About 40% of people who have a ruptured brain aneurysm will die as a result. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org. Choice 3: My third option would be to face this head on and go in for the surgery to correct the problem. I didn’t have enough answers myself, to answer anyone else’s difficult questions. Once I changed my part and my hair started to grow back, no one could even tell I had just gone through this surgery. Unruptured Brain Aneurysm Surgery: What to Expect. January 15, 2018. Physically I felt absolutely fine, but psychologically, I was going insane. 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. But, I will tell you to put your trust in your doctors. All Rights Reserved. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service. That is about 1 in 50 people. Discussions By Condition: Medical Stories. 7272 Greenville Ave. I had a full blown panic attack moments before they were about to wheel me in. But when the bubble bursts, blood rushes into the brain, which can cause severe damage, even death. "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. And what are the warning signs? That day was one of the most terrifying days of my life. An angiogram is a procedure where they feed a small catheter through the femoral artery and guide it up to the brain. I just could not wrap my head around the fact that I had to risk possibly being blind, or not being able to read, or being deaf, when I felt like there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. Standing at a church pulpit, a blood vessel burst in her brain, Stopping the Bleeding in a Hemorrhagic Stroke, Researchers suggest way to possibly eliminate artery-clogging condition, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection (TAPVC). They are trained professionals and they will take great care of you. He asked me about my boo-boo, but overall wasn’t too fazed. Happy, healthy, and back to normal. I decided to make my decision after Dr. Zager’s imaging team got a better look. I mostly slept the first two days in the hospital room. What started out as migraine headaches turned into a fight for survival. Since I don’t have a family member or best friend that is a neurosurgeon, I did the worst thing you could ever do – Google it. 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. After speaking at length about my two aneurysms, he explained that one was only measuring 2mm so we would simply monitor it because the chance of rupture was slim, but there were options for my second aneurysm and the choice was mine. "Most are small, and people live with them without any problem at all. After about a month, my scar really started to heal and my hair started to grow back. My brother sponging water into my mouth in ICU. I had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Eric Zager. Monday - Friday: 7AM - 9PM CST  I calmly went for the scan and walked out of the appointment thinking nothing of it. 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. The most upsetting thing about this appointment was that the choice was ultimately mine. Listen to your body and take action. Not all views expressed in American Heart Association News stories reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Life seemed to be going perfectly. I tried my best to be strong and keep it together. Since I was given this second chance at life, with the knowledge I had, I decided to have the surgery. Thankfully I have an extremely supportive family to assist me with the baby. rene’s story brain aneurysm survivor Rene is an energetic, passionate 7th grade teacher—and he was diagnosed with an unruptured brain aneurysm. Treatment for an Unruptured Brain Aneurysm HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It is estimated that one in 50 people have an unruptured brain aneurysm in the US, according to the Brain aneurysm foundation. We only worry about them when they get large enough to cause a problem.". I had a slight headache here and there, but the hospital staff was wonderful and did their best to keep me out of pain. The diagnosis came upon my life very unexpectedly. Following the surgery, possible side effects could include cognitive deficits, blindness or vision loss, deafness or hearing loss, drooping of the muscles in the face, memory loss, paralysis, or death (just to name a few). Managing unruptured intracranial aneurysms is complex and usually involves one or a combination of three options – conservative, endovascular, or surgical treatment. Certain aneurysms are more likely to bleed, or rupture. Looking back now, I can’t believe how smoothly everything went. Authored by Jennifer Casoni, RN. The analogy often used is of a water line that may be giving way with little evidence … until everyone knows it. Again, I turned to the most reliable source I knew – Google. She lost her sister, Marie, at the young age of 31. Going into the surgery, I was terrified of the recovery period, but I snapped back pretty quickly. There are many people who are diagnosed with much worse things and some people who don’t even have the opportunity to be diagnosed before their ailment destroys them. According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation Brain aneurysms are also not rare—one in every 50 people, or about 6.5 million people in the US have an unruptured brain aneurysm. My in-laws didn’t bring my son to see me until the sixth day in the hospital because I was afraid that I would scare him. Make sure you have a good support system at home. The support I received from my family, friends and my doctors was second to none. Having the support of my family and friends made it effortless! 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. In other situations, aneurysms are found when they cause symptoms, such as headache, vision problems or … For many people, diagnosis of a brain aneurysm does not happen until the aneurysm ruptures and bleeds. "Heed the warning. Waiting for the results from the angiogram was brutal. Next, they would cut through the layers of the brain to access the aneurysm. Because my aneurysm is located more central in my brain and in a location where the area cannot be fixed by a procedure called “coiling”. Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories. The whole process was way easier than I had anticipated. After hearing the options, I was honestly leaning toward coiling. An aneurysm occurs when an area on an artery wall becomes weak, creating a sac that balloons out and fills with blood. I’m not going to tell you not to be scared, because there are a million things to be scared of. 1-800-AHA-USA-1 The surgery is known as clipping. After my decision was made, I tried to busy myself as much as possible to keep the looming surgery off of my mind. Known for being one of the best neurosurgery programs in the country, I knew I was in good hands. My son and I moved in with my parents for two months so my husband could still go to work every day.