My Mom died in May of 2011 from a ruptured aneurysm. They found she actually had three but it was the one big one that took her life. Her sister went and had an MRI and she also had three aneurysms that have all been repaired. I went and had an MRI done in June of 2011 and they found no signs of aneurysms. I was told that I should get an MRI done aprrox. every 5 years for the rest of my life. Is this still the standard thought from the medical field? My insurance did not cover it but we decided it was worth doing but it may be hard in the future to come up with the money. Our insurance has changed a bit so I am hoping I might get some coverage for future testing.
K - my Neurosurgeon advised me to alert my family members, primarily my nieces and nephews. My partner did this as my speech at that time was very difficult to understand. My oldest niece shared information with her doctor who put it in her chart and will begin checking every five years and if her migraines get worse they will do further testing. She had just had a scan and her doctor did not feel anymore testing was necessary.
I'm so very sorry to hear about your Mom :( --> May she be Resting in Peace & Flying high with the Angels!
This is a great article from Tamala Jones who stars on ABC's hit show; "Castle", and is now a spokesperson for the Foundation! Here's one of many great takeaways from this article that helps to address your question.
"Our recommendation is for any individual who has two or more relatives (such as a mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousins) with a Brain Aneurysm to be screened for Aneurysms starting in their twenties and then every 5 to 10 years thereafter,” says Christine Buckley, executive director of the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
Thank you for the link to the article. That is the kind of information I was looking for but did not know how to search for it! My Mom always had dreams of flying, so I can bet she is flying with the angels! :-)
Having a Mom and an Aunt with brain aneurysms, I think I am one of those people that should continue to get scanned. Hoping to convince my brother to go as well!
Good idea to be screened. My son was scanned at 21, and nothing was found, so he isn't convinced he needs to go again. Mine ruptured at age 43, so I hope to convince him to do it again at age 40. My daughter isn't 21 yet. My neurosurgeon said the best advice was to be heart healthy and to be sure they know they have extra hazards from smoking and high blood pressure.
The recommendation for screening that I was told is every 5-7 years after age 21 if you have two or more close relatives with aneurysms (which my kids do!), but the question is what test? Your doc said MRI, but I thought magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or CT angiography were the tests recommended. I don't know if all insurance policies cover screening, but if not, that might be something for survivors to get involved in advocating!