Hello all!
I am new here and have a recently, incidentally, discovered 3 mm wide necked annie on right ICA. I have discussed options with my neuro which is in my case most likely watching or coiling with stenting. I am 50 and have two kids. I have been a smoker between 15-30 and after that a recreational smoker. As soon as I knew about the possible aneurysm I quit totally. But how much damage is already done? I also decreased coffee intake as I get really pumped up on too much coffee. Although my diagnosis isnât really a high risk one, I still am terrified and get afraid especially when I live alone with my kids (every other week, when I am not living with my partner). I donât have high blood pressure and no family history of SAH. I know it is a low risk but then you read long term studies that speek of quite high risks even with small aneurysms. I think I will start with watching and waiting to first determine if it grows or not and then take it from there. But I really do not know what to do. And if I wait, I want to live my life without being afraid of straining myself, sneezing, drinking, sexual activity for example. If I cantât live my life Iâd rather take the risk with treatment. But there seem to be so little research about trigger factors unfortunately. Anyone here with a small aneurysm and relatively low risk factors that still chose to do coiling (or even clipping) and what was your reason for that decision?
Any small input is deeply appreciated. I feel that family and close ones can not really get how this feels. I think most people would think that the chance of getting hit by a car for example would be greater. But even if the risk is low you will always have this risk present all the time, right there in your brain.
I had a ruptured aneurysm 02/09/12. Two more unruptured ones were discovered. The ruptured one and one of the unruptured ones were coiled. The other was so small it received no treatment. In August 2013 I had to have both of the treated ones treated with more coils again. Since that time there have been no changes in the 2 unruptured ones. Two years ago the ruptured one looked like it was growing but nit enough to treat. One year later no changes at all in any of them. I even got put on the 2 year plan for checkups. This was great news as I had been going every 6 mos-1year since the rupture. Keep us posted on how you are doing. ~ myra
Wow, thatâs quite a different story than mine! I am glad to hear it turned out the way it did. Of course every story is different and I am more lucky than many others but still, the uncertainty is frustrating, and also not knowing the future, i e what approach to take, treatment or watching. Thank you for the input
I have been part of the watch & wait crew for 5yrs. I have a 2.4 mm unruptured ICA at the level of Opthalmalic Artery. I am 40 & have 2 young children. Unless someone is in a similar situation, they can not even begin to understand the internal emotional struggle. My aneurysm shows up on the MRA but not the CTA. I have always been too afraid to have an angiogram. I am going to the Mayo Clinic this month for a 2nd opinion. When you read about vessel wall thickness vs aneurysm size it causes even more anxiety. I am hoping my upcoming visit will more clearly explain my options. I will keep you posted. My thoughts & prayers are w/ you.
Thank your for sharing and input! So you still feel anxiety after 5 years waiting? I am also afraid of catheter angiogram but at the same time I would like to get a more detailed view of my aneurysm. I guess the wise thing to do for me is also watch and wait but it goes against your instincts not to act if somethingâs wrong with your body. My neuro will call any day now and check if I want to go for coiling or not but of course I could wait and se first if there is any growth. Regarding vessel wall thickness vs size: could you perhaps point me to an article on this? And plese do keep me updated
I have had 2 angiograms - piece of cake - the only thing they didnât tell me was that I would have to actually wait at the hospital for 4 hours after the procedure - I thought I could do bed rest at home. The first was done at the time of my SAH - bilateral coiling - in January. (Had no clue there was anything wrong with me) The 2nd was done after a CT showed normal results. The only thing I will tell anyone that no one tells you until it happens to you is that if you have an SAH, that blood has to go somewhere. It goes right down your spinal column to your tailbone and it hurts like you wouldnât believe for about a month or so. Good luck and God bless
Thank you for sharing! I guess having had a SAH puts everything in perspective. Glad to hear you seem ok. I am leaning towards doing an angiogram since it seem to get a much better picture of smaller anuerysms especially. There are cases were a 3 mm aneurysms turned out being 5 mm. Depends on the CT scanner too, state of the art scanners might give nearly as good image as 3DRA. The tiny risk is perhaps worth the information I could add to the decision wether to treat or observe.
I was very, very lucky and blessed. Someone was right there with me when it happened. It was scary, they keep you for observation for 14 days and I was out of work for two months but I think Iâm okay - lol. Iâm back at work full time with very few residuals. I donât trust my memory all of the time and the occasional flashing lights but very lucky. Good luck and God bless - let me know how it turns out.
I apologize for my delayed response. I have actually had my visit at the Mayo Clinic. I did not have to have an angiogram nor did the Neurologist at Mayo recommend it. She reviewed all of my CTAâs & MRAâs while I was sitting there. I for the 1st TIME in 5yrs was shown the aneurysm & explained in detail the risks of having one!!! I do have the a very small 2.4mm aneurysm that is apparently common in women my age. It is not likely that I was born with it but it developed. I have actually had it since at least 2010 not 2013 when it was first labeled as a âslight outpouching.â The image quality was not as clear back then but she & I both were able to see it when comparing it to more recent studies. I am glad I did not know about it in 2010 or I would not have had anymore children. The aneurysm is basically unchanged for the last 8yrs. The chance of rupture is minimal. They have decided to repeat my MRA every 2 yrs vs every year. I am very pleased with my visit. Has definitely helped my anxiety! God is Goodđ
As far as vessel wall thickness, I can not recall the specific article. It is referring to how thin certain parts of the vessel wall becomes over time even if the size is not changing. After asking my Neurologist about it, it is more of a concern for odd shaped aneurysms.
If you are confident in your dr & what you are being told is his/her treatment plan then that is great! I am a believer in a second opinion (esp in a potentially life threatening diagnosis). Some doctors will even dismiss a patient from their practiceđ I was informed that some drs would choose to do surgery on my aneurysms even though they usually wait until it is about 7mm.
I pray everything goes well for you! Please keep us updatefđ
Oh that is good news! I am happy for you! And your story and the information you share are very encouraging! My neuro will call me on monday and I will ask her if she thinks an angiogram will give more info than the MRA and CTA. I know at least that she thinks it looks quite modest but since it is wide necked and small and a coiling would need stenting I am a bit concerned and would like to have the patience and nerves to just wait and watch. I really hope I can stop thinking about it all the time. But you inspired me, thank you!
