1. < Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases

Unruptured Brain Aneurysm

Posted by badnaples @badnaples, Nov 22, 2021

Hello! I recently found out I have a 4mm ACOM during a CT scan, waiting CT angio appointment, question is....live life normally? OK, to travel (fly), exercise etc. Can't get answers from doc, they say all this will be covered during pre-op which is weeks away and in the meantime causing me anxiety not knowing what I should or should not do. Not sure if I have symptoms, various headaches, mild, dull, various areas of the head, but have those often and for long time, and stuffy nose so assume its sinus. Any help is appreciated, suppose to travel in 48 hours. I read all this about rupturing and frightens me. Is it something that would happen suddenly or gradually from a leak. Help! THank you.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases Support Group.

tainan | @tainan | Nov 10, 2024
In reply to @tainan "I have advice on how to help yourself stabilize your brain aneurysm, I had a similar..." + (show)
@tainan

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.

Jump to this post

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

REPLY
sarahjo900 | @sarahjo900 | Mar 24 9:02am

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.

REPLY
3 replies
Moderator
Lisa Lucier, Moderator | @lisalucier | Mar 24 11:36am
In reply to @sarahjo900 "I found out about my 4mm aneurysm because I was getting headaches at the beginning of..." + (show)
@sarahjo900

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.

Jump to this post

Hi, @sarahjo900 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It would frustrate me to have a headache at the beginning of each day I was trying to spend skiing. I'm glad you found out about your 4 mm aneurysm, just to be informed.

The question about surgical treatments like coiling/clipping/stent and whether you will be able to do things like ski is perfect for a neurologist or a neurosurgeon who performs these procedures.

When is the first appointment you mentioned? How have symptoms been since the aneurysm was discovered?

REPLY
1 reply
mkoch | @mkoch | Mar 25 3:24pm
In reply to @sarahjo900 "I found out about my 4mm aneurysm because I was getting headaches at the beginning of..." + (show)
@sarahjo900

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.

Jump to this post

Sarahjo; I had a 6mm aneurysm coiled 3 months ago. I had asked my neurosurgeon at UCSF
(rated #3 for neurosurgery in the U.S. based on U.S, News and World Report's annual rankings)
about any limitations after the coiling procedure and he said there were no restrictions. But I was told 6 months prior to having the aneurysm coiled that the most important thing was to keep my blood pressure below 130 and not to do anything that puts my head upside-down, both which add pressure to the aneurysm and could cause it to leak out.

REPLY
1 reply
sarahjo900 | @sarahjo900 | Mar 25 5:20pm
In reply to @lisalucier "Hi, @sarahjo900 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It would frustrate me to have a headache..." + (show)
@lisalucier

Hi, @sarahjo900 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It would frustrate me to have a headache at the beginning of each day I was trying to spend skiing. I'm glad you found out about your 4 mm aneurysm, just to be informed.

The question about surgical treatments like coiling/clipping/stent and whether you will be able to do things like ski is perfect for a neurologist or a neurosurgeon who performs these procedures.

When is the first appointment you mentioned? How have symptoms been since the aneurysm was discovered?

Jump to this post

Additional CT scans tomorrow and appointment is on Monday, Mar 31.

REPLY
1 reply
sarahjo900 | @sarahjo900 | Mar 25 5:23pm
In reply to @mkoch "Sarahjo; I had a 6mm aneurysm coiled 3 months ago. I had asked my neurosurgeon at..." + (show)
@mkoch

Sarahjo; I had a 6mm aneurysm coiled 3 months ago. I had asked my neurosurgeon at UCSF
(rated #3 for neurosurgery in the U.S. based on U.S, News and World Report's annual rankings)
about any limitations after the coiling procedure and he said there were no restrictions. But I was told 6 months prior to having the aneurysm coiled that the most important thing was to keep my blood pressure below 130 and not to do anything that puts my head upside-down, both which add pressure to the aneurysm and could cause it to leak out.

Jump to this post

That’s great info! I’m sure everyone is different, but this at least makes me fell hopeful. Thank you. I found out last Friday and then went into the weekend without even a chance to talk to anyone. I’ve been pretty anxious - which I’m sure is doing wonders for my BP!

REPLY
tainan | @tainan | 1 day ago
In reply to @sarahjo900 "I found out about my 4mm aneurysm because I was getting headaches at the beginning of..." + (show)
@sarahjo900

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.

Jump to this post

Headache is symptoms of BA.
Any BA size under 10mm is very dangerous for surgery. Risks outweigh the benefits provided by Neurosurgeons. I saw two doctors who gave me the advice.

REPLY
mkoch | @mkoch | 2 hours ago
In reply to @sarahjo900 "Additional CT scans tomorrow and appointment is on Monday, Mar 31." + (show)
@sarahjo900

Additional CT scans tomorrow and appointment is on Monday, Mar 31.

Jump to this post

sarahjo900: Hello, I hope your appointment 3 days ago went well in that you were able to consult with a neuro doc with a nice demeanor, got a clear explanation of your situation, and had all your questions answered.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.