Hi Kat. Best of luck to you! I had an aneurysm clipped 2.5 years ago and have no regrets. I feel fantastic and no longer worry about a rupture. I have two small children and was terrified but feel it was the best decision for me and my family. If I can offer any advice, it is simply listen to your body. When you are tired, rest. When you need some piece and quiet, take it. Don’t overdue it and take good care of yourself. Our body is truly amazing and other than a small dip in my temple, I have no other side effects from this surgery. It was a stressful experience but in the end, so happy I went through it.
Sending you best wishes. Stay strong!
Dear Kat,
Yes... That "I'm petrified" is an all too common expression for those of us that have faced where you are right now. Please think beyond the what ifs and the how will it all be....and visualize yourself past it and on your way to recovery. Sounds easy....I know it is not...but breaking the thought process of that fear helps tremendously. I had that same fear three years ago, before my craniotomy....I had three aneurysms clipped. Today I am a happy functioning adult.......I feel the before the surgery is tougher.... than the after surgery....as we then focus on the healing ....:) Please be still within your heart and know we are here to support you through this and beyond your surgery too.
Wishing you the blessings of serenity and healing!
Maya
Dear Kat. I'm a long time survivor of this procedure, which I had done in 1999. Everything will be fine, I'm sure. In my own case, the surgeon told me there was a 15% chance I would stroke out, or die during the surgery. But I turned these odds around, and it came out that there was an 88% chance I would be fine. And I was. Good luck and God bless!
David Andrus, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Kat,
I want to wish you all the best luck. I recently celebrated my 9 year anniversary from an aneurysm! Please know that we are all here for you. Prayers are being sent your way. <3 We can’t wait to hear from you again!!!
Hello Kat, it’s been almost a year (12/12/14) since I has similar surgery, 2 clips in the head for an unruptured Annie right behind the left eye. Surgery was suppose to be 4.5 hours, but there was complications. And even though there were complications, the surgeon was very patient and went through a methodical process to do what he’s been trained to do. The aftermath is scary at first, but it looks worst than how I really felt. It really didn’t hurt much, more annoying getting over the anesthesia. Walked around in a couple days, sent home in 5 days. Drove in week 6 and sent back to work a couple days later. We were very lucky to find the Annie when we did because we had a choice, not like others here. Eitherway, things are better, first thing I needed to realize (and this group helped me realize) is that i need to find my new normal. Take your time with the recovery, take any help that is offered (because you’ll need it), and know that this group is here. The group here is awesome and helped me through the scariest time of my life, please feel free to reach out. Prayers to you and your family during this tough time, but know there is a silver lining. Where are you having this done?
My sister had her's clipped in 2011. She was out of the hospital in 4 days and driving in two weeks. She did great and I hope you will too!
ps, stick with us we will help you over this hurdle and write as you are able- it will help to comfort you as well, i was so happy to see you have started this post here, tc xo
Dear Kat, Stay Strong. I had an "inoperable" aneurysm that we Finally found a dr. That was willing to give it a try, he said to me " this is Very Risky, you could come out paralyzed from the neck down, or have a Severe stroke, or die during surgery! "......Well, I knew I had been living with the knowledge that I might ( & most likely would drop dead any day) for 22 months already, so I said "can we do it tomorrow? "... anyway he did my surgery on March 12th of this yr. I AM DOING GREAT!!! I'm working part time, riding my bike 5 mi. At a time, my memory, balance, speech, & shakes are 90% better. I will be praying for you! (Try to distract yourself as much as possible, I know it's NOT EASY!!!! But the stress of dwelling on it is NOT HEALTHY! !! .....HUGS p.s. I forgot to mention my dr. Had to invent the "gadget" that is now in my brain During Surgery, no one else has this gadget, it is a miracle! & I go in on Tuesday for an angiogram to make sure it stayed in place. I also have a mass in my R. Frontal lobe they'll be exploring.
Definitely go ahead with it if it’s recommend by your dr. Having an aneurysm rupture far outweighs the risks of fixing it before it has a chance to rupture. Mine ruptures and was coiled. 5 yrs out and doing good. Wishing you well
Dear Kat, Stay Strong. I had an "inoperable" aneurysm that we Finally found a dr. That was willing to give it a try, he said to me " this is Very Risky, you could come out paralyzed from the neck down, or have a Severe stroke, or die during surgery! "......Well, I knew I had been living with the knowledge that I might ( & most likely would drop dead any day) for 22 months already, so I said "can we do it tomorrow? "... anyway he did my surgery on March 12th of this yr. I AM DOING GREAT!!! I'm working part time, riding my bike 5 mi. At a time, my memory, balance, speech, & shakes are 90% better. I will be praying for you! (Try to distract yourself as much as possible, I know it's NOT EASY!!!! But the stress of dwelling on it is NOT HEALTHY! !! .....HUGS
It’s been 1 1/2 years since my craniotomy to clip my unruptured aneursym. I was out of the hospital after 2 nights, and back to work after 8 weeks. I’ve had no side effects and all I can say is get this done and rest, rest, rest. The anxiety of worrying about the surgery is the worst part.
Kat,
Don't be worried, everything will go well and you'll be back to living your life as usual in no time!
I had a ruptured aneurysm, with a stroke and had an emergency craniotomy back in the dark ages of 1992, with a 2% chance of living and survived. Technology has advanced so much since those days, you will be fine! Prayers,
Melissa
I had 5 unruptured Annies that were clipped 09/24/13. I was in the hospital for 7 days, stayed home for 2 months and went back to work full time until now. Everyone’s story is different, but I truly believe that it is better for u to do the surgery than to wait. Waiting each day with an Annie is not healthy for your health. You will come out better after the surgery. I wish you luck. Tell us how you doing after the craniotomy.
Hello Kat,My Name is Glenn.I am 41/2 years post surgery for an unruptured Annie.I also had a craniotomy and was so scared of the unknown.I can say that you are lucky to be able to share with everyone on this Web site your fears and concerns,I didn’t have that experience.Everyone here is so supportive and so willing to listen,share and support you.The best thing I can share with you is that you must stay positive.Recovery takes time,so try not to get frustrated.Best of luck to you ,and God Bless.
Be positive. You will be fine. I’m 2 yrs post. And life is back to normal I was back to work after 4 weeks. God bless.
Best wishes for a very speedy recovery,Kat.
Kat, My wife had a 31mm Giant Fusiform Aneurysm and needed a very complicated surgery that took over 10 hours. She is back to work and just got a promotion. She is doing awesome. You will be ok. Keep a positive attitude as that is what my wife did. Our prayers go out to you for a quick full recovery. All my best!
Hi Kat, I will be praying for you to have strength and a speedy recovery. I will say a separate prayer for your medical team. You are going to be fine. I have two brain surgeries. My first was in March of 2011 for a coiling and then my second surgery for another aneurysm but not only did my neurosurgeon do a coiling be he also placed a stent into it. Surround yourself by family and loved ones. It also helps to have a close connection with the medical staff. I could not have been a luckier woman being surrounded by such talented and caring medical staff. Good Luck! Please reach back out to us after your surgery. :)
I had a rupture a year ago that was coiled. Unfortunately , I ended up having a clipping in May as the area around the rupture was unstable. Everything went Weill and I am now back to work. Please be positive and I hope berthing goes well.
Kit,
I had a craniotomy and clipping 17 months ago. It saved my life and I am a success story. We are here for you!!! Stay positive.
Penny