Hi I was just wondering if anyone has hear of an aneurysm in the back side of the neck? I have one and have to go to Minneapolis to have it fixed, because the Drs. here don't want to the would rather have more experiened Drs. do it. If anyone can help me out what do the do the fix it. Thanks Tad :confused:

I cannot tell you how they go about fixing an aneurysm, but, do know the patient should get it taken care of immediately. Do not wish to scare you, but, an aneurysm is sorta like a time bomb and never know when they will burst.

An aneurysm is a softening and pouching that can happen on arteries. I've never heard of one behind the neck, but they can essentially happen anywhere. The more common areas are the abdomen, brain, and behind the knee or in another part of the leg.

Not all aneurysm's require immediate surgery though. Often the doctor will opt to just monitor the aneurysm for growth.

The neck is a delicate area, and is subject to a lot of stress due to movement, plus there are a number of bones in the area as well.

So because it's your neck, they probably want to have it dealt with as quickly as possible.

My understanding of an aneurysm is that it's a blood clot that has broken free from another part of the body and it travels through your system on blood flow potentially gaining mass until its obstructed by something like a narrowed artery. It can essentially stop anywhere so the back of the neck does not seem strange. Unless there are special considerations that you have not been made aware of I am surprised that the Dr's aren't treating this as an emergency. Not to scare you but if it breaks free it could travel to your heart or brain and if that happens death can happen within 30 min. Sometimes its the patients job to be pro- active and advocate for themselves. Please get to your Dr's and get all the info you need and ask all the questions you have .

My understanding of an aneurysm is that it's a blood clot that has broken free from another part of the body and it travels through your system on blood flow potentially gaining mass until its obstructed by something like a narrowed artery. .

Actually, that is the definition of an embolism.

An aneurysm occurs when a section of an artery becomes weak, thin, or bulges outward. Aneurysm can be asymptomatic for any amount of time. It becomes problamatic when they rupture.

hee hee my misunderstanding ok that makes sense....was wondering why the dr's seemed not terribly concerned.

Just glad to inform :) But hey, an embolism is nothing to
sneeze at either :eek: Embolism can occur suddenly and are just as detrimental as an aneurysm. Only difference is that an embolism can be easier to treat if it hasn't hit both of the pulmonary arteries!!
Take care, be healthy :wave:

Is this actually "in" your neck or at the brain stem?And where are you going to have this done?if you can, I don't know if you are already doing this or not, but the interventional radiologists(these are the folks who do this type of procedure)at the university of MN are really wonderful.They saved my sons life many times over while he was there and actually dying from liver failure before his Tx.the IRs really can do some amazing things these days.are you going to try and have this removed or just coiled?Good luck,Marcia

Hi thanks to all who replied. I to have it done at the University of MN and hopefuly will find out by friday Feb 17th when I am to have it done. They told me that it was in the back of my neck and if I waited too long I could go blind in my left eye. One of the Nurse practioners said I know this sounds funny but I want you to close your left eye and she put her tethescope on my eye and she said she could hear blood flowing which you shouldn't beable to. They also said it was deep and that's why I have to go to Minneapolis. Thanks again for all the replies. Teresa

I am glad you are seeing someone at the U.Trust that you are in really great hands.Two of the many IRs that treated my son were Dr Dietz,and Dr Hunter.Dr Hunter is currently treating my mom after she was found to have a wierd blood disorder that causes little clots to form in her blood vessels,She thinks he is wonderful too.Keep me postedMarcia

feelbad I will keep you up to date if you want. Like I said I hope to find out something tomorrow 2/18/05. Thanks for the encouragement. Hope your mom is doing well and your son. Take care Teresa :angel:

Hi They didn't have an appointment for me yet so I have to call back on Monday the 21st. Hopefuly they will have something then or I'll be calling them everyday. Tad :confused:

just to let anyone know I have surgery for my anurysm on March 8th

Hi Tad,im A Bit Late In The Conversation !!! Hope All Goes Well For You On The 8th,did You Have Any Symptoms?
I Have Terrible Head,eye And Neck Pains Everyday,aneurysms Worry The Hell Out Off Me!!!! Did A Scan Show Yours Up? Take Care Jellebeans X

hi
Jelllebeans x they found my by doing an MRI because I was so nausiated and vomiting. They thought that something was pushing on the back of my neck so thats why they did the MRI. They said that the aneurysm had nothing to do with the nausia and vomiting. I guess I was lucky. Does anyone now about angiograms? I have to have on the 7th. I've read a little bit about it on the net. Oh by the way I didn't have any symptoms

hi,i think they do that procedure to look for aneurysms as they dont always show up on scans,maybe they are just checking you dont have any more anywhere. xjellebeans
i really want one but im in the uk and my doctor wont refer me!!

