Tina,
I never ever thought I would be in a situation where I would have to decide on what treatment I would have to do. I have always been pretty healthy and as people say, until something really bad happens, you never realize how lucky you were and you take everything for granted. I unfortunately now know just how quickly that can change. I am sure you feel the same way. With everything I hear and read, it is very hard to imagine a good outcome. That is what is so hard. Usually, at least in my case, if something was wrong the doctor would tell you what to do and you knew it would be fixed and over with/ In this case, nobody tells you that the chances of risk are so small that it is better to treat it. I know everyone will respond differently, but that really doesn’t assure me. I think your situation is just as difficult. If the choice isn’t yours then you will be really worried about the surgery. I feel confused all the time and again I do not know if this is just the stress I am under. As far as memory my kids keep saying “YOU JUST ASKED ME THAT” or DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE ASKED ME THAT OR SAID THAT ALREADY" . Again don’t know if it is stress related or a symptom. I am fatigued also but I do not sleep very well or I wake up very often. I am afraid to do things I never thought about before. I too am afraid all the time, but the few times I forget about it for awhile or tell mysef I will be fine without the surgery sure feels great. I would give anything to turn back the hands of time or sometimes I feel like it would have been better to never know I had it. I may have gone on living for years or died without ever knowing this thing was in my head. I hope you find a great doctor soon and know what your situation will be. Try to have a good day. I am thinking about you and I am grateful that you understand my situation. Lots of luck Mary
Pat,
Thanks again. I will check it out and hope it helps. I hope you are well. Have a good day. Mary
Wendy,
I truly understand your thinking. Yours is now over and done with and you don’t have to worry about an aneurysm in you head daily. With the bone flap infection and the next 4 craniotomies and bone flap replacement how much of the last year were you in the hospital or disabled? My ns did not go into the facts of surviving one vs. the outcome of the surgeries except to say surgery was as risky even if it did not rupture. I am glad you are pleased with your choice and that you are doing well. Thanks for your help. Mary
Cornelia
Hi. I am glad how great things went for you. Can I ask how old you are? I am 54 and know it gets riskier with age or underlying medical factors. I cannot believe you were awake and watching. I did not know that you would be awake. You felt no pain at all? How many coils did you need? Have you had any lasting effects or disabilities since the coiling? Did you have a choice or did your ns say it should be done because it was better than waiting and watching it? I know all doctors are different in their approach. Do you live in Boston or did you travel there to have that doctor? I live in NY and do not even know if going there would be an option (insurance wise, and traveling wise after the surgery). I hope you do not mind all of these questions? I found mine because I had a pinched nerve in my neck which left me with numbness and pins and needles in my fingers, down my left arm, on the left side of my face and ears. The chiropractor decided I should go to a ns to make sure it was nothing neurological. I had an MRI which showed what the neurologist thought was only a shadow (or maybe just told me that so I would’nt be scared) and he sent me for an MRA which confirmed an aneurysm… Thank you for telling me your story (it made me feel a little more assured about the coiling (if that is a choice for me). By any chance did your doctor discuss ONYX which is like a glue. Was this an option or was it not mentioned at all? Thanks for all the info on the doctor also. It is something I will look into if coiling is an option. I wish you good luck in the future. Thanks again. Mary
Mary,
I was in the hospital for 4 days (NICU) for the clipping after a 9 hour surgery. I was doing very well with my recovery for the first 8 weeks. I had headaches and extreme fatigue at first. I was back to work part-time in 9 weeks. I developed swelling on the side of my face where I had surgery and increased fatigue, nausea and what I call “cloudy thinking”. My surgeon originally thought it was a CSF leak which would resolve itself. I continued working part-time with increasing symptoms until mid December. I went back in for my second surgery on Dec. 15th thinking it would be to repair a CSF leak. My surgeon told me she had 2 options: to cut a small opening to drain some fluid or to reopen my original incision and repair the leak. She had to reopen the whole incision and when she drained the fluid she noticed “crystals” in it so sent it for cultures. I was in the hospital for 5 days waiting for the cultures. When they came back positive I was told I would need 2 more surgeries and 6 - 8 weeks of IV antibiotics. I had my bone flap removed on Dec 28th (5 days in the hospital) and left out for 7 weeks (had to wear a helmet) while I had the antibiotics. I had the replacement bone flap done on February 19th and was back to work on March 9th. I was out of work for a total of about 4 months all together. If I hadn’t developed the infection, I would only have been out for 8 or 9 weeks.
