Everyone,
Possibly for my next surgery, a stent and coiling shall be done. How do you feel after the surgery, during the healing process, how long is the healing process, and after the aneurysm has been occluded?
I had both a ruptured and an unruptured aneurysm coiled. Had really bad headaches for a while. Been 14 mos now. Occasionally have a headache but just have to take Tylenol. Some short term memory loss. Overall I feel blessed to be here. Lots of information & support on this site.
Hello Knowing,
No problems with my coil for the 1st three years--infact I had no headaches, nothing that I can say had anything to do with my coils... then sudden pain one night in 2010 that mimicked my 2006 Sah ( thought I had yet another Aneurysm but found out the coils had compacted.) .Got a clipping to fix my coiled annie...I See you're in Tustin, I'm in Anaheim Hills..Where do you plan to have your procedure done at? Janet
Myra,
Thank you so much for responding so sorry for your ruptured aneurysm and yes we are blessed to live and be here. Is your short term memory loss is a result of your ruptured aneurysm? I have been reading so many posts about coiling procedure producing headaches. I am glad to have each other with the rest of site to inform us producing some peace of mind in this world of aneurysms.
Hello Janet,
I am so happy for you that headaches weren't an issue in your recovery and life after that! =)
I pray and hope in Jesus, I will share in the same blessing. What does that mean when your coils get compacted? Did SAH caused your coiled annie to be compacted?
God willing, my future procedure will be done in Mission Viejo, Ca. I am one of the blessed ones to have my aneurysms discovered before ever rupturing. I had my largest one treated with PED because of the wideneck on January 2013. I am in the healing process, my angio is scheduled for July 2013. The other 2 are smaller and coiling with a stent seemed to be the ticket that is why I want to inform myself as much as I can.
Thank you for sharing, it means a lot to me Janet
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Hi Knowing,
Indeed what a blessing that your aneurysms were found before rupture! what were the circumstances leading up to discovery?
I don't blame you for wanting information--that's the only way to go in making informed decisions about our treatment....Regarding my coiled aneurysm, No it was quite the other way around regarding my coils and the Sah--I was in the hospital from having the Sah, and coils were put in my aneurysm while I was in a coma .....And what I mean by the coils compacting is, in 2006 the percentage rate of coil procedures that would need to be re-addressed down the line due to the coils actually 'compacting'-was at % 25-( the coils themselves can compress or back out of where they were placed or some other movement with the coils can occur )resulting in the necessity for more surgery to correct the compacted coils...this is done by adding more coils, or in my situation, completely forsaking the coils altogether and obtaining a craniotomy/clipping in order to hopefully put an end to the drama of that particular aneurysm forever. A clipping procedure , although invasive, is still considered the Gold Standard in treatment options regarding a brain aneurysm...although some annie's are too difficult to get at thru clipping, and that's the beauty of the coils/stents....the only drawback I have seen in the coil technology is the fact that a good number can compress over time. to me, % 25 is rather steep -- whereas a clipping is in the %1 range of "failing" . You may want to address the coil rate of compression with your doctor--maybe that percentage rate is dropped now since 2006.
You're having regular angio's and such now, correct? That in itself is a good sign, as if something is going wrong with the coils this can be detected early--I didn't have the benefit of even knowing that the coils could compress--my care in 2006 was rather dicey and so was my surgeon, and he didn't have me scheduled for ANY follow-ups after my coils were placed. As for headaches or head pain, I've noticed that many of our fellow survivors have the dreaded 'after-coils' headaches to have to deal with...I was was lucky on that part also. The only pain I suffered was when my coils compressed in a big way and fell me to the ground in severe pain one evening three years after placement of the coils..That's how I found out that, surprise--coils are not considered permanent in their nature. I again was lucky though, as I ofcourse wound up back at the same hospital in Santa Ana that had cared for me in 2006/2007....but the imaging equipment at this particular hospital was out-dated and my Surgeon literally threw his hands in the air concerning "what next" to do with me. He finally told me to go home and come back to see him in three more weeks, for "follow-up care". I told my Surgeon that I'd likely be dead in three weeks--(finally I get 'follow-up care"??--Really?!) I got the hell out of that hospital and away from that Surgeon as fast as I could, obtained any and all images of my brain on disk and headed straight for a a much better hospital with superb imaging equipment , one well known in our area . They admitted me immediatley and within days a clipping was offered to me although I could've gone with adding more coils--no thanks--I was content with knowing that the clipping would stop the madness. In retrospect it was the one of the best decisions I've ever made...
