5 years ago I had a mri and was told I was clear of any concerns. I had a repeat last week due to family history, and was informed I have a 2 mm anterior cerebral artery aneurysm. They looked back at the previous test and discovered that the aneurysm was there all along.
I was informed of surgical options and also a wait and watch option - which was recommended. I have a follow up appointment in 6 months to look over potential growth.
I am terrified. I’ve cried every night. I have a family and I am so afraid of leaving them. Any thoughts? Anyone in my shoes?
I’ve looked around this site and people note to get a second opinion. I went in and seen one of the best neurosurgeons.
Hey Lydia,
Welcome to Ben’s Friends. Lots of good information and helpful people with a ‘lived experience’ around these parts.
You are not alone and YES!!! it is terrifying. Any neurological diagnosis can be terrifying. When I was told I needed neurosurgery my view was “That’s my brain. That’s what makes me ‘ME’ and you want to do WHAT??” My mind had me running through all of the worst case scenarios at a million miles per second. I had to calm things down. I tried to break things down into manageable steps, trying to look at the whole picture can be REALLY overwhelming. I found breaking it down into steps helped to stop me from going too far ahead. I also needed to identify who was responsible for each step. If it was me who was responsible then I had to deal with it, but if it was medical, it was outside of my control. For a control freak like me, not having full control was confronting, but I had no choice but to hand it over to the medicos.
You say you were told the mri was clear 5years ago or rather nothing noted 5yrs ago. Then to be told now that it’s 2mm, which is considered very small and therefore much less likely to rupture. If it was actually seen 5yrs ago and is now 2mm in size that shows that it’s also very slow growing, both of these are good signs. There are a few differing types of aneurysms and the type, size and location all need to be taken into consideration in making any diagnosis but at 2mm I think the best suggestion is “Be aware, but not alarmed”. In saying that if you EVER get a sudden, knock-you-off-your-feet type headache, pain like you’ve never had before, that’s a clear sign to ACT NOW!!! Due to the size and growth rate a ‘Wait and Watch’ approach is not uncommon but this needs to be assessed by a fully qualified neurologist.
As for family, that’s difficult. My advice (or rather, ‘what I did’) take the steps you need to ensure their security. I made a will, I setup a Medical Power of Attorney. I made sure my insurances were all up to date and set things up for my wife. I had previously been through a situation where nothing was setup and it all became rather messy and destructive. The reality is that none of this is a nice conversation and we all hope, wish and pray it’s never needed, but it can save so many stresses having your wishes listed. I found doing all of this VERY confronting. But once it was done I took some comfort in the fact that I’d done as much as I could to protect them. One less stress.
We all know the stresses because we’ve lived it too, so come talk to us. We’re always willing to help as best we can.
Welcome Lydia! Please remember to breathe - I find long, deep slow breaths helps overcome stressors, and this is a doozy of one. I also try to focus on positive things as life is too short no matter how long I live to allow negative things run my life. It takes a bit of effort some days, but energy well spent in my book. For some, journaling can be helpful or focusing on something you love to do, even for a short block of time.
I wonder what the size of your aneurysm was five years ago. Has it grown any since that time?
We do have a lot of members that are told to wait and watch. I do hope they reply to what has helped them. It is very common to be rechecked in six months and then the Neurosurgeon will start extending that time period so maybe the next will be in a year. Please remember not all aneurysms grow and not all rupture. Probably a good thing to not smoke and to keep your blood pressure down. Exercise helps from what I’ve read and believe.
It sounds as if you’re comfortable with your Neurosurgeon which is a very good thing. And yes, many members get second, third and even fourth opinions. The surgeons base their opinions on their experience so sometimes they can be opposite of one another and you would need to be prepared for that. Most look at location and type first. Do whatever makes you the most comfortable.
Like Merl, I found comfort in getting my life in order so to speak - started with a will, made sure my life insurance was enough, checked in with my Higher Power…I call it getting my house and House in order. I also stay in touch with family and friends but got rid of the ones who like drama and chaos as I can no longer deal with it, exception is the holidays where I suck it up and contact those family members.
As Merl said, if you get the absolute worse headache of your life go to the Emergency Department. My rules were bad headache, stiff neck, nausea or vomiting.
Thank you both, really.
You have helped more than you can imagine. Reading your replies were very helpful. Making sure my family is taken care of means everything.
I’m trying to find peace with trusting God and trusting my Doctors.
When my Doctor looked back at my previous mri 5 years ago, he did inform me the aneurysm was there all along, no significant change today from what was 5 years ago.
“Not all aneurysms grow and not all rupture”. I will continue to remind myself
For your aneurysm not to have grown in five years is excellent news! Six months sounds reasonable to me, not a doctor remember. Be kind to yourself first and then others around you…I think it was Merl who made the analogy once about being on a plane and the oxygen mask drops down. We have to put it on ourselves first and then help others.
