Telling Children

General
1

I have 3 small children 8, 6 and nearly 4 years old. In mid-December I had an MRA for pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear and the radiologist incidentally found a 7mm aneurysm behind my left eye.

When I first started seeing specialists my kids asked what was happening and I told them that I was having a problem with my ear. I held off providing detail until I had an idea of how I was going to proceed.

I am now in the process of scheduling a coiling procedure that will most likely occur in about 1 month. My husband and I would like to talk with our kids about it but we are unsure how to proceed. Any advice?

Thanks so much.

2

I'm also inclined to be direct but I don't want to reveal too much especially if they are things that they won't be able to grasp. I have a tendency to go into too much detail and I want to make sure that they hear what they need to know.

I think I am going to draft some talking points so I can make sure that I get to the point quickly and simply.

3

Hi Marcy,

My youngest sister was 7 when my annie ruptured. She was too young based on hospital policy to come to the hospital to see me but despite this my mother brought her and all my brothers and sisters who were teenagers, to see me several times. I was in the hospital 35 days (1969). I don't recall her being afraid although, with the bandages on my head and neck and a blackeye, I looked pretty awful.

I'm not sure what my mother told them (she still can't talk about the experience) but whatever it was it was comforting to them. I can still recall little things that my brothers and sisters did to "care for me" when I came home.

I will pray that you will have a successful surgery and a complete and rapid recovery.

Carole

4

Marcy,

Prayers for your best results in treatment and in the explanations to your children.

Pat

5

Really sorry you are in this position, also sorry I cannot help I had both of my children after my ops the one is 8 the other is 4 but they know about my aneurysms. Hope everything goes okay when you tell them my kids don’t appear to be bothered by it but that may be because they weren’t born when I had them. Jess.xxx

Ps hope op goes well and you have a fast recovery. Jess