Category: Tests

Annual Angiogram

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Last week was my annual angiogram to check on my large, 20-coiled annie and see how the smaller aneurysm that was discovered in 2011 is coming long.

As usual, it’s an apprehensive time. Even though I have felt fine, one just never knows if the coils have compressed again or the size and shape of either aneurysm has dramatically changed…even though it has only been one year since my last checkup.

Thankfully, at the follow-up appointment two days later, Dr. Ecker said the large aneurysm looks very good. The stent and additional coils that were added two years ago are doing their job…keeping blood from getting back into the aneurysm. He also said there were no NEW aneurysms anywhere else. Great news.

The smaller aneurysm has grown a little bit. It’s not a cause for alarm…yet, but the fact I’ve already ruptured once and it’s at an odd spot on the artery AND has a wide neck indicates to the doc we’ll have to start considering doing something about it. Not immediately, but at some point….while I’m still relatively young – and that’s not much longer! LOL

Even though coiling is the least invasive procedure, I have since learned there CAN be complications and it needs to be monitored more frequently. Clipping is far more invasive, and in my mind more dangerous, but it’s a far more permanent treatment. I need to do more research and ask some people, but I’m starting to lean more in that direction. I could care less about a scare on my head, but it’s the danger involved in the procedure and the recovery period afterwards should there be any complications during the process that concern me.

As usual, the staff in the Maine Medical Center radiology & neuro-endovascular teams were top notch and provided great care. We had a long wait as there was an emergency stroke case that was brought in that needed Dr. Ecker’s care, but everyone was great and I had no residual pain or major discomfort after the procedure. Thank you everyone! Here’s hoping I don’t see any of you for awhile!

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Angiogram Check Up

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I had my 1-year angiogram (video) check-up yesterday at Maine Medical Center in Portland to see
how the stent, re-coiling, and small aneurysm were doing. I was a little nervous, but more concerned about experiencing pain at the onset of the procedure than anything else. So, I expressed my concern with everyone who would listen. LOL You’re not put completely “under” because they need you to be semi-awake to participate in the procedure when they ask you to hold your breath or hold completely still at certain times.

I was given some minor meds that made me very, very dopey, but I still felt quite a bit of discomfort in the groin when they started to insert the wire (video). I have to believe this particular area of the artery has endured quite a bit over the last 5 1/2 years with multiple angiograms, coiling, stenting and recoiling. There MUST be some scar tissue or something there that makes this part particularly painful. Once that part was over I did not recall too much pain.

Dr. Ecker uses a much smaller catheter which means the puncture hole is so small that an angio-plug or seal is not needed. Unfortunately, that means one poor member of the procedure team is in charge of putting pressure on my groin until it stops bleeding after the angiogram. LOL Thank you Brian! The plug is painful…you were not.

As usual, the staff in the Radiology department at Maine Med were fantastic. From the main reception area to the medical team involved with the pre- and post-procedures, they’re very professional, fun, and attentive. I recalled several names and faces and they even remembered me too, which is kind of sad! LOL That means I’ve been there enough times for them to recall who I am, even with the number of patients they must see on a daily basis.

While I was being wheeled out of the interventional radiology suite, they informed me that Dr. Ecker was already showing Dave the 3D images that had just been taken. Because my glasses were taken away from me before the procedure, I couldn’t see anything or make out any faces, but I heard Dr. Ecker’s voice and Dave’s and as I was being wheeled by they gave me the good news that preliminarily things looked good! So that was fantastic news.

Another off-shoot of using the thinner catheter is that the stay for the patient at the hospital is much shorter as well. Only two-hours in recovery where I had to keep my right leg still and flat and couldn’t raise my head too high in the bed. MUCH better than 4-6 hours afterwards. Two-hours was very doable. I was able to eat a yummy turkey & cheese sandwich, a bowl of fruit and a cookie with Dave’s help. Difficult to eat half laying down without making a mess or choking, but we did it.

So, we left the hospital around 1:30 and were home shortly before 3. After calling my mom, I promptly went to bed and slept for 3 hours. I’m sore and sleepy today, but overall pretty good.

I’ll have my follow-up, in-office appointment with Dr. Ecker a week after next because he’s on vacation next week. I’m hoping that after closer inspection and comparison with last year’s pictures he doesn’t find anything of interest and that we’ll still be cleared for our trip next month. I think, and know, that if Dr. Ecker had seen anything major yesterday he would have informed us of it at that point. He doesn’t mess around and is a straight shooter, which I like.

Good!

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Got a very good report at hospital. Dr. said things look good. I’ll still have a follow-up in his office on 4/23 but we’re cleared for the trip so I’m VERY relieved. I am sore and need to take it easy, but other than that, no complaints. What a fantastic staff in the Radiology Dept. at Maine Med. Thanks for the prayers and good wishes.

Angiogram Check-Up Scheduled

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Even though I thought we had discussed doing this after our trip to the UK in May, the Dr.’s office called and said I was schedule for my year checkup on my aneuryms, stent, and recoiling from last spring.

Dave and I weren’t prepared for this call, nor expected to even think about this until we got back from our trip, but this now forced us to. I had a decision to make.

Of course, every scenario started going through my mind. What if something major has occured with the coiled aneurym? What if the tiny aneurysm has grown significantly? What if the stent has failed? What if? What if? What if?

Then I’d think, but I’d rather do this and get it over with and if everything looks fine, then no harm, no foul and life goes on!

The Paranoid Mind and the Common-Sense Mind had some serious battles all night.

The next morning, I woke up prepared to make the final decision to wait until June when we got back from the trip. Fine! Decision made. THEN….my Paranoid Mind spoke up and said “Heidi, what if you don’t have the angiogram and something happens half way across the Atlantic and there is no place to quickly land to take care of it medically and you suffer severly.?” Well…I didn’t want to have to say “If I had only had the angiogram prior to flying, I would have known there was an issue”. It’s all about the “knowing”….it truly is.

So, then my even Calmer Common Sense Mind spoke up and said Dr. Ecker wouldn’t let me fly if he felt there were serious issues and he felt he had done such a good job with the stent and recoiling last year that I shouldn’t be concerned about the coiled annie. The odds of the tiny annie growing to such a significant size in a year are pretty slim…so……I reversed my decision and decided I’d just rather know. We kept the appointment and I’ll go it on April 11th. That’s a month before we leave for Europe.