Unruptured Brain Aneurysm

I found out about my 4mm aneurysm because I was getting headaches at the beginning of skiing each day - I guess the combination of altitude and sudden spike in BP must have been the issue - there doesn't appear to be any bleeding, so I guess the headache was just from pressure when my BP increased. I'm awaiting my first appointment, but I'm just wondering if surgical treatments like coiling/clipping/stent are likely to make it so that I can continue to do things like ski.

My advice is maintain normal BP 126/70. Eat low salt diet. Elevate your bed to 45 degrees to sleep. Aquatic exercise to prevent blood flow into your BA. That's how I keep my BA stable in size since 2022. Every year I had MRA done at the same time. This year I had my MRA done in
7/3/24. The results are BA stable and no remarkable.
Hope this information is helpful. Take care.
Tainan

@shamb52: I know you're getting a 2nd opinion but am curious what the doctor recommended in your initial consultation. I have a 6.5 mm aneurysm and have been told I can watch-and-wait, or coil. Mine is in a location where clipping is not an option. I chose watch-and-wait initially, I have been doing that for 9 months, but think my fear is, perhaps, keeping me from making the best choice.

Thank you for removing my personal information.

Hi @tainan, for your safety, your personal contact information has been removed as per the Community Guidelines (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/). We recommend sharing personal contact information using the secure private message function rather than in the public forum.

However, I'd also like to point out the benefit of sharing here in the support group where you all receive support and information from several people and learn from each other.

I have advice on how to help yourself stabilize your brain aneurysm, I had a similar experience. Please contact me by private message, I will explain it to you.

In rereading reports, I discovered that not only do I have a brain aneurysm (anterior communicating artery) but I also have an aneurysm in a carotid artery. Both have been stable over the last year since they were first identified. Repeat CTA already scheduled for next year. One CTA to monitor both.

Keep us updated! My aneurysm is in a very difficult location in my brain so looking at all options before getting a second opinion this month.

I have a brain aneurysm as well, a hard to reach one. But I was told that the MRI and MRA tests I had at Kaiser in California didn't reveal the true size of the aneurysm. So Center for Neurosciences in Tucson did a CTA which revealed it was 5.2 mm, not 6 mm as told by Kaiser. Just ask a lot of questions and get a 2nd opinion. That's my method.

Keep us updated.