Just a 'heads up" to you , since you're right next door to me...and I'm assuming you're familiar with the area, the hospital I will never step foot in is located on Tustin Ave., South of 17th street...outdated equipment, questionable doctors, the place is in a constant state of flux. Supposedly considered to be a 'trauma' hospital...the only hospital I will go to now is St. Josephs on La Veta..the difference in care, the quality, is night in day in comparison. I would also use St. Jude's in Fullerton, but for all the hospitals in Orange County--and my God there seems to be an abundance of hospitals here---those two are the only ones I'd use...(I had no choice in the matter back in 2006 as the Sah put me in another world for 6 weeks--and my husband was never given a choice as to which procedure I would get) I've heard good things from others from the South County area regarding Mission Hospital--quality care, high marks.
As long as you're comfortable with your Surgeon, and as long as you know the pro's and con's to any and all options and procedures offered to you, then you're way ahead of the game . Peace and healthy healing vibes being sent your way, son't hesitate to ask questions concerning your care, the doctors and healthcare professionals are only there for one reason, and that is to fix what ails us....Peace to you, Janet
I was very fortunate. I only had the headaches for a while. I get tired pretty easy now. The short term memory is not debilitating, just minor stuff. My answer to that is I have become the sticky nite queen. I don’t go anywhere without my pad of sticky notes. I am 57 yrs old so I think some of it is just a natural part of getting older. My dr told my family that was part of the side effects from the rupture. I have gotten a lot of info from this site. The support is great. It’s good to share with others going thru the same thing. My glass has always been 1/2 full even before the aneurysm. A lot more so now. I try to have a sense of humor about it all.
Hi Knowing...this is such a tough answer...because even though we all share Brain aneurysm's, we all have different medical history's, etc., Hopefully, the Doctor's will be able to give you a better answer...I do know from my own coiling...it took time for healing and the headaches to subside...~ wishing you a beautiful day ~ Colleen
Thank you Colleen for your best wishes. Yes, you are right it all depends on your medical history. I know from my PED done on Jan 18, 2013 in which I am still healing with meds until July when I take my angio, headaches have been present, but never an issue. I am walking into my 4th month of treatment and I can tell you that its only been 4 times I have taken Tylenol and that's because I had sinuses. I am praying that if my surgeon decides on coiling, I will experience the same out come. I see my surgeon on June 17th(a day before my 5th month mark) I believe we might go over the possible options.
Blessings Colleen,
Knowing
Janet,
Thanks a million for sharing your helpful insights! What led to the discovery of my aneurysms? I have Rheumatoid, Arthritis for quite some time and I take an infusion each month to control my illness. About a year off & on, I would experience an unusual strong fatigue and unusual head pressure that at first my Rheumatologist linked it to the side effects of the infusion. Once the fatigue and head pressure would get more steady, I knew I had to be coming from something that had nothing to do with my R.A. and infusion.
My Rheumatologist and I decided to have my Primary doctor ordered an MRI in which he did and ordered for my arteries also to be checked in the MRI. Behold the discovery of my aneurysms on December 2012! Immediately, I was referred to a Neurosurgeon and he said I was very lucky that the discovery was made because he believed that my symptoms that led to a MRI had no relation to the aneurysms since they are symptomless when unruptured.
I am so sorry to hear you had a bad experience with your coils compressing and had such incompetent surgeon, but I am glad is part of your past and its best to stay there. I am glad your health is in better hands now. I am blessed to have an excellent hospital and surgeon, one of the best in Orange County. The hospital have state of the art latest equipment and awesome and skilled surgeons when it comes to the brain. I will definitely take your advise and talk it over with my surgeon in regards to compressing in coils.
And yes, Janet, no hesitation to reach out to my surgeon when needed, believe me I always do. My surgeon and staff are very patient with me. You now serve as an inspiration that God makes it possible to survive aneurysms and live. You say its been 14 years since your surgeries what a blessing!
Thanks for your wishes. I am so glad I met you Janet
--Knowing
Myra,
What a miracle that you survived a ruptured aneurysm so thankful to God that you are doing well now. During the headaches periods, did you asked your surgeon, why the headaches? Have a great day
Hi Knowing !
well, 14 years since the first surgery, only 3 since the last, oh and one more thing: Aneurysms can and will give symptoms depending upon where the annie is located--my first one 14 years ago manifested in symptoms that messed with my morning vision and made my eyes blurry for a minute or two each day for about two weeks prior to me knowing about the aneurysm, as well as definate feeling of pressure behind my eye..the 2nd annie in 2006 again messed with my vision but in a different way: when I'd look upward or skyward, my vision would take a minute to self-correct itself to where I could focus -- these symptoms got closer together in time. Dizzyness, blinds spots, balance issues, they can all be related to an aneurysm depending upon where the annie is located and which areas of the brain the annie is expanding into or pressing on...(my 1st aneurysm grew so much infact that it snapped my 3rd optic nerve in two--creating a 3rd nerve palsy and had no muscle control of my eyeball) .. and that aneurysm never burst by the way, so yeah, aneurysms are known to cause symptoms at times)...Glad you're in good hands, our bodies can go thru so much and its truly quite amazing any of us are here to exchange stories/info , We are so fortunate ! peace to you in this journey! Janet