know who had sugery decades ago, and, are doing wonderfully...
Pat
Hi Kelly. I read through the posts and wanted to wish you all the best.
On March 9, I will be a 14 year survivor. I have 11 aneurysms total, 10 have been treated. I have had multiple coiling procedures over the years and a clipping surgery in 2008. For me, it was mentally more difficult to deal with the craniotomy, but I realized getting the clipping would take care of it and I wouldnāt be worrying about coiling every one to years.
Ask lots of questions until you are comfortable with the doctor and the procedure.
You will do great!
Hi, Kelly,
I'm not sure of the size of my aneurysms. The first was found while treating my 6 cm AVM. My AVM is not a good candidate for either coiling or craniotomy, due to its size & location. It is around my right optic nerve & surgery could cause loss of field of vision or blindness, so we have been treating it with Gamma Knife Radiation (had treatments in June & December & will have another this coming June.) On my first GK day, my surgeon said they found an aneurysms while they were doing the MRI & angiogram to plan the GK & wanted me to schedule an appt. to discuss it. Two weeks later, I was sitting in his office & looking at the aneurysm on his computer screen. It wasn't a good candidate for embolization, due to its wide neck. We scheduled a craniotomy, and thank God we did. After he opened my head up for the clipping, he found another aneurysm that had been "hiding" in the previous scans. (I had previously had a CT, and MRI, an angiogram, then another MRI & angiogram on GK day.) It was close to rupturing. He was able to clip it, too.
Due to the location, they were able to minimalize the shaved area of my hair. My scar is curved, kinda of boomarang shaped. It starts near my right eyebrow, goes into the hairline & curves down to the top of my ear. I did end up losing a patch of hair adjacent to the shaved area a couple of months after surgery. I was told that the GK radiation wouldn't cause hair loss. Don't know if it was the GK or stress, or something else.
My facial shape is slightly less symmetrical than it was before. I do have a "bump" next to my right eyebrow that wasn't there before. I don't know if they are being nice, but everyone says they don't notice unless I point it out.
I wore scarves & caps for a couple of months to cover up the scar & funky hair do. Then, I had my waist length hair chopped off in a bob with a side part to cover it as the shaved section grows out. headcovers.com has some great scarves & hats designed for women with hair loss due to cancer treatments. I ordered one hat & one scarf from them, wore scarves I already owned, and used it as an excuse to buy even more scarves. My new students & teachers who didn't know what had been going on over the summer thought it was just a fashion statement.
I was able to have my craniotomy 6 weeks before I had to report back to school for the back to school inservice days. I still tired easily & was forgetful, but I was able to do my job. It did help me understand my students a little better. (I teach Special Education English & Reading).
Staying positive & making jokes helped me make it through everything. Yes, it is scary, but it is too easy for me to wallow in the negativity & I try to avoid it. That doesn't mean I haven't been realistic, though. And, I have allowed myself a few good cries. I just try to focus more on what I have to be thankful for.
Hello all!
I just got back from the follow up meeting with JH and my Dr said that tI have options. She said I am a good candidate for either the clipping or the coiling. Of course there are pluses and minuses to both surgeries as most of you already know. But here's a quick run down for anyone new...
Clipping (brain surgery) is through the scull, very invasive but very effective and has a long recovery time with no follow up. (plus a new hair-do and a bonus scar on my neck as well as my head)
Coiling is through the femoral artery, less invasive, and has a short recovery time, BUT has to be monitored afterward with two more angiograms and then just MRA's on a yearly basis.
The bottom line is that she said I would do well with either.
So, I'm meeting with the "Coiling Dr's" 3-7-12 to discuss everything in detail so I have a clear picture of both surgeries. I'm relieved that I have options though and am leaning toward the coiling at this point. We shall see. Oh, and she said I could still go to Disney March 13th! I think it's so strange to take vacation right about now, but then it seems like the best idea ever!! This stress has been insane!!
Thank you everyone for being so thoughtful and supportive!!! I feel very blessed to have such loving and kind people surrounding me during this scary time and have gained a new-found, appreciation for all the big and small things that make life so precious!
Love, Kelly
Hi Kelly,
I just read my post of 2/17 when I was notified of Sue's response today. You can imagine my horror when I saw the typo in there. I'm sure you knew that I meant to say "All things considered, losing all or a part of your "hair" should not be a big concern. Hair grows back." :-)
Best wishes,
Carole
Hey Pat,
They just told me that I can get either coils or clipping. Now I just have to decide what's best for me. I'm petrified of clipping, so of the two evils, coiling sounds a little more comfortable. I see the coiling Dr. Friday so I'll have a clear picture of both surgeries. Sorry for the delayed response, this all has moved way too slowly for my taste!!
Kelly
thanks so much for your feedback Sue!! I love your candor!! You sound like you have a very healthy and happy attitude! That's my goal also when all is said and done!
Hey Carole,
No problem, I figured it out right away!! LOL! Thanks for your feedback. You made me laugh about the wig from 1969!
They just told me I could get the coiling yesterday so I'm now weighing my options!!
Thanks again! Kelly
Hi A...
It is wonderful you to have the Gamma Knife alternative...that must be fairly new?
Prayers for continuing good results...
Pat
Hi Pat,
I did a bit of research and here is what I found:
"Published reports indicate that the Gamma KnifeĀ® may be used as an alternative to standard neurosurgical operations or as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of residual or recurrent lesions left unresected by conventional surgery. Radiosurgery can be especially useful for those patients who are not suitable for standard surgical techniques due to illness or advanced age. In many neurosurgical cases, the Gamma KnifeĀ® is the only feasible treatment.
Conditions for which the Gamma KnifeĀ® is considered most effective are:
- Intracranial tumors such as acoustic neuromas, pituitary adenomas, pinealomas, craniopharyngiomas, meningiomas, chordomas, chondrosarcomas, metastases and glial tumors.
- Vascular malformations including arteriovenous malformations.
- Functional disorders such as trigeminal neuralgia and obsessive-compulsive disorder."
Unfortunately, it's not applicable for aneursym surgery. :-( But, for those who recently posted in the discussion about "residual" issues, the Gamma Knife (GK) may be a really good option for you.
Carole
Carole,
Thanks so much for this for everyone. I was aware of GK for cancers; not for the others.
Pat
I just had an aneurysm clipped behind my left eye ā by Dr. Tamargo at Johns Hopkins. He was fabulous and I am four weeks post op with no side effects. He and his team are amazing and will take good care of you. He kept telling me he thought I would do very well and frankly, Iām surprised myself at how well Iām doing. Good luck with your second opinion. Will be keeping you in my thoughts!
Hi Kelly. I am weighing in late here, but here is my 2 centsā worth 
Yes, get a secong opinion
Ask both First and Second specialists what options there are and why they suggest Option X, Y or Z.
W 