Please know you are not alone…I am almost a year out from a pipeline stent placed in my RCA behind my right eye. I read your post and I can completely feel/felt everything you are going through. My journey began over 2 years ago when I had a thunderclap headache that sent me to the ER 911 and after a one week stay, they found a 4mm annie. After a year of watching it, they found in an updated scan it was now 7mm with 4mm nipple. It flipped my world upside down, I became quiet and my husband became neurotic about every move I made, It had been like that when we were watching it, but it magnified now that I needed surgery, it didn’t help that I would need to wait to be tested for medals and try blood thinners to prep me for surgery.
I to have children, 7. (36-9 with 5 grandchildren) I felt the same thoughts, who would take care of them, how would this change me. I can tell you is gets better, I feel blessed that they found it! The surgery was the easy part. As I write this and as you will read in post everyone’s post, recovery is different. You will have your own story. But I think it is important to hear, I know it helped me, to know you are not crazy with how you are feeling because, to be honest, the surgeons are not great at the recovery piece so if you can find a good neurologist that can help if you do have headaches and issues you will be ahead of the game. I did not have one post-surgery and was bounced around the Penn system for months until I found one.
I will write this not to scare, but to be honest with my story, others as you will read come out without any issues at all. Post-surgery I woke up with facial numbness around my mouth and right check, they rushed me to the scanner and found nothing. They believe the stent is pushing on a nerve and it will go away with time. I now get it on and off mostly with motion and head positions. The biggest problem I had post-surgery is headaches (pressure) they have gotten better, I saw multiple doctors and all of them had lists of drugs to try, injections, etc. I tried some but nothing helped, I finally saw one that said, that was nothing they knew that worked and told me to try mediation and a combination of gabapentin and diet changes. It has helped (his honesty was the best medicine), 8 months in they are getting better, I only have difficult days when the weather is changing (barometric changes), you will see that a lot in the posts.
As for post personality changes. I was very sleepy at first, now every once in a while I will get so tired out of the blue nothing works to help me keep awake. My husband will tell you and to be honest I am a little more short-tempered and forgetful. But remember they put something in our brains, it needs time to heal. And on that …give yourself time to process all of this…give yourself time to heal !!! I am still learning this. I had my first follow-up scan and everything looks great, It does not mean you won’t worry, you have to take your medications (blood thinners and ASA) you have to take care of yourself and do the follow-up tests. I wish you the best of luck, I hope to see a post from you post-surgery that you doing great.
My annie was diagnosed May 20th, 2012.
They took me into surgery the same day. It couldnt afford to wait. I don’t remember any of this. My husband had to tell me. They coiled my anuerysm by going thru my groin, then it ruptured during the procedure.
I was in ICU for 4 days after. 23 days total in the hospital. I suffered massive migraines for months thereafter, but came out of this with no neurological damage. Memory is my main issue. Short term memory. I remember things before my anuerysm, but after is difficult. I am a note taker now with post its everywhere.
I am thankful to be alive with so little issues. I went in 1x a year for my angio for 5 years. In 2017 I was told I could wait 5 years for my next one.
I still suffer from migraines but not nearly as often as the 1st year afterwards.
I’m very nearly two years out from endovascular coiling and pipeline on an unruptured aneurysm. It’s totally normal to feel scared, nervous, and depressed by this, but take heart that many have got through this before and there is a high chance of a long and normal life afterwards. I felt the same as you (time bomb etc) and to be honest I didn’t feel I could truly start to move on with my life until by 6 month checkup to verify all went well. Regarding your husband’s reaction: I think this is common too. It must be hard for a spouse to relate to the emotions going on inside you, especially as you show no outward signs of this medical issue.
August 8th is not long to wait. So: rest, meditate, sleep. If you have a similar surgery to mine you will find recovery to be just a little challenging. You can live through this.
Try not to worry! There have been spectacular advances in brain surgery and the Lahey Clinic is right at the top of their game. Your husband’s reaction may be pure, unexpressed fear that he will be alone. He’s worried too. I will try to answer your questions.