Hi I am back from St Paul MN they did an angiogram and found out that my aneurysm is bigger than they thought. They didn't do surgery because they said I could live with this type of aneurysm for 20 years before they have to do anything. I have to have an MRI every year to check for any changes. They said if I start to have a lot of headachs or my vision changes to get a hold of them. Should I be worried? I'm thinking about this all the time and it does worry me lots. I guess I shouldn't because they should know what they are talking about. If and when they do the surgery they will go through my neck and put a little tube in the aneurysm and connect it to a vien so it will drain the aneurysm slowly. Am just scared to know I have this in my head should I be scared. Help thanks Tad

Hey Tad, glad things went fairly well for you.I think the best thing to do right now is to call and request your medical records from them and see just exactly what 'type" of anneuysm they said you have and then get on your PC and research, research, research.This made ME at least feel like I was doing something as far as treatment with my cavernoma.The better informed you are on your condition the more informed you will be when it comes time to make that final decision.it will also help you understand just what you are really dealing with here and the possible risks.Knowledge IS power.Did they state just what the risk of bleeding was?i would really consider doing the surgery if you feel that this would seriously impact your life in that just knowing it was there, you know?I know how you are feeling as I went through this same thing when I was Dxed with the cavernoma inside my spinal cord.Just knowing that it was in my cord and that if I had another bleed i would most certainly become paralyzed really kept me up some nights just worrying my self sick.depeding on the overall risks involved with actually having the surgey to correct this vs leaving alone,you may want to opt for the procedure.I know i had my cav on my mind all the time and thought about what would happen if it bled again.I had the choice of leaving it in and hoping that it never bled agin,but my NS told me that sincew i had already had at least one bleed into the cord, the likelyhood of another possibly within the same year was pretty high.So I could have it removed under more controlled conditions or deal with it in a very big emergency operation when it finally let go and also would paralyze me when it happened.I knew I was going to have nerve damage to the fine motor in my hands or to the nerves that ran to my legs as those nerves unfortunetly ran between the cord wall and the cav.But for me, the surgery, even with the risks seemed the better option.i did end up with alot more problems then I was told I would have though.They were more secondary spinal cord injuries vs immediate.But my fine motor in my L hand and my L leg wer significantly damaged(notice the lovely typing??)But i have to say that if I had it to do all over again, i would still do it.Just knowing that the cav is now reduced in size pretty significantly(they had to stop the surgery with only about ten percent left as that is when they lost the nerve to my legs on the momitor and did not want to proceed and cause more damage)gives me great peace of mind as my risk of bleeding now is really quite small.You have to choose between the lesser of the two evils.It sucks, but only you know what is the right thing for you.

I just have to ask you,you stated you just came back from st paul.I was under the immpression that you were having this done at the U? did something change?Did you go to that new treatment facility that just started inside of St Joes hospital??I have read about it and wow, do they ever offer lots of hope to people with vascular malformations like i have.I was very immpressed with what I have read and heard about it. I did go to St Joes for my angiogram a couple of years ago when they were still trying to find out if what I had was an arterovenuous malformation or cavernoma(one is fed by arteries and the other by veins).I had this Dr Madison there who is supposed to be the best interventional Rad in the state.Just curious.I hope things continue to be stable for you.What precautions did they tell you to take?i am assuming they want you to get your BPs checked often as a raised BP is high risk for a possible bleed.It really sounds like the treatment procedure you mentioned would really do the trick here with regards to reducing the possibility of a sudden bleed.If you do have to go that route, it would be well worth it.It probably could be done without too major of a risk as these types of docs do this kind of surgery all the time.You really really do need to find out all you can about your present condition though.This is probably the absolute best advice I could give you.good luck and please keep me posted.Marcia

Hi feelbad
I had Dr. Madison do my angiogram also. He has put me on a asprin a day treatment and I have to have an MRI every year unless I start to have a lot of headachs or my vision changes. He also said that it was unlikely to bleed because it's flat and has a wide opening. I guess he knows what he is talking about. I really don't want to have the surgery unless it's really nessary (SP) He did say I could go as long as 20 years before anything has to be done. I ordered myself a medical alert bracelet stating that I have a brain aneurysm incase I should faint or get into a reck, or anything else happens.
I wasn't sure where I was going until my Dr. here told me, and they said St. Joes and that it was connected with the U. As days go by I'm getting less worried about it and if something should happen I need to get to my Dr. here and they will do an MRI to see if anything changed.
Hope all is going well with you. Good luck in all you do. Thanks for taking the time to give me so much info. Keep in touch and I will do the same. Thanks Teresa :angel:

Hi tad,I am glad things worked out(at least somewhat??)You DID indeed have the best opinion in doc Madison.he really is the best.its good to know he is still at Joes if i should need him again,lol.You mentioned the medic alert bracelet?i do agree that it would be a very good idea but also make sure that it states that you are on some sort of an aspirin regemen.That could be extremely vital info for the paramedics and docs if you are ever in like a traumatic situation and are bleeding.they have to take certain precautions.I hope you have a long and uneventful twenty.i am always here lurking around if you need to chat.Take care,Marcia

Thanks Feelbad I usually come to this sight at least twice a week. I never thought about the asprin thing. Thanks Teresa

Hi wanted to let everyone know that my aneurysm is larger than most and is flat they said with a wider base than most, so the Dr said I could go 20 years without having anything done to it. I am to have a MRI evey year and if I start getting headachs or my vision changes then I need to get an MRI right away. I'm still scared that it's there but day by day I'm getting so I don't worry about it. Teresa