I am so very grateful to be one of the patients of Dr. Neil Martin, head of neurosurgery at UCLA.
A long and complicated surgery was a success and I will be forever thankful to Dr.Martin and his gifted team of fellows.
If you would like to read about amazing advances in neurosurgery, Dr. Martin has webinars where he introduces all that is new and incredibly promising in the field of neurosurgery.
Next ... for me....another trip to UCLA to have the remainder aneurysms checked. It is 2 1/2 years from my aneurysm clipping surgery.
A little unsettling ;) ... but so grateful for the miracle that is my life.
Blessings to all and my wishes that each of you will continue to live a wonderful life. The "new normal" is rough....but we get through through determination and a healthy dose of optimism... :)
Thank you for the opportunity to post about our joys and concerns.
Mine were found after going the route of PCP, Cardio, Ophthalmology and finally Neuro. I was having horrendous headaches and thought they were from stress. My husband is a post stroke patient and I am his primary caregiver. He had his stroke in 3/2010 and is partially paralyzed and has aphasia. Through the trips with all the other docs finally MRI, MRA and angiogram confirming 5mm on MCA, a basilar, and 5mm behind right eye. I also have 2 very small ones that will be watched. I will be going to schedule surgery, I believe they will be clipped because of where they are. I am so glad I found this group as it is scary at best, but at least they were found before being interrupted and prognosis is as good as can be for this dx. Trying to stay positive and round up troops for the recovery stage Thoughts and prayers are with all of you, much good information and comfort here!
I went to get new glasses and the optometrist was pretty incompetent; suggested I had glaucoma, etc. I got fed up and saw an opthamologist at a medical school that has a specialty in glaucoma. She agreed that I don't have glaucoma, but she was concerned about something with my optic nerve. It looked to be something congenital and harmless, but to be sure, she sent me to an neuroopthalmologist.
He agreed it was probably nothing, but to be sure (because it could have been a sign of a tumor or MS), he proposed an MRI. That's all pretty serious, so I went with the MRI to be sure it was "nothing." And it was! My eyes were fine. But-- they found the aneurysm, which was confirmed by an MRA and then an angiogram. Actually, the angiogram found several areas of vascular not-normalness. I suppose it was lucky to find it before I had symptoms or a rupture, but it doesn't always feel that way, especially now that I'm having some post-clipping complications.
Hi all Mine were found after an episode of vertigo. That was one year ago. I was to go back and have them rechecked in 3 months. But because of other circumstances I didn't go back yet. Now I am a little hesitant to go back. I have a wonderful doctor. I just can not explain it. I'm hoping it will all just go away on its own. I'm 71 and wonder if I could just hold out.
I was having a bit of hand and foot tingling, so my doc sent me for first a nerve conduction study then she sent me for an mri on March 26/14 the next day I was called to get to the Er immediately. They found a 13.5mm left vertebral fusiform anni. It’s pressing on my brain stem, they figure the best thing to do (which they took my case to a conference in Toronto) was to watch it. They say they can’t make me better but they can make me a lot worse. I am 27 and getting married in august, I feel like my life is just starting, and just like that it could end.
I am so sorry to hear your story. Are the doctors concerned about treating it due to its location? Mine was treated via an endovascular procedure so maybe yours could be also? I know some types cannot be treated this way. My doctors are located in the GVI at Buffalo General hospital and maybe they could provide a telephone consult. The group is the university at Buffalo neurosurgeons (UB neurosurgeons). Maybe monitoring is best for your circumstances but maybe one more opinion might put you more at ease. Best of luck to you and do your best to not stress as that could make things worse, trust me I know that is much easier said than done. I am sending positive energy your way.
The news you were given.... is a moment in time none of us in our own story, will never forget. You are young and have a wonderful life ahead.....I know that living with aneurysms that are being watched can be extremely difficult, but it is also in how we navigate such waters that we can make the best of our life or make it so difficult .....that we forget to live the miracle we are given, when the aneurysms are found, before any damage is done.........
Life can end in a moment for all of us with or without aneurysms....This is how I have approached my journey with unruptured aneurysms...3 clipped and three on the watch list...I too had a fusiform 15 mm....now clipped...
I invite you to look at your life from the most positive place possible....focus on all that is good and blessed in your life....including the fact that you are now being monitored so you are ahead of the problem already.
