help i am scared
 

I used to post on this web site for my sister who had a brain cyst. Now I am posting for me... I had an MRI monday, my ENT wanted to see what might be causing my dizzy spells and ringing in ears. He said he didnt find what he was looking for but saw that i have a annie about the size of a piece of unpopped popcorn. He referred me to a nerologist, who i see if five weeks. My ENT wasnt that concerned and the nero wasnt that concerned. They said it was small, (advice: just dont do any contact sports or lift anything heavy.) I am freaking out. I am a VERY healthy 46 year old woman. What is any of your takes on this. Should I freak or not....??? I would have never known i had this if it wasnt for the MRI no symtoms at all, other than I feel dizzy but that has been going for much of my life. I have allergies so I think a lot of it now is just congestion in my head. but, now I am having panic attacks!!

I am leaving to go out of town for a week tomorrow. They said it was OK to travel. Thanks for any of your thoughts

Suzi

Hi Suzi

I dont know anything about aneurysm so can offer info, but I did just want to give encouragement that if your doc and the neuro arent alarmed then hopefully this is not serious .

I hope others who know more on this will be along shortly to give you their input

Cheri

I would get a second opinion
 

I would try to get an appointment with the best neurosurgeon in your area.

Hi,
I have one aneursym that was clipped in March and have another one that is currently untreated. It is such a shock when you first find out. I was afraid to sneeze. :eek: I'll send you a private messag and you can contact me with any questions at all. I'll try to help you out.
Sarah

Hi Debbie!
If it were me, I would go get another opinion immediately with the very best neuro you can find...it's your brain, your life...irreplaceable and priceless.
I wish you the very best!
Huggs!
CRITTER
=^..^=

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.

Suziq Hold Tight
 

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.

I found out that I had two aneurysms on a Thursday, met with a specialist,two days later, who then connected me with another specialist that does the coiling procedure, and I was operated on the following Thursday, I didn't waste time, mine was 12.9. No lifting please, no rollercoasters, no raising of blood pressure until you have a positive diagnosis.

hi susan1968, mine was not concerned either but i later learned it was 14 mm in size . my nerosugergeon was concerned though . Now i have had other anerysms since then 2 to be exact

Dear Suzi: I know about the not lifting, lifting anything over 10lbs causes blood to rush to the brain, with an aneurysm, you don't want that to happen, also keep your blood pressure down until you go to a specialist

Hello there everyone, New here, just signed up today..

I've dealt with the same type of fear. We all know our bodies, especially after going thru a traumatic event. I had a cranial anuerysm of the left corotid artery between my brain and eye a few years back. Had the artery coiled and things were fine after a long recovery. But i have had strange pains in and around my eye and face and neck on the right side now for about a year. Been to several Doctors and had MRI's and ultra sounds done and everyone says I am fine.

So my point is, if they say you shouldnt worry about it but you still feel scared and need verification, get a second opinion. It may help put those anxious feelings at ease.. After my surgery I was all kinds of nervous and paranoid.. It's natural.. :grouphug:

Hi Suzi

My aneurysm was discovered as an incidental finding. I had a routine MRI (I have MS), and they did an MRA as well (which looks at the circulatory system in the brain).

My neurologist didn't tell me about it for more than six months, when I went back for my next routine exam he told me about it, told me not to worry about it and that we would monitor it.

My best friends are nurses, and they freaked out and said 'no way - get a referral to a neurosurgeon these are too nasty to muck around with'. So, I got a referral and off I went. The NS looked at my films and told me that I should get it clipped.

It ended up being 13 months from discovery to treatment, but after it was done the NS said the walls were very thin and it would have only been a matter of time until my kids found me dead on the floor. I have a photo that was taken during surgery and you could clearly see what he meant.

My point - and sorry for the long story about me, is please make sure that you see a Neurosurgeon or Cranio Vascular Surgeon. If you decide to monitor it fine, lots of people do, but find out all of your options.

Cheers

Lyn

my friend Jane
 

I have a dear friend who had her annie clipped last August. She has been doing well, but recently was in the hospital 5 days. Back on anti-seisure, and blood thinner meds again and has had mini TIA's. Last spring she had neck fusion after a severe impact car crash.

Please send your prayers and positive thoughts her way, she always thinks about others....even when she is having her own struggles. She is a new memeber here, and I am glad this forum has this available to her. If you would want to send her a private message...her member name is Ouch.

thanks :p

Just wondering if Suzi is still posting?? This post from her is dated Oct.2007:confused:

ooxx
Mimi

That was the only post she ever made here.

:(

Oops! :o Didn't even look at the date - I just jumped on the band wagon when I saw it as one with a recent reply!