Category: Survivor

Everything Old is New Again

Published on by heiditea1 Comment

So…it turns out my new infundibulum is actually an old infundibulum and has been around since at least 2022, possibly before then. It IS visible in my 2022 angiogram images and it’s mentioned in the report, which I didn’t check out until we got home. It wasn’t really discussed then that I can remember. At that time, we were mainly concerned about the flow diverter and if it had stopped the blood from gathering at the neck of my original brain aneurysm — which it has. 

Dr. Ecker explains this particular infundibulum is not threatening, it’s stable, and we will continue to watch it over the years. It is filled with blood, but we’re not sure why it showed up as a NEW artifact on the MRA. That’s the whole reason I then had the angiogram: to pinpoint what that artifact was.

My 2026 angiogram image. Unable to see the stent and the flow diverter in this image.

I was able to grab a screen capture of the latest angiogram images in the doctor’s office. Really fascinating to see the large 11mm original aneurysm filled with coils showing as a large gray mass. Then to see how close the clip actually is to the first aneurysm. As Dr. Ecker said, neurologically speaking “it’s in another room.” due to the microscopic aspect of their work. He also pointed out where the infundibulum is. It looks big to me, but it’s only around 3.7mm.

Pointing out Thing One, Thing Two, and now Thing Three. At least Thing Three isn’t an aneurysm.

So, the good news is that’s it’s nothing new, but it’s there. Am I happy something is there? No. Not really. Just one more thing to monitor. The plan now is to do a follow-up MRA in two years. 

Now that I have learned how to pronounce infundibulum, I hope that’s all I have to be concerned with.

The Follow Up to the Follow Up

Published on by heiditea1 Comment

I forgot to send out an update from my follow-up appointment with my neurosurgeon regarding the December MRA results.

Last week, I met with him in his office in Scarborough. We reviewed the images, and he pointed out a spot that he’s unsure about whether it’s real or not. After a short discussion, I decided to have a cerebral angiogram to get a closer look and determine definitively if it’s something real. 

So, I’m currently in the delightful “wait mode” while a referral is being sent to the insurance company. Once they approve the request for service, I can schedule the actual procedure. I’m starting to lose track of how many angiograms I’ve had, but it’s definitely in the teens.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” 
—Walt Whitman

Watch this terrific 10-minute video showing a live cerebral angiogram performed in the UK.

License to Advertise

Published on by heiditeaLeave a comment

I’ve had a “Brain Aneurysm Survivor” bumper sticker on my cars for many, many years. I find it can drum up conversations with people on occasion. The same thing with my survivor button on my purse. I forget it’s there and some random person will see it and tell me about their survival, or a family member or friend who survived, or sadly did not.

This year I had some new ones made with our URL (MaineBA.org) on it. I’m not happy with the colors on it, but it’ll do. This past weekend I went grocery shopping with said new bumper sticker on my car. As I pulled into my spot, another white car was backing in the spot immediately next to me. A little too close, so he pulled up and re-backed the car in, which I was thankful for.

As I waited to him to park and exit his vehicle, I gathered up my purse and shopping bags. After he got out, I started to open my door and noticed in my side-view mirror that he was taking a photo of the back of my car before he continued on. My first thought was “Uh, oh!” that I cut him off in traffic or something and he was recording my license plate number, then I realized he had the camera pointed down on the bumper and was taking a photo of my bumper sticker. At least that was my assumption.

My bumper sticker

Because he had a little boy with him and seemed in a hurry to get into the store, I never caught up with him again in the store because groceries is still an “adventure” for me, and by the time I got out back to my car, his car had left. So, I’ll never know. 

HOWEVER, I hope it was someone local. I hope they went to our website and found the information they were looking for, for themselves or a loved one and found it useful and comforting. THAT is why I “advertise” that I am a brain aneurysm survivor on my car and my purse. You just never know who it may attract and the conversations it can fuel and help.