Hello!
I am 10 weeks out from pipeline flexshield flow diverter in 7mm PCA non-ruptured and
I don’t have any cognitive or physical issues related to the surgery or aneurysm.
I found the aneurysm bc i was having pulsatile tinnitus and I still have that. Surgery and recovery were much much easier than expected and I couldn’t be more relieved or grateful.
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So true…and frustrating!! My unruptured twin aneurysms were discovered “incidentally” when I went to the ER for vertigo/dizziness. They made me feel like a crazy person or something for coming to the ER, because they never even tried to get to the bottom of my dizzy spells. I said, what about the aneurysms? They said that wouldn’t be the cause. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I still have minor dizzy spells and some balance issues … if you live in the Richmond, Virginia area, steer clear of St. Francis hospital! I’ve been there a few times and I swear I think someone there is going to kill someone through misdiagnosis or neglect one day.
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I had Non-Ruptured I had no symptoms due to our sister who had her rupture myself and my siblings had to be checked . I had four aneurysms and my other siblings each had two . Our children will also have to be monitored . I had pipe line diverters put in three of mine , the fourth was to small so they are just continuing to watch. My youngest sisters who ruptured sadly has gone through the hardest road of all of us and but we are blessed she is alive !!
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I have a MRI schedule for next Monday with Dye and without now they’re checking my spine behind my neck because during the surgery apparently my head was hanging down off the table to do what they had to do so that might have something to do with it I don’t know just frustrated.
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I had a 4.3mm unruptured pericallosal artery aneurysm that was clipped via craniotomy. My doctors were great and I had zero neurological issues afterwards. Recovery was surprising easy and I had minimal pain. In the process of determining treatment, I had 2 diagnostic angiograms - which, in my experience, were worse than the 7 hour surgery. The contrast dye used caused massive pain in my head every time they injected it and I could literally see the arteries in my eyes lighting up. VERY weird experience. I ended up with what felt like a 3-day migraine afterwards, but nothing long-lasting.
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Hi Klunk,
I had both an angiogram and a stent/coil procedure in 2018. I had no effects from the angiogram that I can remember. I had two stents and four coils placed in a bi-lobed ACOM aneurysm. The procedure went rather long. I had a lot of tiredness afterward. My brain seemed to overwhelm easily for a few months. Too much stimuli or too much concentration and I would just shut down. It was weird. It did resolve after a few months. One positive effects was that prior to the procedure I had episodes of left-sided attacks that I always thought of as hemiplegic migraines and those resolved shortly after the procedure. Haven’t had one in over five years now! 
I hope this information helps you.
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Endo vascular coiling saved my life. I had a 33mm, yes that’s correct33mm unruptured aneurysm that was successfully coiled over 3 years ago. Still working recovery but I can drive myself and and pretty normal other that chronic fatigue.
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Last year I was diagnosed with a 6 mm aneurysm after an MRI for pulsatile tinnitus. I opted to have it coiled since I am a worrier and knew it would be difficult for me to know I had an aneurysm. My procedure went surprisingly well with no complications. I have a history of migraines so have had headaches. My new headaches are different and have had 2 MRI’s within the past several months to rule out an aneurysm recurrence. I find that I am more fatigued however, I am 76 years old and had chemo/radiation treatment a couple of years ago. Fatigue may be related to cancer treatment or age.
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In 2012 I had two endovascular surgeries to repair and unruptured 23mm wide necked Annie in the vertebral/basilar area. Also of note, it was in the left vertebral artery, and they said my right vertebral artery either atrophied due to the annie or it was a birth defect, because it was mostly useless. So my one working vertebral artery had a major aneurysm in it. I got PEDs telescoped together (during the first surgery they tried to only use four but had to wheel me back into surgery after imaging showed that they weren’t seated right and added two more; second surgery 9 months later they added another two more), plus coils. After the first surgery I was NOT the same. Zero filter with social settings/people, saying just whatever thoughts and not thinking about them being harsh (this dissipated over time). Aphasia (word finding issues, that have continued to this day). Headaches - gosh were they bad. Felt them pulsing/throbbing exactly where the annie was, no OTC pain meds would help. Had to just sit still and not move. They ended about 6 years post op when I got permission from the neurosurgeon to quit the low dose aspirin (I was trying to deduce causes of my iron deficiency). Memory loss - yes. Lost some old ones and struggle keeping short term memory going. That’s still happening.
