Suzi,

By now you have had your specialist visit, and should know more. I can share this, I had an aneurysm detected by CT scan in Feb 07, had the surgery to clip it in Oct 07. Mine was 7mm on the AcoA. Chance of rupture 1%/year. So waiting was not all that risky. Many reasons for the wait but nonetheless I did wait. I suspect yours being the size you described the risk of rupture is even less (mine was described to the the size of a pea - obviously larger than a piece of unpopped popcorn). Still I fully understand the feeling of having a ticking timebomb in your head, I did until I finally was able to see a neurosurgeon. Let us know what your doctor tells you and what you plan to do.

Wow I am actually shaking typing this. My memories are still so new, that I have a tough time thinking about "when I was told" but, I had to write.

I am out of the hospital 4 weeks today after having 3 aneurysms clamped, one of which ruptured when they "opened" me up. But take heart, my Neurosurgeon from the Mayo tells me the one behind my eye was the largest he has ever seen ad spposedly he is the third best in the world. I figure he would have seen a few then. That one was probably about 4 - 5 times the size of yours and the second one I had was an aneurysm on that aneurysm. Can't get much worse than that. The one in the Temporal lobe was almost the same size. So to make you feel a bit better, it usually is a fairly long process and alot of symptoms before they get to emergency stage.

To get back to my original part tho; I bet you shook and hard when you were told. They rushed me to the ER and had the doctor tell me there. I actually shook right off the bed. And then I was terrified to even turn my head let alone sneeze or cough or bend over. But in the end, the human body, let alone the brain, is VERY resilient. Now after 5 weeks since I had the full craniotomy, I have had a lot of time to ask questions just to eliminate my fear that there might still be a time bomb or grow a new one.

Get to the Neurosurgeon as soon as you can if for nothing else to shrink your fears. They have seen these and normally lots of them. They will give it to you straight; just ask lots of questions. You have a good chance of probably just having to have a coil done at this point. Very non-invasive and very little recovery time. But if for some reason it is worse, just keep in mind that in the 8 days I was in the Neuro ICU after surgery, they did 4 - 8 successful procedures/surgeries a day. No one Didn't make it that week. The procedures aren't minor or run of the mill, but they aren't the possible death sentence they use to be.

In the end, I will say a prayer to give you strength and calmness of heart. I feel terrible another human being had to go thru that moment of mortal fear of the "time bomb". From your info it sounds as tho you they caught it early, you most likely will have a simple procedure to rectify it: end of story. Keep you spirits up, watch your blood pressure as a significant change in pressure over a period of time can alert to a change in the aneurysm; but most important remember everything has gone right for you and there is no reason to think it won't continue.