Unruptured Brain Aneurysm

@lizheathmn: The primary care physician who referred you to the Brain and Spine Institute should intercede on your behalf. Please contact him. I worry that the lack of response from the B & S Institute may indicate the kind of care you will get from that facility in general. So perhaps your PCP could refer you elsewhere (is there a teaching hospital associated with a university within a 2 hour radius?) and at the very least your PCP should call the B & S Institute to speed things up. Also, is your PCP aware that you are no longer taking Motrin? He should prescribe something else for your neck pain that won't interfere with you being scheduled for surgery.

@lizheathmn - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You've been through quite a bit with your health recently.

You posted in this discussion, which is perfect for the aneurysm you mentioned:

- Unruptured Brain Aneurysm https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/unruptured-brain-aneurysm/.

For your tumor finding, you might want to check out this group and its many discussions:

- Brain Tumor Support Group https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/brain-tumor-support-group/. Members there can support as you learn more about your tumor and move into treatment, if appropriate.

What is the current plan for your aneurysm? Or is that yet to be determined?

I am not sure if I am in the right group or not? I ended up in the ER in late March for a bad headache, off balance, and double vision. They did two ct scans and an mri. They found a tumor and an aneurysm. The aneurysm is a M2 6 mm and the Tumor is a 1. 5.8 cm frontal brain mass crossing the midline, most suggestive of a low- grade glioma, but could also be a typical tumor or high-grade malignancy. They could not do surgery then b/c of the 800mg Motrin I had taken that morning. Wanted me to stay there for 7 days to get it out of my system. I decided to go home and then follow up with a neurosurgeon. Went for console a week later and the decided to get a second opinion b/c I wasn’t getting any answers answered. I was rushed in and out. My primary doctor referred me to the Brain and Spine Institute. The Doctor I saw there I liked a lot more. He wants me to have an Angiogram before surgery. He referred me to another doctor to have that done. I went for console on May 30th and have been waiting ever since for the office to call me with a date. For the last two and a half weeks I have called that office and his assistants number as well and haven’t been able to talk to anyone yet. I leave messages every time and get none in return. Ive asked the Brain Institute to please refer me to another dr. So I can get this done. Any suggestions are welcome. I am a 70 year old widow who lives alone and I’m very scared. My symptoms vary from day to day but my neck pain is crazy bad all the time. Thanks for reading

Hi!
I'm new to this group and wanted to share my experience. It's been a hellish medical journey over the past year. Starting with a scary episode of vertigo which landed me in the ER. Later, I was diagnosed with unruptured wide necked 2-3mm brain aneurysm along the vertical petrous segment of the left ICA. In addition, I also have slight hearing loss in my left ear (not the same side as the vertigo) and tinnitus ever since. Multitude of doctors and tests -- have spent more on medical last year (and this year) than I probably ever have.
My Neurosurgeon/Vascular doc will be doing follow-up MRA every year to keep a check on it to make sure it is not growing and he advised me to "just live my life". I'm doing my best to follow that advice.
I've always been active and pretty healthy -- no high blood pressure, no diabetes, etc. But, last year changed that for me for whatever reason. It has been an adjustment to say the least.
This is what I've been diagnosed with over the past year: Vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, cerebellar stroke (an "old silent" stroke, they say), heart defect (PFO), Sleep Apnea, and if that wasn't enough -- a torn gluteal minimus!
Seriously?! The end result of most of these ailments is just to monitor and live my life. Sleep Apnea and torn glute I'm actively working on and I take a daily aspirin because of the stroke. I guess the upside is that I've already met my health insurance deductible this year. LOL

@smilton
All good advice.

I have recently been diagnosed with Bilateral symmetric C6 ICA aneurysms. Right 8x7x6mm. Left 6x7x6mm. Does anyone else have similar?

I've spoken to a neurosurgeon who was fabulous - we went over treatment options (coiling / surgical clipping), I've decided to take the "watch and wait route" as the risk of rupture is .5% each (so in my case it would be 1% risk since I have two) but the risk of surgical complications is 3-5%.

Wondering if anyone else has had experience with this...

We will do another CT Angiogram in a year.

@aigul29: A neurosurgeon who specializes in aneurysms is your best friend and the one who will give you the correct answer to the question you are asking. I've had both an aneurysm and a meningioma taking up real estate in my brain. At the teaching university/hospital I go to one neurosurgeon who specializes in aneurysms did my coiling procedure, and a different neurosurgeon who specializes in meningiomas did that surgery. But while waiting for my aneurysm repair I was advised to not hang upside down and my keep blood pressure at 130 or below.

If the aneurysm is an ophthalmic segment internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm in the C6 segment. What are the risks of that location?

@tressy: The aneurysm I had coiled a year and a half ago was 5.5ish and the neurosurgeon I consulted with said that anything over 5 mm. is when you should look into having the aneurysm repaired. But as "minnmitzi" stated, location also plays a big part in deciding what to do, as well as one's age/state of health.

@tressy Sorry to hear about your Mom's medical challenge. It will be a challenge for you and your Dad as well. I do not know at what point cerebral aneurysms are considered to be candidates for surgical repair. However, I do know that in addition to size, its location and position are factors, too. In my case, I was told because it is located in the boney "cavern" at the base of the skull it has lower risk for leakage. So, both size and location were important in deciding about surgical repair. Wishing your Mom and all your family well in this.

@minnmitzi hello, my mom has been recently diagnosed with 3 cerebral aneurysms and has been advised to have them surgically repaired. My question is at what size are aneurysms considered for surgery. My dad wants her to get a second opinion. Thanks!