I was 29 years old, recently married, and had only just given birth to a beautiful baby boy. I got fully caught up on all episodes of my favorite TV shows and I think I put a permanent dent in my parent’s couch. In many cases, aneurysms are often found only during testing for other conditions. "Many people walk around with what we call asymptomatic – or unruptured – brain aneurysms," he said. Most people find out they have an unruptured aneurysm by chance during a scan for some other problem. This is a medical emergency. I tried my best to be strong and keep it together. That day was one of the most terrifying days of my life. You will not have time to plan for surgery. After thoroughly investigating Dr. Zager, I realized just how qualified he was; with multiple publications and recognitions, I decided to hear him out. Thankfully, they allowed my mom to come with me. I’m not going to tell you not to be scared, because there are a million things to be scared of. Ten days after surgery, I had my staples removed at home by my nurse. The diagnosis came upon my life very unexpectedly. In some cases, this risk can be less than half a percent per year and most brain aneurysms fall into this low-risk category. "It's kind of like the neurological equivalent of sudden cardiac death," said Elkind, a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University in New York City. I was so shocked by the diagnosis and immediately wanted more information. Amazingly enough, only two weeks after a major craniotomy, Tylenol was enough! Thankfully, I am a teacher and was able to have my surgery during the summer months that I already have scheduled off. HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The analogy often used is of a water line that may be giving way with little evidence … until everyone knows it. The surgery is known as clipping. I am extremely fortunate to have wonderful in-laws that brought my son to Philadelphia with them, where they stayed for the entire week, so he could be close to me. Unruptured Aneurysm. For many people, diagnosis of a brain aneurysm does not happen until the aneurysm ruptures and bleeds. Not only were their doctors phenomenal, but they also had top of the line imaging equipment that we didn’t have at home. If they were to “coil” it, then they can cut in the groin (femoral artery) and use a long catheter that has a coil and sometimes a stent in it which is slowly push up to the aneurysm. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, 1 in 50 people have an unruptured brain aneurysm. The day of the surgery I was extremely lucky to be surrounded by all of my immediate family. The risk of rupture varies depending on the aneurysm location and size. They had me heavily medicated and completely out of pain. Unruptured saccular aneurysms less than 10 mm in diameter have a very low probability of subsequent rupture. Next, they inject dye and they are able to investigate the area more closely. He explained how it depends more on how thin the wall of the aneurysm is, rather than the size, and you cannot determine how thin the walls are by any scan. This is like the cardiac catheterization procedure used to insert a stent into a blockage in a heart artery. I was only on the heavy narcotics for about two weeks before I decided to stop and switch to Tylenol. I can’t imagine what it would have been like if people were constantly asking me how I was feeling or if they were taking pity on me for my circumstances. The weakness in the wall of a blood vessel could rupture at any time, unexpectedly. Unfortunately, my aneurysm happened to be at an intersection of two arteries (lucky me! Medical studies show the risk of a brain aneurysm rupturing is quite low. Since my surgery I feel like I have been given a whole new lease on life. We only worry about them when they get large enough to cause a problem.". The brain aneurysm community may seem small, but if you have been impacted in some way, whether you are a survivor, caregiver, friend, or have lost someone to an aneurysm, you start to realize how many people are impacted and that the community is unfortunately greater than you realized. This link is provided for convenience only and is not an endorsement of either the linked-to entity or any product or service. Some aneurysms are quite large in size and may push on a nerve in the brain, causing what is called the "mass effect." The support I received from my family, friends and my doctors was second to none. Customer Service They had to sedate me to calm me down. © 2021 The Bee Foundation. "The thought is that when it's done surgically, it's more definitive because the surgeon can see where to put the clip and whether it's definitively (closed)," Elkind said. (I use the term normal loosely). We also lost two other family members over the years, and we have five family members surviving with aneurysms that are either being monitored, or that have been corrected. Other risk factors include age and sex, as brain aneurysms usually rupture between the ages of 30 to 60 and are more commonly experienced by women. Life seemed to be going perfectly. I consulted with my closest family and friends on their opinions. Share with us how brain aneurysms have impacted your life. Life seemed to be going perfectly. If we cut off the blood flow all together, which would most likely happen with coiling, there was a great chance that I would lose all vision in my left eye. If you are in the same position as I was, I would recommend getting surgery in a heartbeat. There is no reason to suspect anything and, boom, it comes out of nowhere.". The thing that terrified me the most was that in order to save my own life – when I was feeling no symptoms and my life seemed to be going perfectly – I had to have a surgery that could leave me with lingering side effects for life. I consider myself especially lucky. Research suggests up to 1 in 20 people in the United States will develop a brain aneurysm in their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately. As unfortunate as it is that I had to go through with this surgery, I feel like it has enriched my life, believe it or not! But when the bubble bursts, blood rushes into the brain, which can cause severe damage, even death. We were able to joke and laugh and distract ourselves from what was about to happen. "Heed the warning. The group has launched two public service announcements, the latest featuring Whoopi Goldberg, whose brother died from a brain aneurysm. Aneurysms can remain stable throughout life, but in some cases they enlarge, or rupture – a life-threatening medical emergency. I have heard of aneurysms before and I knew their impact could be devastating. January 15, 2018. The study, Trends in Mortality and Morbidity after Treatment of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysm in the United States, 2006-2016, analyzed data … It was tiring at first, but it made me feel more like myself again to get up and move around. Hours Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt or reprint from these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to American Heart Association News. They are trained professionals and they will take great care of you. However, a larger unruptured aneurysm may press on brain tissues and nerves, possibly causing pain above and behind one eye, a dilated pupil, change in vision or double vision and numbness on one side of the face. Although this was a difficult thing to keep to myself some days, I’m glad I didn’t share my news. I had an at-home nurse come visit three times a week in the beginning and her visits became more and more spread out until I was discharged. After eight weeks, I was able to drive again. The question is, how much. Re: Unruptured 3mm cerebral aneurysm The other factor was the success rate of these surgeries (upwards of 90% ) and the long-term prognosis for complete "cure" of the aneurysm. Saturday: 9AM - 5PM CST He was very cool and collected in explaining exactly how the surgery would happen and all of the possible side effects. 