Newly diagnosed and spiraling

Hi everyone. I was just diagnosed via CT with contrast scan and I am so scared. I have a 4 mm aneurysm of the left paraclinoid carotid. Found incidentally. Here is the rest of the report:

"INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERIES:

4 x 3 x 3 mm medially-directed aneurysm of the left paraclinoid carotid.

Otherwise normal in course and caliber.

CEREBRAL ARTERIES: Patent and normal in course and caliber.
Near-fetal origin of the right PCA.

VERTEBROBASILAR SYSTEM: Normal in course and caliber.

There is no evidence for vascular malformation or large vessel occlusion."

Of course I’ve googled this and have seen mixed reports. Can anyone let me know if they have also been diagnosed with this type of annie and what your treatments were? Any general advice and support on being newly diagnosed also very welcome. Thank you.

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Hi there and welcome to your new sanctuary. You have great taste choosing to join us here. :slight_smile:

While I am sure that you can and will receive some very helpful insight from some folks who share your condition or similar, I am getting the impression that you, thus far, are only relying on a report from a radiologist re. the incidental find. I encourage you now find and access a competent neurologist, neurosurgeon or interventional neuroradiologist to get their professional opinion. Let that be the center or core of whatever other additional opinions you may want to include. Make sense? Welcome again.

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Hi Peter! Thank you for your warm welcome. Yes, I am waiting to hear from my neurologist and will hopefully have an appointment with a neurosurgeon next week. I appreciate your advice and also helping to calm me a bit. :slight_smile: Trying to stay positive.

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Our feelings almost always emanate from our thoughts and imaginings. And If I prefer to feel a certain feeling (i.e. calmness), I have to generate the thought(s) that accompany that feeling. It has always helped me to remember that.

Let us know how your appointments went, if you would like to share that. It will be easy for us to empathize with you.

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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!

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This is all so helpful. Thank you so much. I met with one neurosurgeon today who wants to do a wait and see approach. I’m not sure how comfortable I feel with that, so will chat with other neurosurgeons this week.Thank you all for your helpful comments and support. It means a lot.

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Hi I have a 4mm mca , I’m on the watch and wait , in from England x

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It’s great you’re going for a second opinion! One of our members posted a video about getting a Neurosurgeon. It was a really good video but I’m having some bad brain days and can’t remember where it is, it was in the couple of months. Maybe it will help you.

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Thank you as always for your kind words. I’ll find that video! :slight_smile:

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Hi! How long have it been watch and wait for you? It seems like a very hard concept for me. How are you doing?

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Hi I have only just found this Annie, I’m feeling great , no symptoms x

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Can I ask where do you live x

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I’m in NY!

hey! I’m in MD near DC. 44, and initial finding Monday 6.3. Neurosurgeon appt tomorrow 6.5. Right cavernous/clinoid ICA 4mm x 3mm (medial) w/vision change. I have a notebook with questions for the visit prepared, and prepped with a family member taking me (who will also take notes). The best advice I can give is STRONGLY advocate for yourself and get that neurosurgery follow up as soon as you can. It sounds from other members’ experiences that’s our next pivotal point to review options and decide on treatment(s).

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Sounds like you’ve done your homework Jen, good for you! Taking someone who takes good notes is fantastic, though I always tell members do not take BH who can’t take a decent not for love nor money. If you make a copy of your questions for your family member, make sure you both have room to write the answers under the questions. We found out if we didn’t then the answers get hard to follow. Also make sure neither of you shake your head in acknowledgment if you don’t know what the doctor is saying. When we do that, they think we understand. Just ask the doctor to dumb it down for you, might have to remind the doc you didn’t major in neurosurgery.

I found this paper on the ICA, you’ll have to scroll down for the cavernous/clinoid area, but the pictures overall are really nice or as the author says “cool” lol they really are cool!

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