So after my arm went numb a couple times they got me in for my stent sooner. They added 5 more coils (11 now in total) and a Lvis evo stent ( was supposed to be a flow diverter but due to narrowing of the walls this was less risk) to my 2.2x 2.1 cm right PCA. I am 4 days post op and have headaches and vision changes. I’m so anxious about it “leaking” again like the last set of coils did but my surgeon assured me that it was not life threatening anymore. I am on berlinta for the next 6 months, anyone had a similar aneurysm or procedure and it’s been successful? I know I need to just be patient but I’m so scared.
Hi @HannahM,
I am sooo happy you reached out to all of us to let us know what you are going through. Thank you!
Each one of us seems to have our own individual journey, but in short, I actually ruptured (PICA), and had 3 coils initially. After about 1 1/2 years, my neuroradiologist was not thrilled that my residual aneurysm was growing again, and so I had a stent (flow diverter) put in. My residual aneurysm was relatively small like yours (had grown to ~2.7 mm), so my first follow-up was only 3 months later on, although typically it is 6 months to 1 year. The CT scan suggested it was occluded by that point, but a few months later (after an angiogram) it was officially declared as such; note that that delay was due to my scheduling, not for any other reason. So, in short, although we have some differences, they are also very similar; it probably won’t surprise you to hear that I am a big fan of stents, since mine was occluded - i.e., dead since there is no longer any blood flowing into it). ![]()
I am not a medical person, just a fellow patient, but your story sounds like your doctors are taking excellent care of you. It makes sense that you are on Brilinta to keep the blood flowing and help ensure that you do not have a stroke. I was on something similar (Clopidogrel) and baby aspirin immediately before the procedure and for a few months afterwards, but eventually worked my way down to baby aspirin for life.
During this whole process, I was encouraged to take up mindfulness/meditation. Trust me, pre-rupture this would NOT have been my kind of thing! However, I decided to give it a try, and I find it super helpful to manage any anxiety, nervousness, and stress. My favorite app (free) is Humin (f/k/a Healthy Minds)
It has been praised by many organizations, and it has taught me how to better manage my stress for sure! As their website says, 70% felt reduced stress - o.k., I know statistics are always iff-ish, but something to at least consider. Of course, there are tons of other ones out there if this one does not work for you so experiment around and see what helps you out! As one of the lessons in Humin said (paraphrase): We exercise to keep our body in shape, but why don’t we (as a society) exercise our minds? That is what meditation/mindfulness do is to help us strengthen our brain to better deal with stressful situations
O.k., enough on that soapbox issue.
Please continue to let us know how you are doing, or if you just want to vent and share about your concerns. We are here for you!
Fin Whale Fan ![]()
Mine is actually cm not mm, but did you get a flow diverter? I’m so curious about the stint they used for me since it was supposed to be flow diverter. Thank you so much for sharing that app I am going to look into that because I need better mindfulness skills in my tool box. I see a headache doctor tomorrow and hope they will help me reduce head pain. The vision being a mess from all this is also super annoying and can’t wait til that goes away. My surgeon says there’s nothing I can do to “cause” or “make” my aneurysm rupture but I swear I just wait around for the next “warning” sign that I’m having another medical emergency
My apologies! Just goes to show I was scurrying to reply before I needed to start work. ![]()
I am an official card-carrying member of a pipeline flow diverter (yes, literally I have a card in my wallet)!
My hospital system seems to use either Medtronic for some of my devices (admittedly Stryker for my coils), but of course, your team may use a different provider.
You must be so excited to see the doctor tomorrow: please let us know what s/he shares! Your comment reminded me, just the other day @LLL posted about what they learned about how to handle headaches (Vitamin D), so it may be worth asking your doctor about it.
Please let us know how tomorrow goes!
Fin Whale Fan ![]()
I have had seven endovascular procedures with 4 repairs from when I ruptured. I’ve got no clue how many coils are shoved in my aneurysm. With one of them she told her Resident to keep the, coming and stuffed as many as she could get in I believe that was her terminology (stuffed). The last repair attempt was with a different stent than yours as it was a Neuroform Atlas stent. There are many, many different types and they keep developing more. I had to wait for mine to be developed because a flow diverter wouldn’t work where my aneurysm is located. It still has residual flow and honestly I don’t think about it. I just want to live my life best I can without the stress of worrying.
For our members who are like me and hadn’t heard about the LVIS evo stent. I found this from the manufacturer https://www.terumo.com/newsrelease/detail/20240626/6211 so it’s still fairly new in the USA market.and this paper Treatment of broad-based intracranial aneurysms with the LVIS EVO stent: a retrospective observational study at two centers with short- and medium-term follow-up - PMC
I think it’s great when surgeons keep up to date on what’s available for our specific aneurysms! Yours sounds like a keeper!
For every repair I had something changed. Headaches I think are the norm because the flow of blood has changed, but I’m not a doctor so that’s just a guess. Remember to keep hydrated, eat protein and rest as all these are really important. I’d suggest relaxation breathing but @FinWhaleFan already mentioned it!![]()
Let us know how it goes with the doc today when you can.
Good morning Hannah! I’ve moved your topic to the General tab, sorry I didn’t catch it when you posted it.