4 out of 7 people who recover from a ruptured brain aneurysm will have disabilities. "We want people to get to the point where they don't dismiss a headache," Crawford said. Today marks one year since I was diagnosed with two unruptured brain aneurysms. I am a two-time brain aneurysm survivor. "Nobody out there had ever focused on communicating the top signs and symptoms of a brain aneurysm.". All Rights Reserved. There were 34 staples holding me together and the doctors were able to save a lot of my hair. Not all views expressed in American Heart Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. I found out I have two brain aneurysms; one aneurysm measuring 2mm is located on my carotid artery and the second aneurysm measuring 4mm is located on my ophthalmic artery. It was much less invasive than a craniotomy and it would be a temporary fix that I could handle one step at a time. I had the surgery on July 18th and started back at work on September 12th. Coiling is a process where they insert a catheter into the femoral artery in the groin, feed the catheter up to the brain, and feed small coils into the aneurysm in order to cut off blood flow and allow the aneurysm to clot. I received the news via email. She lost her sister, Marie, at the young age of 31. After about a month, my scar really started to heal and my hair started to grow back. However, Elkind emphasized the difference between having a brain aneurysm and having one rupture. Since you too are pretty young at 37 and it good overall physical health it would seem they are giving us similar suggestions due to our hopeful long life expectancy. Slowly but surely, the fatigue wore off and I gained my endurance back. This is a condition where every second literally matters. Choice 3: My third option would be to face this head on and go in for the surgery to correct the problem. My endurance is back, I seldom get headaches, I can drive, I can drink, and I can lift my baby! I can’t even describe how great I felt. However, in case of an unruptured aneurysm, with the size is large, individuals can feel pain due to the occasional pressing of the bulge of the artery of the blood vessel against the tissues or nerves present in the brain. Read Jennifer’s story and learn to recognize the signs of a ruptured brain aneurysm. I didn’t have enough answers myself, to answer anyone else’s difficult questions. "While still a good way to treat an aneurysm without resorting to open brain surgery, coils may shift over time, allowing an aneurysm to regrow. During that time period I also lost my sister to a ruptured brain aneurysm and my husband’s niece died of a rupture. My son and I moved in with my parents for two months so my husband could still go to work every day. Read Jennifer’s story and learn to recognize the signs of a ruptured brain aneurysm. The whole process was way easier than I had anticipated. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service. An aneurysm occurs when an area on an artery wall becomes weak, creating a sac that balloons out and fills with blood. "Many people walk around with what we call asymptomatic – or unruptured – brain aneurysms," he said. According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation one in fifty people in the U.S. have an unruptured brain aneurysm. I didn’t want to scare my son. Twelve days after my surgery, I celebrated my 30th birthday with my family and friends. The hospital stay was getting pretty boring. The bleeding is called a subarachnoid hemorrhage, and it's a type of stroke. Brain Aneurysm Statistics: An estimated 6 million people in the USA have an unruptured brain aneurysm. He asked me about my boo-boo, but overall wasn’t too fazed. My brother sponging water into my mouth in ICU. Although the decision was still mine, he was recommending the surgery. Finally, an occupational therapist only had to come once before he discharged me. My husband would come over every night after work and have dinner with us. On Oct 2, 2013 I was diagnosed with an unruptured brain aneurysm. A physical therapist came to my house weekly for about a month until I was released from his care. By day four I felt ready to go home. I had zero symptoms. We only worry about them when they get large enough to cause a problem." Most often a ruptured brain aneurysm occurs in the space between the brain and the thin tissues covering the brain. Certain aneurysms are more likely to bleed, or rupture. Since I was about to turn 30 and now had a beautiful baby boy to live for, I figured I would give my mother peace of mind and go get checked out. Pets and Your Health / Healthy Bond for Life, Institute for Precision Cardiovascular Medicine, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. That day was one of the most terrifying days of my life. Most importantly, I am eternally thankful that I will have the opportunity to be around to watch my son grow up, and he will always know the love of his mother. They would then drill burr holes into my skull in order to remove a piece of my skull about the size of a credit card. I only shared the news of my diagnosis with close family and friends. Founded in May 2014, The Bee Foundation is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising awareness and reducing the number of deaths caused by brain aneurysms through innovative research. ... My Story: Surviving a Brain Aneurysm. The diagnosis came upon my life very unexpectedly. Physically I felt absolutely fine, but psychologically, I was going insane. Monday - Friday: 7AM - 9PM CST  The second they wheeled me away and my family was out of sight, I started to come undone. In other situations, aneurysms are found when they cause symptoms, such as headache, vision problems or … "Most are small, and people live with them without any problem at all. He was extremely confident that it would go very well, considering my age and state of well being; but he still had to explain the risks. American Heart Association News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. I have no memory of the ICU. It is estimated that one in 50 people have an unruptured brain aneurysm in the US, according to the Brain aneurysm foundation. That’s when I decided I wanted to share my story. He started the Lisa Foundation with the mission of "shedding light on brain aneurysms." Dallas, TX 75231 I was on an IV and a catheter. "She experienced that headache two or three times a week over about four weeks and we completely dismissed it," Crawford said. It terrified me to imagine the compromises to my brain that I would be risking. 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