I had a craniotomy in February of this year. I was coming to work one day and had tremendous sensitivity to light. I could not keep my eyes open. My husband picked me up & took me to the emergency room. Through a cat scan they identified an aneurysm. Through an angiogram they detected three. I went into surgery on one day. They were able to repair two. The very next day I had to be rushed back to surgery due to a brain bleed. Thank god I survived with no deficits. I’m functioning today like nothing ever happened. It’s been six months. I’m recovered. Now they need to address the existing one. Sounds like I’m going to have that one coiled. It’s in a very bad spot. I feel like I finally recovered…got my life back…and now I’m taking a gazillion steps back. I’m depressed about it. I don’t want to share it with my family because they’ve been worrying so much. Does everyone feel this way going through this type of situation?
Vicki, yes. I had a rupture June 2007, was coiled then a shunt for the pressure issues I was still having. Amazing I survived and recovered so well, then at my one year angiogram discovered blood was getting in to the very damaged artery he intended to eliminate and my surgeon felt it would rupture again and would be fatal. I was told they needed to totally elimiate the artery, again, which would cause a stroke, actually the better of the two options. So, here I go again, had to learn to walk again, was left with numbness, loss of feeling in many areas, balance and dizziness. But, I am alive, highly functioning. I work full time, drive, I can see, I was blind for weeks after the rupture. We all have something in life to deal with and overcome. We need to stay positive and make the best of what we have. Life is short and there are no guarantees so live each day to the fulkest and don’t look back. Good luck to you and congratulations for being a survivor!
Shelly
Hi Vicki and Welcome to the Survivor's Club...
You have every right to be depressed and it is part of this journey...however, if you need to have this coiled...it is going to be better than a craniotomy...(less invasive)...I had a 9mm leaky annie on my basilary artery coiled ...that was in November...and I already had my 6mos angio and told the coils are working...I have another annie that is so small that it is being watched...it is hard not to worry about it everyday...but I will not let it control my life...
Remember you can control your feelings but not your families...they need to know what you are going through...and together support eachother through...
Gotcha in my Thoughts And Prayers...Colleen
Thank you, Shelly, for the very good advice. Recovering from the craniotomy was a challenge, and I made it! Coiling is much less invasive. I need to apply the power of positive thinking!
Thank you, Colleen. You’re right. I need to share with my family instead of withdrawing from them. Communication is a good thing. When I survived the craniotomy I told myself I wasn’t going to worry about the existing aneurysm. I decided if I worried about dying, I wasn’t really living. I need to get back to that mindset.
HAHAHA...YUP...JIM YOU ARE SAFE...OR WE ARE SAFE...!
WONDER WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN LATELY?
it is a emotional rollercoaster but talk about it, it helps. I had a rupture in 2009 and still think about it ,thats the new us. Try to think how far you came and try not to let each pain get ya.
Hi Shelly, I went the the doctor's today (Interventional Radiologist) based on my neurologist's recommendation. It's been 6 months since my clipping. Apparently, I have 3 aneurysms. One they fixed @ that time. One is very small...no worries. The other is a problem. I go in for a angiogram in a couple of weeks. The IR said if it's grown even a teeney bit, I'll have to have a coiling done. Problem is..it's in a really bad spot. She told me exactly what you heard. If they do the coiling she's 100% I'll have a stroke, but there will be no other option. I'm scared. I think I'm more scared of having a stroke than actually dying. When I walked out of her office, I remember reading your posting, and I shared it with my husband. If you made it....I'm gonna make it.