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Hello, I’m sorry that you’re on the same journey that many of us have taken. I think you’ll find that although there are some similarities, we all seem to have individual outcomes that are much improved with medical advances. My aneurysm could not be easily treated or clipped, open surgery, due to its location, so I’m grateful that embolization was an option. I know 3 people who’ve experienced an aneurysm and each of their stories are different.
I was treated for an unruptured 22 mm aneurysm in late 2017. I had a pipeline stent and a coil placed. Originally it was just to be the stent, but I think when they got in there, they realized that it was larger than expected so they coiled it as well. My aneurysm is in the right internal cartoid artery and mainly affects my optic nerve. The only symptoms I had were some initial blurred vision, and then later some double vision, only when looking up. Thankfully, I have a friend who is a physician who encouraged me to have an MRI when the double vision showed up, and initial ophthalmologist opinion was that I needed to close one eye to resolve the problem. 
During the procedure, I experienced two small strokes, which don’t seem to have left any lasting impact. The first two years after the procedure, my vision remained the same, the blurriness did go away, but the aneurysm damageed the optic nerve so that my right eye didn’t move quite as freely as it did before, so I still experienced double vision looking up. The only time it really bothered was when I tried to ride my bike.
Two years post procedure, however, I was dealing with a bunch of stress due to a move, changing jobs, and working with a bunch of people who I had to train and didn’t want to learn. 
. I started to notice that things were getting worse with my right eye. I was experiencing some pain, redness, additional vision issues, and some aching that was hard to explain. When I followed up with a neuro ophthalmologist, he was able to compare eye exams that I’d had a year before, that showed no difference, and the new eye exam which showed significant decrease in the movement of my right eye. I was subsequently diagnosed with third nerve palsy and the double vision had become persistent. At the time he referred me to a neuro surgeon, who enthusiastically wanted to try an experimental procedure because they assumed that the aneurysm was bleeding. I listened to that nice internal voice that helped me to find the problem in the first place, and went back to my original neurosurgeon, who performed a diagnostic anagram only to determine the aneurysm is perfectly treated and not bleeding. Thank God.
No one knows exactly why the subsequent nerve damage occurred, they suspect that possibly the coiled aneurysm had become inflamed, potentially during the stressful time and did additional damage to the optic nerve. I now deal with persistent double vision. I did have some vision therapy which didn’t fix anything, but it was incredibly educational because there is an additional disconnect between my two eyes in the way that I process information. It also helped me to learn just how amazing the brain is, because it’s constantly working to help me by deleting part of the double vision that I see when it can. Which explains the fatigue that I feel and the funny pains I get in my head, it appears to be my brain working really hard.
I remained at work for four years after my vision worsened. My job was very visually oriented, problem solving, information processing, high stress and demanding position. After a few years I tried to talk to my managers about reducing my workload, however, it was not something they could accommodate. I switched jobs late last year, thinking that it would be easier, but it ended up being much more difficult because I had been doing the prior job for 20 years and knew it inside and out. The new job and all the crazy responsibility that came with it ended up being the straw that broke the camels back, and I am currently on disability. Which is a hidden blessing because I didn’t realize how hard it had become to just do my job, and I’m now really taking care of myself and resting and not pushing myself as hard.
