just gonna try to be as brief as possible. I has a series of TIA's back in 2006 and had 3 stents put in my carotid artery for a preyty large tear I had, since then have had once a year visit for sonograms. 2 weeks ago I was in a car accident and had an MRA/MRI to check stents and my Neurologist ordered an angio. After the procedure my neurologist came out and told us my stents were open and he would like me to see his partner another neurosurgeon about the 3mm aneurism behind my right eye that he said was there 7 years ago but I had more pressing issues at the time. I was never told about this before so Im a bit nervous. I wont go in to see this Dr. for 5 weeks.
wow Jen! me again!!lol i see your finding your way around the site - good job!! i can't believe they dumped on you like that-what did they say?? oh by the way theres a 7 yr old anuerysm that we sidestepped?? wow am i reading this correctly?-- i guess think positive -5 weeks is not that long as compared to the 7 yrs & if they aren't worried then neither should you- so hang in there, i'm hoping the others will give more advice. I'm thinking second opinion but that will probably take even longer??? anyone else agree? please don't hold back with disagreeing tho i'm really not qualifyed since i had an emergency sah type. looking forward to more discussion! Take care Jen! our thoughts & prayers are with you & i'm so glad you found the site-you are not alone!!
Thanks for the prayers Ron and yes apparently I’ve had this for 7 years and am just hearing about it! I guess your right, what’s 5 more weeks but the anxiety still follows this news.
Hey Jen, that is amazing they never informed you about the “other” aneurysm! Wow, I think I might agree with Ron, a 2nd opinion perhaps? Man, that is really out of left field–I can’t imagine the shock you must have felt upon hearing that.
This site is a wealth of information with a lot of folks who’ve “been there”, and everyone is super helpful! Glad you’re here, and prayers to you !
Thank you Janet, you are right and my husband and I were very amazed after the shock wore off. The excuse that I had more pressing issues at the time doesn’t excuse the 7 years that have gone by and we just found out. I think I may just get a second opinion .
lol- i refreshed page and waaala you & janet replied already!!! im glad to hear i processed that correctly- thanks for saying Jen & Janet!! And yes no wonder for your anxiety, have a great day!
Hi Joe, exactly what I’m doing…signed for my records on Friday cause like I said I think my husband and I were a little shocked when we were told this. I have so many questions now but guess they’ll have to wait till my appointment or get as many answers as I can from my records when there ready. Thanks and hugs right back!
Once they know you have an aneurysm...from that point on it seems like forever until one sees a Neurosurgeon...I am sorry you have to wait so long Jen...it seems to be the norm...try and keep it positive...and I will send positive vibes your way ~ Colleen
Jen where do you live? (I’m assuming the U.S?) Yes, a 2nd opinion is a definate “Yes” (My husband was shocked when I told him your situation–1st thing he countered with was : “Not only does she need a 2nd opinion, but she needs an attorney too!” (You know that is really scary–obviously you know that-- How many other people have been treated by the same doctors…? My God and with what outcomes?? )
Your Health is the utmost of importance Jen, get those records and get out of the reach of what sound like not super competent doctors…there are so many excellent Neurosurgeons out there, I hate to say it but they sound pretty uncaring or…careless?
Janet, I live in Pa. I agree its careless of him to wait all this time to tell me as if it were not a big deal. I was reading the results of the angio just now and maybe you can explain this to me, it says at the end of the report " it should be noted that aneurysms 3mm may not be entirely excluded." Can’t wrap my brain around what this means!
(PS) Don’t mean to talk down or be negative about the two docs who’ve been treating you, but Jen thats one of the oddest and one of the most chilling stories I’ve ever read relating to an aneurysm ! Great idea to get all your records, and ofcourse all your imaging results–they’ll be good to have if you go to the ER, (It worked wonders for me at least)–Prayers to you and your husband!
Janet
Thank you Janet and you and your family are in my prayers. I’m glad I found this group of caring people… hard to find in these crazy times we’re in. <3
Humm…I wish I was better at the terminology – occluded/excluded, I can’t really say and give you an honest answer on that one, but this website is decked out with some really terrific members who just might be able to help you out on that one…(wow I’m still just amazed at how ‘off the cuff’ this must’ve been to your ears when this “7 year old” came to light! ) I’ve had some excellent docs but I too have had my lions share of dealing with incompetant quacks as well , and I sure hope you’re able to find another hospital with others who are highly skilled , soon (sooner than 5 weeks)!
Janet it says cannot be entirely excluded and that’s what freaks me out… " can not be entirely" weird huh? Oh well I guess I’ll do some research on a second opinion Dr.
What a shock it must have been for you to hear you had an aneurysm for 7 years that you didn't know about. But, before you get angry with the Docs there are a few things to consider.
1. They got on and dealt with the bigger problem that you had at the time.
2. The small one has been there for more than 7 years and has not ruptured.
3. The one you didn't know about is so small the risk of rupture is probably pretty small. A question for you to ask.
4. there is a possibility they mentioned it to you 7 years ago, but you were so unwell/stressed/had memory problems that it didn't stay in your memory. If they thought you knew they would not have felt the need to tell you again.
5. 7 yrs ago the Docs had concentrated on the problem in hand and had perhaps forgotten about the small one, and it only came to light again because of the improvement in resolution of MRI scanners during that time plus the angio which is even better at seeing the arteries.
I hope you will be able to be calm during the wait to see the neurosurgeon and ask your questions. I suggest you ask what the rupture risk from such a small aneurysm is and, if they are considering a procedure, what the risks of the procedure are. If they recommend a continuing watch and wait you do at least know that it hasn't ruptured in the last 7 years, so as long as it doesn't change in size it is probably not very likely to rupture in the next 7 or so.
…Well, Judith has some reasonable insight no doubt concerning your 7 year old aneurysm…however, I don’t think I could be as calm and cool in my approach as Judith…I still am having a hard time with the fact that they didn’t inform you-(and re-inform you of this if there was a chance–any chance – that that little humdinger had somehow managed to slip by you the 1st time around!) -and I know that If it were me, I’d want to be “in the know” from the starting gate…totally. I think its rather unethical on the side of the doctors to not have made sure you were informed %100, from the start. Talk about the elephant in the room! And considering that the doctor brought up the aneurysm now-- it would seem to me that the aneurysm could now be considered something that needs to be dealt with, hence has grown a bit…(?) I hope you can seek out another opinion soon, Jen…
It was never mentioned in all these years and believe me I would have remembered! I did have extremely pressing issues 7 years ago and I believe that was the least of my Dr.'s worries for at the time I was 39 and a bit of a mystery as to what was wrong with me. Im gonna wait for my appointment and ask questions. After doing a little research I suppose a 3mm isnt that bad especially when its been there for 7 years with no problems.