•Can anyone tell me how they felt post-op? Headaches? etc. I had a ruptured aneurysm and a craniotomy, but I can say headaches lasted for a while, especially when I was tired. I had a hard time sleeping for the first few months. Lying on the side is the way I always slept and I had to learn to sleep in a different position. I was in a recliner for the first weeks.
•How soon did you return back to work? I infuriated my husband by insisting going to work after 4 weeks. I had a 14 month old and a 9 year old. He didn’t think I could do it, but I did. I was so afraid I had some brain damage but the surgeon said the worst thing you could do is not exercise your brain with taking, reading and being stimulated. I was exhausted at the end of the day, but it got better over time. I had a right brain aneurysm. Those with left Brain aneurysms might have more trouble with reading, and I was an editor. I was lucky it was on the right side and lucky that in my job I sat down all day. If you have to lift things, you might have problems, since there are usually limits on lifting or straining.
•How long were you in hospital for? I was in the ICU for a week, but I had a ruptured aneurysm and craniotomy, so you are in better shape than I was at the beginning.
•Anyone have any personality changes? Hard to answer. I was more passive than I was before the aneurysm, probably because of the exhaustion. Certainly not more angry or impatient, if that’s your concern, but probably quieter. I didn’t like being in crowds or chaos and I still don’t. I was always on the go before the aneurysm, and I slowed down for sure. My husband wasn’t with me for most of the hospitalization, because of caring for the kids too. Take notes when the surgeons talk, so you can share the news and info.
I know it doesn’t feel like you are lucky, but finding them before they ruptured is a blessing. Going to a great hospital, rather than a local emergency room is a blessing. Being able to treat them without opening your skull, as I did, is a blessing. Wishing you all the best!
Hi Nelly, Martin here!
First an foremost CHILL!
I have 5 of these things the largest being 12.5mm, two of them have been coiled and stented, one was opthalmic and the other Basilar.
The coiling is a painless proceedure with no side effects, headaches etc.
You go in, go to sleep, waken up and job done, no side effects at all!
My other 3 are untreated, as they require open brain surgery to fix them and I am not going there.
Mine were diagnosed about 5 years ago, an incidental finding when I went for a scan for a back issue and they did a brain scan at the same time.
My life has not changed one iota since the diagnosis, I have no symptoms at all, so nothing has changed in my life at all!
I guess just like you the biggest issue was “what now” well once you get you head around it all you will understand what they are and what are the risks.
From the info you have given yours are considered very small in medical terms and as such are low risk, so as I say CHILL.
Before you know it, you will go in, go to sleep, waken up and job done with no side effects, I have talked many people here in the UK through what you are going through and you know what, they all came through it hassle free and thankful for my comments and input.
My advice is stop worrying, be happy for your kids and husband and trust me you will laugh about why you worried in the first place, after the 8th.
Be happy and the family will be happy and there is nothing to worry about, trust me I am not a doctor but just someone who has been there and am still wearing the T Shirt!
Regards Martin.
Ps: If you have any more questions and wish to contact me direct, do so at martinconnolly77@yahoo.co.uk
Hello Nelly,
I can imagine how scary it must be knowing what is going on with you ahead of time. I had no advance warning.
In 2007 my aneurysm ruptured during work and I had an unbearable headache. I drove home after work and the next morning my husband found me unconscious. They helicoptered me to the hospital in Gainesville and I will be forever thankful for the surgeon who saved me. The first several days I cannot remember at all but gradually my memory returned and they had me exercise to get my physical movements back. My hospital stay lasted 1 month and it took another 2 month doing some work from home until I could go back.
Despite all that I have only positive feelings about this whole time (I know that sounds strange) because of the continuous improvements I felt and all the support I received from family and the company I worked for, especially the CEO, who came to visit me in the hospital almost daily.