What I try to tell anybody is listen to your body. There are subtle things sometimes that tell us what’s going on, and we tend to overlook them or minimize the symptoms that we’re feeling. Things like others have shared; dizziness, blurred vision, tiredness, Life is short take care of yourself. For those of us who have survived an aneurysm ruptured or ruptured, it’s a blessing, but can also come with post treatment challenges.
Treating the aneurysm was the first time I’ve ever had any surgery or the advanced tests that go along with it. So I had no frame of reference what I was getting myself into. Something that I learned to really get me through all of that angiograms (4) I’ve had, the MRIs (6 or so) and the other scary things is that meditation and deep breathing really do help me alleviate the fear. Stay in the moment, don’t borrow trouble, trust your physician, but also listen to the internal voice. If something doesn’t seem right ask questions. Information is helpful, I completed vision therapy and had a neuro psych exam which helped me to understand better what I experience as it can be hard to explain. Seek out information and if your vision is impacted find a neuro optometrist. Mine has been a god send.
I happily drive 4 hours to visit my original neurosurgeon for follow up when necessary, because I trust him and his team. I hope that you come through all of your procedures, along with everyone who reads this, and come out the other side with gratitude. Sending blessings for a strong recovery to you all!
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Hello,
I have a un-ruptured 8.5mm irregular shaped ophthalmic aneurysm behind my left eye.
I underwent a coiling procedure on March 19, 2024. My team tried 3 times, with 3 different sized coils, but were unsuccessful. The coils slipped out of the aneurysm area each time, thus the treatment was not viable.
I stayed in the hospital overnight for observation. I experienced tiredness, fatigue and some dizziness but that was attributed to the anesthesia.
I felt great about two days post-treatment and have not experienced any symptoms to this day.
My team discussed other treatments with me, but due to my age and good health, we excluded other endo treatments.
It was decided that the best path forward is open surgery. I have been scheduled for a clipping on June 19th. They will open a window of skull, drill down a portion of skull between my artery and ophthalmic nerves to fit the clip, and open up my neck to expose my carotid artery in the event that they will need to cut off blood flow.
The scar will be large and my head will be shaved. Recovery from what I understand varies from person to person.
I have gone through every emotion in the past month. But my fear and disappointment has turned to gratitude and peace. I am in good hands, my family and employer support me, God had a plan for my life.
I will also say that I understand your desire to educate yourself. I did the same. But for me, my quest for knowledge consumed me. I spiraled online to be honest. There’s really only one question you need to answer- do you want to treat it or not?
If you want to treat it, find a team of neurosurgeons you trust. From there, consult with them and take notes. They can give you better, more personalized insight than any of us or any article online. Once you have been given your options, pray and consult with loved ones. Then book the treatment.
We’re blessed to have find our aneurysms before they rupture. You’re on the right track, stay strong. You’re going to be okay.
-Jessica
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Hi Klunk, in 2018 I was having some neck pain and double vision when I looked to the left or up. My PCP said the pain was probably caused by degenerative disk and arthritis but was not sure if detached retina surgery had attributed to the double vision. He suggested that I see a neurologist. My neurologist said just looking at my eyes she should put me in the hospital, after explaining the detached retina, she decided that I should have some blood work and a CT scan. When I went to the hospital for the scan and bloodwork they decided to do the CT scan first as there was a wait for the bloodwork. Half way through the scan they stopped and pulled me out and said that my neurologist would be calling me and that I was being admitted to the Neuro ER. My neurologist called Immediately and told me that they had found a 3.6cm aneurysm they said the medical term would be “Gigantic Aneurysm”. I spent 10 days in ER and ICU. Being a teaching hospital (St Lukes Bethlehem, Pa) I was visited by many doctors. I finally had to ask the hospital to deny access by a couple of them. I have a GREAT Neurosurgeon who took his time to explain what was going on and the different treatments available. Craniotomy or something that he said was new and would like to do, a pipeline which he said was a mesh stent to allow the blood to flow in and out of the aneurysm and slowly clot so that my body would absorb the clot slowly shrinking the aneurysm. I told him that he was the professional and that I wasn’t keen on having my head cracked open. It took days to get my blood to the point where he was confident in doing the procedure. Everything went well and I still have a little double vision and some aphasia. I go once a year for a CT scan and the aneurysm is slowly shrinking and am told that there is a 100% chance of NO rupture. I live my life the way I would have without the aneurysm, take one 325 aspirin a day and told not to go on carnival rides. On May 29th it will be 6 years since that CT scan and also the last day I ever had a cigarette.