I am sure your aneurysm will be given great priority. As time moves on more and more research and methods will be available toward permanent solutions to fix these weak spots.
Live each day fully and joyful. Allow yourself to plan for a beautiful future, hard as it is....we can do so, and enjoy each and everyday. I know you will too. :)
In my humble opinion I wanted to share with you a bit of my own story and how living in gratitude, with faith and with a positive mental attitude helps us tremendously in the most difficult moments.
My surgeon is Dr. Neil Martin head of Neurosurgery at UCLA. You might want to research what they do here. It is one of the most advanced hospitals in the field of neurosurgery.
Jenna, I wish you serenity in your life and much happiness in your married life.
I hope I have not overstepped my boundaries by expressing my thoughts in a very personal way.
I woke up with a painful, bloodshot right eye and went to the eye Dr who in turn sent me for a MRA and MRI. I was then sent for an Angiogram and they found AVM and an Aneurysm behind my left eye. Well it turns out that my eye had nothing to do with all this. I'm told how lucky I am that they found this. Really? I'm scared to death! I'm a 57 year old white female grandmother and my life has changed dramatically. I have not yet begun my journey as I'm still reviewing my options. I might have to be coiled or will have to undergo clipping. This web site has already helped me tremendously as far as hearing others stories and helping me decide. As you can tell I'm still in a little bit of shock so God bless you all and I will keep you posted!
I know your fright…I had it, too… In 2004 I had double vision…up and down…weird and eyes were just stuck like that… Had the MRI and they found 2 aneurysms in the right carotid artery… Taken care of with stent and coils. Done also by neurosurgeons at UB in Buffalo. Google Dr. Nick Hopkins… I was so frightened…struck dumb by the finding of the annies and how they would be fixed. My double vision also had nothing to do with the annies. I sneezed one good one a few days after the MRI and out came a clear gel the size of an egg…a sinus had been blocked… But thank goodness it happened…I might not be here. The procedures were not bad. I had complete confidence in the doctors…they’d done it so often… I would suggest a second opinion…if you don’t know which route to take. I wish you all the best. Mine was done more than 9 years ago…I get checked now and then…so far all seems okay. I wish you all the best…as I do all you folks out there. I know I am on here a lot…sharing the same old story… I apologize for that. The best to you all…
I, too, had an AVM plus an aneurysm behind my left eye. Very short episodes (30 seconds or so) of being unable to speak, along with a droopy left eyelid during the episodes, caused my primary care doc to send me for CAT, then MRI and MRA. I got 3 opinions weighing coiling, clipping, etc. Decided to have the clipping along with removal of the AVM. Surgery was performed at Johns Hopkins Hospital (Dr. Rafael Tamargo) last July 29. I know what you mean about being in shock! I am a 72 year old white female, grandmother to my 3 year old granddaughter, and am doing really well. I hope you will get at least 2 opinions on the best treatment for you. Thank goodness for medical science! Keep the faith, and best of luck as you move forward.
Thanks Susan and Chillygirl. It really helps to hear what others who are in the same boat have to say about this. I talk with my family and friends but if you've never had a Aneurysm it's hard for them to really understand what I'm going through. I know they mean well by telling me not to worry, it will be ok ect.. but until you've walked in our shoes (hopefully they won't) they will never understand the emotions and fear we have. God bless you all and hope all your lives will be long, happy and full of love!!
Hi Deneen I had hit my head and had a CT scan; they found one aneurysm and then the MRA found two more. I had a pipeline placed in Feb which covered the neck of two aneurysms and the third is a wait and watch.
Sam, are you asking me? It was Dr. Hopkins …for stent…I believe. At least he was there. He has a few ‘fellow’ (he trains surgeons to do this work) students…learning and doing…every few months, I guess. For my coil placement I had a guy…first name John. He was going on to a hospital in Miami, FL to do same surgeries there. There weren’t many in the country at that point…but that was 9 years ago…
Just that I have short term memory loss. But was told that years ago, too… Had a few grand mal seizures then. I think I bounced back a bit each time…but took a long time after first one… Am older than you and think forgetting where I set my keys is no different than anyone else my age. Do you do brain games? I do sudoku and kenken. Used to be good at crosswords…not anymore…so guess I see some loss there. Main thing is not to worry about it…think that kind of makes it worse. Good luck.