I did have to go back for 2 more surgeries because my body rejected the plastic tubing that drains the brain fluid to the abdomen through the coil. This is only for the initial stages but usually never gets removed to avoid further surgery.
Knowing your diagnosis ahead of times also has its benefits since you can prepare yourself and also make sure you have the very best medical treatment, but of course it also creates a lot of anxiety. I also felt at times that my husband did not show as much concern as he should but then realized that he was really more scared than me and just could not express it.
I wish you all the best for your surgery and a very quick recovery!
Would it help if your husband was able to go to a dr appointment with you to speak with the dr? The dr could explain to him that while it is a blessing that the aneurysms were found it is still very serious. Coiling is the least invasive of the ways to fix aneurysms but it is again going in your brain. I hope you get the support you need from your spouse. I had an aneurysm rupture 02/09/12. While they were repairing it with coiling an unruptured one was discovered and coiled. Since that time I’ve had a couple more coilings done and a few eye surgeries to remove the blood from inside my head after the rupture. I don’t think I would have recovered as good or fast as I did without the encouragement from my spouse.
Hi, Nelly. I’m 39 and had coils done for one aneurysm about 4 weeks ago. I’m scheduled to fix another one on 8/5 but they don’t know if it will be a stent or more coils.
I reacted much the same way you did receiving the news about the “time bomb”. There are very knowledgeable people on here. And the number of people on here willing to share advice serves to show that we are not such a rarity. It helps me just knowing there are so many survivors out there; especially the ones that survived ruptures. It’s hard to believe it but you and I are fortunate!
For me, the side effects were very minimal for the coiling. I had minor head aches off and on for a couple weeks and they were nothing an Advil couldn’t handle. Aside from having to spend a night in the hospital, it was really easy. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
I hope I’ve eased your nerves a bit. Several folks on here came to my rescue when I was first diagnosed. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Wow TJ , I genuinely appreciate ur honesty. Thank u for that. I do have a few headaches now, nothing too major but they’re there. I have found my Neurosurgeon and he’s awesome. I’m definitely blessed. Does everyone have to take Blood thinners after surgery? I think thats a question I need to write down to ask wen I see him next month.
U take care if urself as well. Thank u again.
I will definitely keep everyibe posted during post op.
Kate Thank u for taking the time to reply to my questions. Glad to hear that ur on the mend and doing well so far. Yea hopefully at some po7nt my husband will cone around. I hope it is wat ur saying and he’s just a little nervous too.
Thank u again for ur kind words and ir awesome advice. I will do my best to keep everyone posted post surgery. 
Lol Lol Lol, May I say Martin u zound just like my uncle. He talks just like u. He’s been telling me “Nelly relax and let te Drs do their jobs”. I appreciate ur honest statements.
Thank u for the laugh! Will definitely keep in touch.
Thank u for ur message Myra.
Because we live in Bermuda and I have to fly to Boston to have my surgery, he’s unable to come since he’ll be home with our kids. I wish he could come for that exact reason. I will pray for ur continued healing. Thank u again.
As you can tell, this site is very supportive. I was 65 when my aneurysm was accidentally discovered. Like you, I didn’t like knowing that it could rupture at any time. I had a open craniotomy coiling procedure on a Tuesday, lost total memory of Wednesday (but my family says I was conversing just fine), walked outside the hospital on Thursday, and went home on Friday. Because I lived 3+ from the hospital, I elected to stay in San Francisco after surgery. Saturday night I went to the movies, Sunday I went shopping, and every day I walked more than a mile to Starbucks (a girl needs her latte)! I went back to work and the gym and had NO lingering side effects. I’m now 70 and living a happy, full life still going to Starbucks and the gym everyday. You’ve got this!
The only other piece of advice is to remember you have a non-ruptured Annie. The ones with ruptured Annie’s are a totally different situation and their problems much more difficult.
Nancy
This picture is me less than a week after my surgery.
Hi Nelly and welcome! I’ve been amazed by the outpouring of encouragement from the people on this site.