My mantra that got me through everything is to
“Forget About the What-Ifs and
Focus On the POSITIVES “
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I have 2 that were surgically clipped in 2011
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Hi Klunk - welcome to our little world. I had both back in January of 2018 - subarachnoid hemorrhage on one side and unruptured on the other. Both were coiled in January. Angiogram in April of that year and ended up with a stent placed on one side. Eventually graduated from angiograms to MRAs and had a stent placed on the other side year before last.
I get to skip a year before my next MRA.
To answer your question and I’m not sure it counts because I had one side rupture, I still have word finding problems, occasionally call things the wrong word and have problems multi tasking, etc but I’m happy to be here.
Good luck with your procedure!!!
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I sent out a broadcast to help @klunk with her research. A broadcast goes out to every member which is why you received it. Hope you’re doing well.
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Kindly guide me to participate in group.
How to use .
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Sadia you’re participating in this topic! Just go up to @klunk first post at the top and you can reply straight to her. If you’d like to start a topic yourself, go to the home page, click on the General tab, you’ll see a big + sign, click on that and you’ll be prompted to give your topic a title and then a place to write.
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Thank you for your email
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Hi Klunk,
I had 2 non-ruptured aneurysms in my cerebellum, one in 2015 & the other in 2018, both coiled via cerebral angiography going through my groin.
Symptoms leading up to me seeking help (and the first aneurysm not rupturing, which would have killed me instantly) included constant & worsening stress headache, heightened anxiety, vertigo, confusion, and intermittent double vision which worsened over a period of two weeks. I think this information is important to get out there because the common statement is there ARE no symptoms, and this is not true. At least, it wasn’t for me.
Symptoms following the cerebral angiography intervention have taken time and patience to deal with, and also to unfold. On the positive side, immediately, emotionally, I was a calmer person. The pressure was gone from my head, and this was a great relief.
However, I completely lost my filter. I’m a direct person, but I had to relearn not to say everything I think out loud.
Emotionally, I didn’t honor the trauma I experienced, and this caused me anxiety, insecurity, and a sense of isolation because nobody really understood who I was or what I’d gone through. I didn’t seek any type of therapy and in hindsight, this was a mistake. When a person goes through something like this, it is life changing, it messes with your psyche, and you only realize it the more distance you have from it. That is the best I can explain it.
I’m a writer, and it’s taken me this long to finally work my way back to writing novels I’ve completed and can submit. Words always came so easily to me, and now they were elusive. Some of them came out on paper and they were nonsensical. I relied on my memory of simple words, but in so many ways I lost touch with my ability to write anything creative.
While speaking mixed up words like warm and cold, and other common words with the same number of letters that were the opposite of each other. I sometimes still leave out words while typing, so my husband reads my drafts before I send anything out.
One more thing of note, in the aftermath of the aneurysms and coiling: I have no understanding of anything beyond basic math, in particular geometrics or anything requiring a calculation of space, like what used to be 8th grade Algebra. I was never a math whiz, but I did have a grasp of this. I would say in the wake of the aneurysms my IQ has dropped at least 10 points.
But I am grateful to be alive and thank the Universe I can still write. Good luck with your research, Klunk, and with your recovery.
Kelly
P.S.
Though you only asked for neurological symptoms, I thought it might be helpful to anyone reading to know this is a recovery of body and mind.
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