"I've got good news and bad news."

That's probably the worst thing you can hear from a neurologist after having an MRI and MRA. Well, that's the first thing that came out of Dr. Glenn's mouth when she called me on the afternoon of Friday, September 10, 2010. 

 "The good news is you have a massive sinus infection and I am calling a prescription into your pharmacy as soon as I get off the phone. We need to get that sinus infection resolved before we can address the other issue." I knew the bad news was coming so I braced myself for the biggest shock ever. 

"I ordered the MRI which shows the structure of the brain and the MRA which shows the vessels of the brain. Your brain looks great!" Dr. Glenn says, "The bad news is you have a small brain aneurysm that we need to address." Holy cow! My thoughts ran wild but I couldn't get anything out of my mouth. Tears were streaming down my face as she began to explain everything to me. She says, "We have detected it early..." Well that's great but...I was still petrified! The first thought I had was of my Granny who just recently died on December 24, 2009 of a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Dr. Glenn assured me that the two situations were totally different. "Brain aneurysms are measured in millimeters and aortic aneurysms are measured in centimeters." So what size is mine? "5 millimeters. Usually at 2-3 mm, we just monitor but since yours is borderline, we want to be proactive." 

The plan of action is to have an angiogram, sooner rather than later.  The neurosurgeon will treat the aneurysm by a procedure called endovascular coiling. The angiogram is similar to a heart catherization but the catheter will go directly into the vessels in the brain. The surgeon will then feed platinum coils through the catheter into the aneurysm causing a clotting action, eliminating the aneurysm. The nurse should call tomorrow to schedule the outpatient procedure. Yes, I said outpatient! I'll be home that evening. 

I am nervous, scared, anxious...you name it. But I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a supportive and very loving family, church family and friends. They have been in prayer for me since I began experiencing the migraines in July and continue to lift me up to a prayer answering God. He has given this to me because He knows I can handle it. Through it all, I will draw closer to Him. Praise be to God for all He has done and all He will do!