I wanted to add my voice to those who have encouraged you to have positive thoughts about your husband’s reaction to all this. The thought of possibly being left without you and with the entire responsibility of raising 4 kids being on his shoulders may have him unable to respond to you in a caring manner. He may not be able to even give this possibility the benefit of rational thought. Men don’t often do well with emotional issues; simply suppressing their reactions until there is something they can actually do. I can tell you that I never would have thought it would be my husband who would spend 28 days with me in the hospital, about 12 hours per day. When I was released he had to sign that I would have 24 hour per day care, which he took to heart. For the first 3 weeks I was home he barely slept, making certain that I didn’t walk without him being at my side. He retired from his job, did all the cooking and animal care and five years later he still considers “caregiver” his job description. Men can surprise you!
I doubt that you will experience any pain from the procedure nor any side effects beyond grogginess from anesthesia.
One little surprise I had was losing a significant amount of hair at the back of my head from the fluoroscopy used to visualize the brain during the coiling. My doctors said they didn’t know anything about that, but people here may differ in that opinion. Anyway, it grows back.
Best wishes for a non-eventful coiling.
Jackie J
Hi Nelly:
I am 10 years post platinum filled aneurysms (one behind each eye). My doctor is a Neuro-Radiological Interventionist…in other words, he operates on the brain for aneurysms and strokes. He went up my femoral artery to my aneurysms and filled them with platinum so that they would not erupt. I had 3 surgeries over six weeks because my brain swelled after the first operation. After the operations, I did have frequent headaches and needed to rest a lot. I also experienced “flooding” (here is a link to what flooding is —- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M7VEuMNgQSU
I was lucky that my husband and children was supportive as it took me about 2 years to start feeling “normal” whatever that was. All I can tell you is that if you have faith in your doctor, all should be ok. Just be careful of too much pain meds and not to rely on them…try more holistic approach and be kind to yourself first because your post-norm may be different than now so be patient. Best of luck and a speedy recovery…take one step ata time😊
Hi Nellie,
Your diagnosis sounds quite similar to mine, although there is a big age difference. I am 73, so you could expect even better results than I had. About the diagnosis I experienced: first an accidentally discovered approximately 3mm aneurysm, then further MRA’s & angiogram and then there were 2. One actually 7.3 mm and a second (new) one 3 mm. June 2018 I had the endovascular coil embolization on the large one at Mt. Sinai NY. The procedure went very smoothly, in spite of the difficult location of the aneurysm. There was some trouble at the puncture site (groin) so I had to stay a few extra days. Yes, the headache was rough. Must have been about 24 hours. Dark room, low noise, thoughtful (great) nurses. Someone found me an eye mask - essential. Fairly normal activity after two weeks, but some thought processes were a little slower, short term memory losses, some word retrieval. I am a writer and there was some difficulty converging and synthesizing ideas or data. In conversation, pretty much normal.
Now, one year out, I feel much more myself. A friend said that after you recover from a major surgery, you recover, but are not quite the same person. I think that is a fair statement, and not necessarily negative. Two nurses I met socially after the surgery told me emphatically how brave and smart I was to do the procedure. Said outright: It saved your life! Another said that I had been given a second chance. (Since I, too, have experienced depression much of my adult life, I wasn’t sure how to take that!) I eventually decided that was a good thing,
And, yes, my husband seemed not really tuned in before or after the surgery. I know he was concerned and assume that he just wasn’t able to verbalize. My adult kids were my touchstones, my rocks. Try to have someone you know who can reassure you to be there in the aftermath of the surgery. It definitely gets better : )
All best wishes, Carol
Hi Nelly I understand your concern as do we all in this group . I had 2 cerebral aneurysms diagnosed in 2011 both front lobal one on each side .My first was clipped on the 10th May 2011 and as they opened my skull it ruptured so another neurosurgeon called in .I to their surprise came through although I wasn’t keen on the 40 staples across my head ,I was released from hospital 7 days later but had to have the other side clipped on the 19th July 2011 ,8 years ago tomorrow .I was released 7 days later with another 40 plus staples.
