Hi I have a 4mm Annie and I have a MRI each six months. I have known about it for 12 months. I have a sister who has had two raptures, the last one really awful. I am ok with waiting, like others I’m not sure about having the surgery but if it grows then I will need to consider what to do. I so grateful for this site cheers Chick
Hi, 4 years waiting... checked yearly. Three annies
I have a un-ruptured aneurysm, mine is 8mm in size and is located in my left temporal lobe. My MD watches is very closely. It is very scary for me
The PED has had such success, I am also wondering why wait? I have no aneurysm now.
Hi Janice, I have gotten a medical alert bracelets few years ago, my mom died from hers and the medics thought it was her heart, so her bleed was to much for her brain to come back. I don't want to guess with me.
Janice Gams said:
I have 3 scary aneurysms, 5-7 mm, detected 3-4 years ago, all being monitored with annual MRAs at NY Presbyterian in NYC. No growth yet, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I now take 20 mg lisinopril in addition to hydrochlorothyozide which keeps BP way down. Do less intense exercise at sports club, no downward dogs or headstands, and wear a ski pouch with emergency info just in case. So far so good.
Hi. I have a 3mm aneurysm on the right carotid artery. My doctor says best to watch and wait. Have had 2 mra’s with no change in size. My mother had 2 aneurysms with rupture and she had 13 brain surgeries total, including coiling and clipping. I am nervous at times just thinking it could rupture, but the thought of surgery is terrifying to me after everything my mother went through.
I have 3mm on right side of brain,Empire Visionworks actually found something wrong,got the ball rolling in 2012,I have a MRA,CT test every year,it’s only been 2 years of watching & waiting,don’t know how long they keep watching,I would think forever.im 70 years old,can pass for 50s in great shape,workout all the time to which I credit it still being small .the artery that it’s in is very strong,my grandmother died of ruptured aneurism,& my cousin had surgery on hers a few years back,so don’t know if all related
I have a 4/4.5mm one which is being watched. I had a larger one rupture and another of similar size was coiled and stented 6 months later, but the neuro said the other was too small to be a risk. since the coil and stenting Ive had constant headaches so not keen to go through another surgery. the neuro says its a difficult location, but also said they are always coming up with new treatments which can be used in the future. my 12 month angio is in december to check on all 3. It really surprises me when I see people post they are having 3mm etc annies treated so they dont have to worry about them, but every surgery or procedure has risks and I think some people dont truly take them seriously and just assume all surgeries go well. I wouldnt have a low risk annie treated unless the neuro thought it was a good idea because there are risks and no doctor can guarantee things will turn out and go to plan IMO. most people are lucky and it does, but I wouldnt want to be the case where it didnt.
I have two aneurysms on the right side one is 7mm the other 11 mm. In 2010 I had one that was fixed And it was a whopping 24cm. They did a clip and bypass I was 22 at the time. In July 2014 they found the two I have now and did two more surgeries, clip and double bypass. Though, I am 26 now it’s still scary but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Mine are hereditary aneurysms. I do a ct and MRI once a year my doctor says probably the rest of my life because of my family history and with how many I have had. Good luck!
Hi
I have a 2.5 mm aneurysm right behind my eye in the circle of willis. I am monitored on a monthly basis since 2011. My initial symptom was severe vertigo, I am monitored very closely because of the medication I am on for the vertigo the side effects are dangerous. When I was first diagnosed with my aneurysm it was an accidental find. by the time I was checked out from head to toe I found out that my body was a medical train wreck. So far I am stable, I do have occasional stabbing pains in my head and found out that is a different medical condition. I see a neuro surgeon annually for the rest of my life for MRA and MRI scans so far no growth. I am a 56 year old half hispanic and Japanese don't know if that matters or not. My doctors don't understand how I am able to handle all my medical issues but I do I left my worries with God and all my doctors tell me I am a walking miracle. I still work 60 ours a week and and have more energy than my healthy friends and family. I am living on faith. So keep the faith
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Hi Kelly,
I'm Sarah I'm 41, In June 2013 I had brain scans to see if I have any issues in my head as I had had a torn heart archery the previous October 12.
I was sat down and told that I have a left carotid artery aneurysm and that they were having a nvt meeting to discuss surgery. I was sent home waited a month and was told unless I survive a brain haemorrhage surgery is not being offered. I then had a second opinion from the royal London hospital after more scans and Joan Grieve the top uk and Europe neurological brain surgeon told me it is small 2-3mm stable and she feels monitoring me is the best option as I have a rare genetic connective tissue disorder (Ehlers-danlos syndrome0 so chances of surviving surgery are very slim, so we agreed to a scan in a further 2 years and if and when my aneurysm reaches 6mm she would offer surgery.
It was a lot to take in I cried and cried for a few months, but have changed my outlook on life now, as I've realised after reading up on aneurysms that many people have them all their life without any growth or ruptures, if you are aware that you have one then your chances of rupture are even less as you would not smoke, keep a check on blood pressure to keep it low and healthy ect..... so I now can honestly say that yes I have this aneurysm but I'm coping very well, ignoring it and getting on with my life as best I can.
If in June 2016 its grown then I will have to deal with it then, I'm not worrying about spontaneous vessel rupture which can happen with my rare condition as its only a chance, we cannot worry ourselves sick about something that may or may not happen, so try to remain positive.
If you ever need a chatter or support Kelly, please feel free to contact me anytime.
I have 4 known aneurysms. 1 aortic. 3 in brain. I get MRA's 2x's a year on brain and ultra sounds on heart every year. Brain has 2 clamps, 1 coil and stents to hold coil in. The big one is in the cerabellum and is 9mmx6mm was found after a car accident, also 2 small about 2mmx4mm were found at the same time on right side and have been clamped off via crainyotomy. I go in 2 days for MRA to do a brain check.
