I have a 3 mm aneurysm behind my left eye and I, along with 2 very good neurosurgeons, are meeting to discuss what to do!! It has been a little over 4 months and no change but it doesn’t mean it won’t rupture!! I am 33 and have a beautiful 4 year old daughter that would be devastated if something happened to me!!! I don’t want to make the wrong choice!! Anyone have some advice???
That’s good that there hasn’t been any change in 4 months but YES, it can be a really hard go of it, just knowing that it’s there and the what if’s. I agree with Jim, you ask yourself what it is that you can live with. If you can’t live with the aneurysm and not knowing whether it will rupture or not, I would talk about your surgical options. You may feel better taking control of the situation to give you peace of mind so that you are better equipped emotionally and so on to raise your 4 yr old daughter. This is just my outlook on it but you have to decide once you hear about any options that you may have.
Thank you for taking the time to respond! I worry if I have surgery I won’t make it and there is a possibility that it will never rupture but then if I wait and it ruptures everyone will wish I would have done it… I am so torn because I don’t want to make the wrong decision!!! I am terrified of being put to sleep and everything that goes along with it… But I want to be here with my daughter!!! I am so confused!!
I feel your pain Jennifer, I really do! I’m going through the exact same thing! My annie is 8mm located on the middle cerebral artery, frontal lobe. I have NO idea what I’m facing as I’m waiting to see my surgeon next Thurs Nov 18. I’m scared, my heart races; the waiting has been really hard but now that it’s so close I’m feeling even more anxiety. I truly believe that this is something that you will have to try and weigh the pros and cons if the surgeons don’t feel that they should operate right away. You need to ask yourself what you can live with and what you can’t because either way, there is a chance of something happening right? I know this is hard, I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. If you just want to chat sometime let me know…talking helps.
Jennifer…my partner had a 3 mm beyond her left eye and it ruptured! 27 months ago and she still can’t work or drive. She is doing great but it has been a journey. She was away from our home for 5 months and was in an induced coma for 5 and 1/2 weeks. I am not a Neurosurgeon, but I would certainly want that aneurysm clipped so it doesn’t have the opportunity to rupture.
Hugs sent your way…Susan and Karen
Thank you so much!!! I needed to hear that!!! I don’t want my fear of surgery stop me from doing something that could save my life!!! I appreciate your honesty!! I am glad to hear she is doing well!!
Jennifer, Any surgery is scary, no matter what it is for. I had a rupture in June 2007, then a shunt put in 10 days later, then another surgery in August 2008 which was also accompanied by a stroke. It was hard, then in September 2009 I had to have my thyroid removed, oh my, I was a basket case and almost didn’t go through with the surgery because I was so scared and so freaked out. Well, it was a piece of cake! I could not believe it. What I am trying to say is don’t let the fear stand in the way of you making the right decision. Your surgeons will be able to help you with the facts but I think that if you can fix it you are better off than if it ruptures, yeah, some of us have a been luckier than others after a rupture but more often the outcome is devastating. I know that the surgery is tough and the recovery is tough but I think you will find many people who have had the surgery and recovered and can now move forward without the fear of the aneurysm possibly rupturing. Listen to the facts and lay them out on paper if it helps so that you can make the right decision that is best for you and your family. Good luck, you are in my prayers and keep us posted.
Shelly
Hi Jennifer, I know how you feel I have always been afraid of having any surgery and being put to sleep, but the fear of living with an aneurism to me would be worse than surgery. I know surgery is different for everyone but for me it was not bad at all. I had coiling done and I never felt any pain except my I.V. was poking me and that was the only reason I even needed pain medication. When they woke me up in recovery after surgery I felt great my surgery went very well and im sure yours will too, if surgery is what you choose to do. I personally just would not want to live with an untreated anuerism my anxiety is just too bad. Laurie
Thank you Laurie…I appreciate you talking to me…my aneurysm is unable to be coiled because it is too small for the coils…but I wish it wasn’t! Thank you for sharing a positive experience…I need all of them that I can get!
Jennifer, your story seems so ironic to me! I was the same age as you when my aneurysm ruptured, and my daughter was just a year older than yours! After having a ruptured aneurysm that I did not know was there, I would opt for surgery now. I know it’s clearly a personal opinion, but do the doctors tell you that the recovery would be easier from surgery than if it ruptured? Speaking only from my personal experience of a month in a coma after the rupture, blindness (and surgery to repair it) after it ruptured, it seems like it would be less risky to have the surgery before. I am facing a second stent/coil placement for my aneurysm now. It amazes me to hear the doctors say a few days in ICU for monitoring then I will be back to work! It makes me wonder if they had found it then before it ruptured, would the recovery had been so hard???
I wish you the best of luck and health! Keep us posted!