Hi tea1204,
I have the same kind of aneurysm - it was discovered by accident over a year ago when looking for something else in another part of my head. I was so scared for many months. Then I had an angiogram (in addition to the two MRIs I’d already had), and was told that mine was just outside of the brain covering so even if it did burst it would not kill me. I was so relieved. It was 5mm with a wide neck back then. I go in for another MRI in January. I’m told that if it gets bigger they will do something about it - probably some sort of stent or diverter. Dr. Kim at Harborview in Seattle is my neurosurgeon. I don’t have any symptoms now but he said if I do have headaches and double vision and blood in my eye then it means it has either burst or is bigger and pushing on opthalmic nerve. So I am still nervous about it all but at least I don’t have to worry (too much) about possibly dying at any moment. Hang in there and keep us posted on your progress!
Hey guys, well a situation changed a bit, now i have to go through stent assisted coilling. Aneurysm is 7 mm they said with wide neck and because of that i have to have stent put in. I will be on plavix 75 and aspirin 100mg. Is there any stories about successful stent with coils? i will open new topic also just to hear some stories before my procedure as i am extremly scared and anxious. I really want to be over with this. It is on my mind 24/7 and has such a bad impact on my life. They’ve said procedure will be done in about a month but with covid you never know. Thanks for replies.
Thanks for the update! I will hopefully be getting my stent(s) soon. From what Dr. Quintero-Wolfe has told us, there is a new stent that came out last year that WFBH has had very successful results. Prior to this new stent, I have not been a candidate due to the location of my ruptured aneurysm. This is great news and I really appreciate the folks who designed and developed it to say the least!
Please keep updating us
It was a little rough. They did not give me anything to help keep me calm and when we went into the room it was so overwhelming with all the machines and instrument tables I started crying. Anyway, I was awake during the procedure. They went in through the top of my hand near my wrist. It was uncomfortable, but I was able to get through. The aneurysm was smaller than the MRI and MRA indicated, so for now we will be monitoring it. They measured it at 3.0 x 3.4 x 3.9 and the MRI showed 5.2, so it was about 2mm difference in size. The neurosurgeon told me angiograms are the gold standard for true measurements.
Yes ma’am, they need you awake so you can follow their directions, I used to fall asleep all the time. Now they use less of everything. I’m really glad it’s not as big as the MRA suggested and they will continue monitoring your aneurysm. That’s good news! When is your next MRA?
In one year, so we will see how it goes.
I just had a stent put in on Friday, they knocked me out extremely well. I don’t recall ever having had such a high dose of pain medication or anesthesia. The last thing I remember was teasing my Neurosurgeon on what took her so long, we had been waiting. I don’t remember her answer. ROFLOL
Hi tea1204,
I’m sorry I’m a bit late to the party. I only discovered this platform recently (so happy I did).
My story is very similar to yours. I was in the middle of writing my Masters thesis when out of nowhere they found a 16mm aneurysm. I had to get the angiogram and surgery for coiling pretty quick (thankfully I live in a country where all of this can be done within a month or two). I was only in hospital for 4 days and although it was a lot to take in, I was fine in the end. My professor didn’t even grant me an extension on my thesis! So it was all pretty stressful. But I found it helped me to focus on Uni and keep on writing and researching.
All of this to let you know you are going to be fine and your Masters can either be a nice distraction or it can wait until you feel like doing it.
Good luck!
Welcome Sar! I’m glad you found us and I look forward to the support you can provide!
All the best,
Moltroub
I really dislike angiograms! I had my fourth one done last Wednesday it was my worst. They had to get some extra picture, smh. I’m preparing for my brain surgery on Feb 5. The doctor said he needed 3D film so he can prepare for how he was going to clip it.
Hope all goes well with your surgery!
All the best,
Moltroub