I am doing very well now and looking forward to the birth of our first grandchild in the Spring…so very grateful to be here! 
I hope this helps and please don’t be frightened by the added surgeries I went through. This rarely happens.
Hang in there!
~Wendy
Wendy,
Wow! You really had a rough time and still have no regrets. You said this rarely happens. Was this something you picked up in the hospital (like MRSA infections) or was it something your doctor did wrong, or just happened without explanation. I am so happy you are doing great now and excited for you about the birth of your grandchild. My girls are 18 and almost 17 and I want to be around to be a grandma also. Thanks for your encouragement. Mary
Mary,
The infection just happened during the first surgery for the clipping. The chance of infection is greater the longer the operation is. It wasn’t anything the Dr. did or didn’t do.
You will make the right choice for you and be their for your grandchildren too. Thinking of you…ask any questions you’d like.
~Wendy
Wendy,
Thanks, it’s good to hear other peoples experiences. Have a great weekend.
Patrica, thats fo replying, yes i have seen all those drs even the nero one and they have run every test available and all they could come up with is that blood flow must have stopped to something during surgery causing the blindness so thats what im left with. Laurie
Mary, I was already in the hospital because they admitted me to find out why 2 nights before i had an incident where my vision blurred for about a hour. They still never told me what caused the blurred vision but it lead to test that found the aneuytism. They told me that if the aneuyrism is 5mm or smaller they watch it but mine was 6mm so it needed to be done right away and they didnt waste anytime geting it done. Laurie
Mary, I think you need some reasurrence from an experienced Dr. that its not going to rupture anytime soon or go on and have it coiled or this is going to drive you batty, the stress that you are having from this could’nt be good. This is no way to live believe me i know how you feel cause my is coiled and i still worry every day its going to rupture or im going to get a 2nd one. For example i have a mild headache right now an my first thought i have is the aneuyrism is causing it, but reasurring words are magic they can make you feel so much better. Laurie
hi mary,
on october the 13th it will be one year that ihad my 5mm anny rupture then coiled oct 14th… while i was out having drinks with my brother and his wife,we were sitting at a table outside talking then all the sudden my eyes literally went crossed and i was like whoa…lol…then told my sis-n-law i was gonna go to the ladies room to wipe my face with a wet towel thinking i may of just been getting too hot…not the case,i i sat down n the restroom to kool down and here it came “clap of thunder” like no other headache you could imagine…worst than giving birth…i passed out and woke up with my friend calling my name,an ambulance was called and i was ruched to baylor of dallas on blocks away…vomiting on the way and also when i got there had a cti scan done where they discovered a ruptured 5mm anny on my basilar artery near the base of my neck…dr kenneth layton a intervention radiologist surgeon performed my coiling going in thru my groin area on the right side of my body,i was inthe hospital for two weeks and off of work for 1 mo following my release…wheni got home i had high sensitivity to light and noise,thank God i had my family to care for me and was able to regain both my mental and physical faculties at home…i went back to work after a month of being at home but had extreme anxiety w/every little ping, pinch kinda pain afterwards and now a headache is never just a headache anymore…now after a yr i am doing 100% better and occasionally take ativan to calm the anxiety…i am currently working fulltime and enjoying living my life more now than ever before,i owe this to God who has helped me to restore the soundness of my mind and body,and the support of my family and friends…i hope your able to find some solution soon and move forward to living a life with little worry and lots of love and happiness,dont let the stress take you over…you have to take your life back and do whats best in the interest of your health,you are in control…never forget this,many prayers n much love coming your way…michelle n texas…life is good and God is great,take care i forgot to include i was 41 now 42 and loving it!
