Sandra, welcome! I concur with @Peter, staying calm is one thing we need to learn to do. My form of meditation is to play with the dogs, do yard work and generally piddle about as I call it. I also do a type of deep breathing exercises that I learned decades ago all the time. When and if you practice deep breathing all the time, it just becomes part of you and the benefits are great! YouTube has a plethora of different ways, try one that works for you. If I remember correctly, Peter has posted such videos here for our group. You can start by doing the search with the magnifying glass.
Fear of the unknown gets us every time doesn’t it? I had zero knowledge about cerebral aneurysms until after I ruptured. I count all our members very lucky indeed when they get an incidental find. Trust me, it is better to have an incidental find than finding out about them after they rupture.
What I have learned over the years is that getting on the Google can not only be confusing, but downright scary at times. Most of us get lost in the medical jargon unless we are fortunate to have training in it. Sometimes we go to just “regular folk” to get their stories and they can be the same as the internet.
It’s good to learn their lingo. Start with the Circle of Willis Circle of Willis - Wikipedia
I also found this study at one of my go to sites Unruptured Paraclinoid Carotid Aneurysms Occur More Frequently in Younger Ages - PMC)%20of%20the%20intracranial%20ICA. I’ve learned the Japanese have more aneurysms per capita than other countries
This one explains fetal (I believe it means it didn’t form exactly like it should have before we were born, I’m definitely not a doctor I do have a fetal like artery per my images.)It also shows the Circle of Willis on a cadaver brain, which makes it better in my mind to really see where it is. Be warned for, some it may be gross. A Fetal-type Variant Posterior Communicating Artery and its Clinical Significance - PMC A Fetal-type Variant Posterior Communicating Artery and its Clinical Significance - PMC
When I was getting all my angiograms, I learned both my right femoral artery and radial artery are tortuous, it means squiggly. My left femoral isn’t as bad as the right
Get your list of questions written down so you don’t forget when you see both your Neurologist and the Neurosurgeon. DO NOT shake your head in agreement if you don’t understand what the doctor is saying. I just ask them to dumb it down as my degree certainly wasn’t medicine. We would also ask family and friends if they had any questions and those would get added to our list. They sometimes think of things BH and I haven’t so I view them as a great resource. Have the doctors clarify everything. I used to write down my questions and then I went to using my phone. The first time. I handed my phone to my Neurosurgeon, she didn’t answer in complete sentences and we were lost. We had to stop her and all had a good laugh about it. Also take someone you trust with you for not only the much needed support, but it will give you a chance to discuss the appointment afterwards. They might also be able to take notes. Hopefully they are better at note taking than BH🤣. Now I send in my questions through my portal prior to an appointment. Ms. Ryann (NP) goes through and answers them as well as discusses them with Dr. Quintero-Wolfe my Neurosurgeon. I get the answers back through my portal and they become part of my medical record. If you can send in your questions through your portal, that may give you and your specialist an advantage, it also reduces the appointment time greatly.
I always write too much. Remember to breathe deep and slow. Focus on positives as they often bring about positives in our life. Remember that we are always here for you!
