Hello! Recently I was diagnosed with a 3 mm aneurysm. My neurologist sent me for a cat scan with contrast and sent me to a surgeon. He took the disk from me and told me there’s nothing he can do. I suffer from horrible migraines almost daily and blurry vision during these migraines. Also I have random emotional out bursts of crying without warning. Does anyone else have a similar story or should I go to a different surgeon?
Hi I have a 3 mm aneurysm and I will get a MRA scan next week.I was told that they will monitor yearly and if it gets to 7mm then surgery. I am Diagnosed with migraines as well no blurry vision.I have been told twice by nurosurgeons and neurological that migraines do not affect aneurysms and vice a versa… hope this helps
I would suggest to get a second opinion or third if needed. I have two brain aneurysms,The one the doctor clipped was 4 mm and the one that is being watched is 3 mm. That decision should be made with the doctors knowledge, statistics, your doctors opinion, and your thoughts and feelings as well
Definitely get a second and even third opinion! Many times aneurysms less than 5 mm are monitored, but I can tell you from what I've found out during the past several months that a lot has to do with it's location and other characteristics of the annie itself. Get your disk back or get another from medical records. It is yours--you have a right to it. Then take it to at least one other neurosurgeon and preferably to a third. If you research this site, you will see that several others have had surgeries for annies as small as 3 or 4 mm--either as preventive measures, or unfortunately due to rupture. Go with your instinct. I knew there was something wrong with me. My body was telling me. I continued to persevere until a surgeon finally diagnosed my 10 mm aneurysm that had been misdiagnosed by 2 radiologists, 2 neurologists, and 2 neurosurgeons as a benign tumor that had to be monitored with yearly MRI's. Had I listened to them, I would not be going for an MRI until January 2016 instead of having surgery to treat my aneurysm in 2 weeks. Who knows what would have happened by then! I don't want to alarm you, but get a few more opinions before you settle for the watching and waiting of monitoring. Maybe that will be the right approach for you, but get more opinions. They certainly did differ in my case. Best of luck.
I have 3 that range from 2 to 2.5 mm and they are just monitoring them . I also suffer from migraines with blurred vision . I am on topomax 50 mg 2x per day and it seems to work. If you are in the Pittsburgh are I would suggest my doctor he is great . He is at allegheny general hospital .
Tara
Dionne, what else did the Neurosurgeon say? Is the Neurosurgeon going to monitor? Did you have a list of questions? Did the Neurosurgeon refer you back to the Neurologist for the migraines or suggest a therapist for the outbursts? Take a few deep breaths, clear your mind and remember there is always someone who can give a second opinion
Hi Dionna,
I would suggest you get a second opinion. Go in prepared with your questions and in the end go with you gut instincts. I had a 2 mm annie clipped in 2012. Neurologist had suggested that I could watch it for a year but said, it was up to me. I prayed and decided to have it clipped. After the craniotomy, I was told it was good that I didn't try the wait and see approach because the situation was more precarious than what the Dr. had originally thought. Doing better now, but I do have anxiety issues involving the random bouts of crying every now and then.
Wow sorry I never responded I’m awful at this. The doctor is monitoring it every 6 months. I’ve noticed I’ve been over emotional to the extreme lately and I’m starting to lose vision in my right eye. They keep saying it has nothing to do with my anuerysm but there’s nothing else medically they find wrong.
Wow i pray you can get more details as to why He cant help you and can get to another doc for a second opinion
Sometimes the best treatment is to "treat headaches and watch or folow up only but I would want more details or docs for sure
Sorry I’m just jumping into this now but OF COURSE you need to get a second (and then a third) opinion!! We all do! Maybe your surgeon said he can’t operate because he knows his skill level is not up to the task! Surgeons never admit that, they just spout nonsense. You must take charge of your situation and that means other opinions. Find the best in your area. I’ve done tons of research and can tell you who that is, if you want.
Ok I see you are in the NY area. Go to Dr. Howard Riina at NYU Langone in New York. If he says he can’t coil or clip it, you can believe him. He is an extraordinary, life-saving surgeon. Best wishes to you 
Ditto to what Jennifer said above. I know I posted earlier about this discussion, but I went to the surgeon she recommends and he performed a procedure on me that most other said was not possible. I’m happy to say that today, my aneurysm is a fully occluded. Last year this time, I was a bundle of nerves and not knowing what to do after local surgeons left me feeling helpless and hopeless. I knew at that point, I had to search outside of my immediate area and go to one of the nearby major cities. Best of luck to you!