I'm watch and wait. Had one clipped 7mm 2 yrs ago. the other one is very small about 2mm and on my internal carotid artery behind my eye. Not sure how they would take care of that one should it grow. But my neurosurgeon (who supposedly is very well known and respected here in Mass at Mass General has me for an mra every 3 years and then if it doesn't grow, mra farher apart, maybe every 5. Which truthfully, I'm not going to do, I will still insist on every 2 or 3 years. I'm not comfortable with that. He says it's in a place where aneurysms typically don't grow or grow very slowly.
hi Kelly
I too have an unrupture aneurysm...they detected mine in 2010 at which time it was a 5mm in the region of the trifurcation of the horizontal portion of the left middle cerebral artery. Last year it 8 or 9mm in size. My surgeon is still doing the weight and see....but it does make a little nervous mostly since my blood pressure has start to spike again. So you are not alone on this that is for sure....take care...need to talk this is a good place for that!!!!
JM
Petra, I am in similar situation - 40 years old female, in October 2013 found 4-5 mm wide neck shallow aneurysm on anterior communicating artery (with a small daughter aneurysm, it appears). 3 out of 4 surgeons (top guys/gals at MGH/now BI, Brigham and Women's and Tufts) recommend clipping, one surgeon (BW) recommends monitoring.
My fear is largely around recovery time and process, not even the surgery itself. I have chronic migraines and fatigue issues (last 2 years or so) and spend a lot of time incapacitated by the headaches. I am absolutely terrified at a prospect of increased headaches and the long road to normalcy after clipping surgery, since I am not starting from position of strength. If it wasn't for recovery concerns, I think I'd go through clipping, just to make sure my 5 year old has a mom without any ruptures in the future...
Julia.
AllHeartMomma said:
35 year old Female. In August 2013 found 4mm wide neck on right internal carotid artery. Decided to watch and wait since one doctor said we could/should coil with stent, other doctor said, no need, watch and wait with MRI every year.
Personally, I have really struggled with whether to operate or not. It seems the lifetime risk of rupture vs. the immediate risk of complications from any intervention if we do it are about equal. Some days, I'm totally fine with it and feel like it will never be a problem and other days I'm terrified it will rupture while I'm driving on the highway with my 3 kids in the car...
How many expert opinions should I get and then do I just do an average of those go/no go on the intervention? For now, I'm just kicking the can down the road...I have a perfect excuse as I just gave birth to our 3rd child and since I'm breastfeeding would not be able to do the operation until I stop breastfeeding (due to post op drugs).
I'm in Boston and have seen the leading neurosurgeons at Beth Israel and Brigham and Women's.
If i am not being too personal I was wondering what neurosurgeon you are seeing that was once at Mass general and now at Beth Israel? My neurosurgeon is Chris Ogilvy.
Eileen, if you were asking me (I was not sure) - it was Dr. Ogilvy. I saw him for the 1st time at MGH, I think it was his last day there and since then at BI. He's excellent, one of the best (if not the best) in the area, from everything I understand.
The other surgeons in Boston area I have seen for 2nd, 3rd, etc opinions are: Dr. Adel Malek at Tufts, Dr. Rose Du at BW and Dr. Aziz-Sultan at BW. The latter is the one who recommended monitoring, citing Finnish study among other things (size, lack of other risk factors), everyone else so far suggested clipping as the best option. Stent won't work due to location of the aneurysm and coiling for a shallow wide neck one is also not best advised, although some surgeons are willing to undertake it.
Julia.
Eileen said:
If i am not being too personal I was wondering what neurosurgeon you are seeing that was once at Mass general and now at Beth Israel? If you don't want to state here, you can email me at eileengelsomini@yahoo.com. My neurosurgeon is Chris Ogilvy.
I had mine clipped a year and a half ago by dr rose du at BWH. She advised it best to be proactive due to age and I am glad that I listened since post clipping she said the back of the aneurysm was very thin.
I had a wide neck and they coiled it, but had to stent as well. 6 coils and 1 stent.
Denise H said:
Kelly if you skip through this sight you will see many stories of waiting, especially under the PED group, because we have that option. Mine was a wide neck ( those cannot be coiled), it's location, the carotid artery behind my right eye in was in operable.8 mm
I waited 8 years until the PED became available in the US. I had my surgery at Johns Hopkins.
My aneurysm was a result of a car accident. It was not recognized immediately. I found out about the problem 2 months after the accident. I did not waist any time in taking care of the issue once I found out. A hemorrhaged aneurysm was not something I felt inclined to deal with.
My Uncle spent 50 years at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals which gave me access at the highest levels to the medical community. Due to the severity of my aneurysm,I was refered to two hospitals on the East Coast where I had a chance of surviving. With a referral, I was seen by the Head of Neurology at Columbia Pres. Dr. Solomon with in two days of contact. Dr. Levine who's specialty is Aneurisms having performed over 5,000 surgeries handled my case. Over his career, mine case was only the second he had seen with similar characteristics. It took me 6 weeks to change my insurance policy so that I would be covered at Columbia Pres, NYC. I feel strongly that if I had not had the incredible team at Columbia Pres, I would not have come out with the recovery I have.
During my pre-surgery conference, Dr. Levine stated that my results could be paralysis, loss of cognition or walking with a brace for the rest of my life. Being completely out of touch with reality, had expected two or three months for recovery. I was walking with a cane with in 4 months, however an almost full recovery took about 30 months. I am thrilled to say that I have recovered and am walking without any devices. I know how lucky I am and live every day with a new appreciation.
I was terrified the entire time, and it was a major fight to get my strength and health back. However the alternative was not good. I did not want to wait for something worse to happen.
Good Luck and Good Health. Keep in touch!
Dancer