Mary, I know how you feel. I have two aneurysms a 8mm and a 3mm. My first doctor said that I should just watch the aneurysm and the chances of rupture were slim. I have been driving myself crazy wondering and worrying about it. I have been on LOA for 3 and a half months I have headaches all the time, my blood pressure is extremely high…on several meds. from all the stress. I am always tired, I dont get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, I’m so afraid that I’m not going to wake up. I repeat myself as I cant remember alot of things that I have said. I went last week for a second opinion. This doctor agreed with the first one, but recomended i have the coiling.He said the stress and worrying is doing me more harm than the aneurysm. I am going back to work next week. I need to keep busy while I wait for the surgery. Good Luck Deb
I was originally told that mine was 5mm but the angiogram showed it to be 7mm. I was also told that I could wait and check it again in 6 months but that they recommended surgery because of my age (40) and the size. I have to have mine clipped because the neck is too wide for coiling unless they use a stent which carries it’s own problems. After reading many stories about those that have ruptured, I don’t think that I could convince myself or my family to wait and see. The only reason that I am waiting until November is that my step-son is getting married on Nov. 6th and I don’t want to miss the wedding.
Tina
I have the same symptoms as you and they also tell me that it is not related to my annie. At least I have already had my angiogram and am scheduled for surgery. I guess at least if my symptoms are not related they helped me find it before it ruptured.
hi sandy,
im just wondering if you were getting your anny clipped? are they going to be able to do it by way of angiogram? i would think recovery time would be alot quicker and you would still be able to attend your sons wedding,where is the anny located? they want to (drs) to wait a whole month before addressing this? i hope you are able to get it taken care of and pray you have a quick recovery,please dont wait too long, just dont want to take any chances,God bless sweety
Hi Michelle
Mine is located on the anterior communicating artery. I have gotten 3 opinions and all recommend clipping over coiling because of the neck size. My husband said the same thing about waiting but all of the surgeons agree that I should have surgery but waiting is okay. It will be an anxious 39 days. Thanks!
Laurie, I would love for a doctor to tell me it wont rupture any time soon, but as my ns said no one is gong to do that because they dont know for sure. There is much controversy about what size should be watched or if surgery should be done on all of them. Even though small ones are not supposed to rupture, they can. I also do not know if it can be coiled yet. I have to do the angiogram first. The stress isn’t good. I am trying to decide what way to go, but the outcome of the surgeries really deters me, especially since it has been said that the risk of the surgery outweighs the risk it may rupture. I guess it is going to come down to the fact that i have to calm myself and believe it wont rupture or get the angiogram and see if it can be coiled because I surely dont want my head cut open. I feel like I am damned if I do and I am damned if I don’t. I’m sure if you had another one it would have shown up on followup tests. Good luck. Mary
Michelle,
Did anybody say why yours ruptured when it was only 5mm when the chance of ruptures in small ones are slim. Did you know before it ruptured that it was there? I am glad to hear that your outcome was good. I know the anxiety all too well and also about headaches taking on a whole new meaning. I am depending on God to help me and to not let the stress take over. My mom keeps saying leave it in the hands of God, but I still dont know which way to go. I truly want to take my life back but right now I dont feel like I am in control. Thanks for the prayers and love, I really need that right now. Good luck and enjoy life. You are still very young and should have a long happy one. Take care Mary
Hi Sandi,
What showed it to be a 5mm. Was it an MRA? How long have you known about it, and how much time was in between being told it was a 5 and the angiogram showing it was a 7mm. You are only 40, I am 54 and they did not say anthing about my age. I also have read about a new procedure for wide neck annies that has been used since about 2007. The substance is ONYX HD500. At that time there were only about 300 specialists using it. It is less invasive than coiling or craniotomy. Since you have not done yours yet maybe you should check into this and see if it is an option. I am waiting to ask my ns about it because I do not know how wide mine is. I am hoping this is an option for me. I wish you much luck and little stress while waiting. Have a great time at the wedding. Mary