My Aneurysm

It was on June 4th of last year that I found out that I have a 2mm aneurysm in my head. The circumstances leading up to that revelation were that on three separate occasions I experienced a headache-like-none-other. The onset was quick and violent, and I felt like my head was literally going to explode. These three headaches occurred several months apart, it was after the third headache that I knew I needed to seek help, so I went to see a Neurologist.

Mike was with me when I visited the Doctor on the Wednesday (May 21, 2008) before Memorial Day. I explained to the Doctor what had occurred on these three occasions and after listening to what I had to say and then asking me some questions, he had me do some motor skills testing. One of the things that I had to do was to close my eyes and touch my nose with my finger; but hey, I figured I couldn't lose because if I messed up and touched my forehead I could just say, "my forehead is on my nose." I passed the tests. The Doctor was confident that I didn't have a tumor.

The Doctor wanted me to have an MRI and an MRA. I'd never heard of an MRA before. Have any of you? The MRA is performed at the same time as the MRI, but in the MRA they are looking specifically at your blood vessels. I had these tests done on the Friday before Memorial Day, just two days following my first meeting with the Doctor. He had assured me that if there was anything wrong he would know right away, and that he would call me. I'm not sure what part of that that I didn't understand. When he hadn't called by Friday night I figured that I was home free. I felt great and didn't worry about it.

Now I really wasn't being neglectful, I knew that I would receive some kind of report from the Doctor. I thought for sure that he would have called by now if there was a problem, after all that's what he had told me he would do. On Mike's insistence I finally called the Doctor's office on June 3. You can imagine my shock when I was told that they hadn't yet received my report from LDS Radiology (it had been almost two weeks). Maybe I wasn't home free after all.

The next morning I received a phone call from the Doctor telling me that I had a 2mm aneurysm in my head. WHAT!! He basically told me that there is nothing that can be done. If it were at least 11mm or 12mm I could have surgery (I really don't want surgery on my head). The aneurysm could also just sit there for years and do nothing. But....he said that it wouldn't get smaller and that it won't go away. So he sent me home and said to come back in a year for a repeat test so that we could see if the aneurysm had changed.

So....here I am a year later. I don't want to go back to the same Doctor, and I'd really like to get a second opinion. So, on the recommendation of a Doctor I recently saw at Instacare (I'm really not falling apart, I just had a sinus infection) I called Western Neurological Associates. I was quite surprised when I was told that they don't give second opinions. I had actually tried another Neurologist after my initial diagnosis and was told the same thing. I don't get it. I understand that when I had something like....my sinus infection....you don't need a second opinion. But an ANEURYSM!?! I was also told that the Doctor's would look at my case, review it, and decide if they would take me on. And guess what!?! They are taking me on. So I have my appointment all set up. I went to LDS Hospital on Thursday and got a copy of my scans from last year to take with me. I'm really not worried, 2mm is only little (although I don't like being in that big MRI/MRA tube), but....I wouldn't mind a few prayers headed in my direction. Love you all, mean it!!