I have very vague memories for about 3 months and my short term memory not great . Sadly yes I have changed and my adult children turned their back on me but that was after developing epilepsy grand mal seizures I think. I suffer headaches but my Neuro thinks migraines and I have MRI’s every now and then .
I also suffer fatigue and really avoid huge crowds but I think that is also the epilepsy. My concentration is awful but you know at the end of the day I am alive sadly many aren’t .
If I ever have another one I would have it coiled but no way to anymore clippings as very overwhelming and twice lucky is enough.
Please don’t be frightened think of your family .
Much Love from an Australian ⚘
Hi, I’m Jo. After the birth of my fourth child 23 years ago after seeing many doctors I was diagonised with a posterior communicating aneurysm. Behind right eye. I had a craniotomy and aneuryism clipped. 17 years later I had a subrachnoid haemorrhage and interventricular haemorrhage and hydrocephalus. Apparently a new aneuryism grew on the clip. Long recovery but back in work full time. 3 years after I needed coiling done again in same site and a stent placed. They also found a new one on my carotid artery. I had stent placed on that 6 months after coiling on first. I am under Walton Neuro hospital in Liverpool who are fantastic. Now the issues you have on coiling. Any brain surgery is a minefield but coiling is for a neurovascular surgeon very straight forward. Have they offered you stents as well. This seems to be the way forward on not needing further coiling in the years to come. Worth asking. You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t a mixture of nerves and overwhelming emotions. My neurovascular nurse Kathy always says to me my biggest problem is I look fine. So as for people not realising your medical needs, please don’t be afraid to ask for help explain your fatigue explain your anxiety shout if you have to. I brought up 4 children on my own and have always worked but at 54 I am realising I’m not super human I should of asked for more help I should of been in support groups. I should, I should. Be honest. Try mindfulness exercises for the wait. You will get through this. Listen to your body if you need to rest, rest. I know the demands of children but you have needs and they need you. Sending you strength compassion and understanding xxx xxx
Nelly, you are getting a lot of wonderful support from the fantastic people here.
I ruptured and had complications so I was in ICU for 26 days. My headaches lasted a couple of years or so. Now I hardly get them, I’ve been coiled three times for my one aneurysm, it’s complicated. For the last two coilings, I was in ICU for an overnight stay. During the long ICU stay, a young Dietician came and told me to get 90 grams of protein in each day and stay hydrated. My Neurosurgeon had me drinking a lot of Gatorade, 3 of the big bottles every day.
I just realized I answered your questions, sorry…so let me focus this time on your husband. I’m pretty sure he is frightened as much as you. Men have a different way of expressing their emotions. Working with boys for many years and their male caregivers, I found that if I let them piddle on something, anything, they are better able to communicate. So pick a time he is working on the lawnmower or building something and talk to him then. That way he can stay focused on his task and talk. Don’t try to sit over a cup of tea and discuss emotions, many men just can’t open up that way. Their hands really need to be busy. Even when I was a kid, my Dad and I had the best conversations when we were cleaning stalls or changing the oil on the cars.
At 15, I was hit by a drunk driver on my horse, it was the first time I saw him cry. Other than a split lower lip, I looked fine. Dad didn’t talk about his fears for a few years. When I ruptured, they came twice. They demanded more of me when I was released. They did babysit me as I wasn’t allowed to be left alone.
We had lost my brother who was 3 years older a few years before I ruptured, they couldn’t handle the mere thought of losing another child. That brother was a Marine, he and his buddies beat my Dad to where I was hit, they ran, Dad drove. My brother didn’t talk about his fear until we were working on his old Triumph2A, about a year after my accident.
So give him time and wait til his hands are busy. It may seem he is ignoring you but my guess is the same as some others have said, he is very afraid of losing you.