I’ve had an angiogram 4 times in the past with no problem… and I just got one done 8/20. Today is 8/23. So it’s been 3 days. The care sheet says you can resume normal activities like DRIVING after 24 hours. I still can barely even walk. The area is not just “sore”. I don’t remember my other angiograms being this painful and horrible because I’d go to school 2 days later with just a little uncomfort. It was done in my right groin and the pain is so bad it’s like the muscles and everything there are being stabbed and twisted. Also I’m trying to walk it off a little bit my leg feels weak and I’m just so lightheaded and dizzy all the time so I’ve been laying in bed for 3 days. It also feels like there’s bubbling in that area ugh I don’t know how to describe it.
I’ve been in plenty of pain all of my life but this doesn’t sit right with me.
Has anyone had a similar situation? Is this normal or should I be worried?
I’ve had 3 angios and never experienced anything remotely close to what you are describing. I had very little discomfort following the procedure at all. I would certainly call and have a discussion, each time I had a contact number if anything came up. It is certainly worth following up on. Take Care, John.
I had quite a lump develop in my insertion site post angiogram or post embolisation and I got concerned about it. The out of hours hospital staff were comfortable to check me out and understood fully my concern.
It sounds quite unusual. Worth discussing with the doc and getting checked.
John and Richard are wise men. At least sometimes.
Seriously, I agree with them - it’s better to call, describe it and ask them what to do. I have a feeling they will probably tell you to be a couch potato. I’ve had more angiograms or embolizations than I dare try to remember and most of them have been a 2 to 3-day recovery, but some of them have been nasty.
If nothing else, a call to your doctor will put your mind at ease. If it is something more, then you can address it. Make sense?
I’ve had 3 angios now - including the one during the embolization
During the embolization, they had a battle - my groin was the battle ground
I could barely move for a week or two - also, something that resembled a horn stood out where they entered the artery. I asked every question known to man - so. . . Their answer was, we did what we had to do. I was black & blue an inch above my knee to about an inch bellow my belly button < this lasted for weeks of not months. The “horn” looking thing was gonna be a permanent addition, I figured - it went away after about 4-6 months.
The follow up angio & the angio prior we’re done through my wrist - and, we’re nothing compared to the groin one.
But, like everyone mentioned here & how my neuro team put it - if you feel like you need to see us, stop by any time < if you feel off, have em check it out
Yeah I’ve had a few too but I think I was fine after like 2 days. The instruction sheets say to keep the incision site dry but online it says otherwise so I’m going to call and ask what they suggest I do and I hope they don’t say to just take it easy.
Omg all that bruising would have had me panicking so much. I’ve had all 4 previous angiograms done by my initial neurosurgeon, and I moved so this was done by my new neuro. Idk if this makes a difference but my new neuro put a gauze on top of the incision rather than the clear sticky that I’ve had previously. I feel like the gauze removed a lot dry blood when I took it off and that may have effected the healing process greatly. Now I’m just hoping it heals fine cause I know I’m not the only person he’s performed an angiogram on. It also kind of freaks me out that I can’t see or feel the angioseal, makes me think it came out with the gauze lol.
I feel like I’ll get the same answer but I guess it doesn’t hurt to give a call. I just hate how they don’t think angiograms are a big deal and say “it’s just like an IV, don’t worry it’s a small in and out procedure.” It may seem like so to you guys but the recovery isn’t always all dandy.
All my angios(aside from the main one during the embo procedure) were done through the wrist
If u feel something is off, contact em - I remember the one in my groin with the clear seal. When the seal was removed, all incisions were closed - everything was very bruised & the one artery had that “horn” looking thing poking out from under the skin < which lasted for months - at least it wasn’t permanent
My incision was tiny every time – 6mm max. Nothing of concern. Decent amount of bruising seems normal but nothing like @mike_az_21 described above.
What I was concerned about was a throbbing lump in the wound and I was worried it was “unusual”. The doc agreed it was probably a clot or similar (presumably adjacent to the artery rather than in it) but that it would be reabsorbed. It subsequently went away on its own.
Yup. We were doing an angiogram to prepare for a craniotomy (it showed my avm was gone btw so no surgery!) I’ve always had them in my right groin, now have 6 scars there.
Yes the clear seal, I’ve had that on all my previous angiograms and when I took them off the incision was just a small line and basically closed. Idk why the new surgeon would use a gauze to press on the incision. It was such a gross feeling peeling off the dry blood attached to the gauze + then my incision started bleeding a little.
The horn looking thing is so weird but I’m glad it’s better and not permanent. I hate angiograms
So were mine until I got it done by my new neuro. This incision is like an open pocket. I really don’t know how it’s going to heal. But that’s a good reason for me to call and ask considering this has never happened before
Hey, I had 7 angiograms. Each time is a completely different experience (can you relate?) Some seem to hurt so much more. I had my last angiogram last week and I have some swelling, pain and now bruising. I heard that this could be from a build up of scar tissue. Maybe the dizziness is from the dye, or possibly pain meds?
I try not to take pain meds so I never do after any procedure I have. But it could be I wasn’t drinking enough water and not all the dye flushed out.
My other angiograms were ok, some bled more than others but the incision itself always closed after 24 hours. I never had a scab on before but this one I do. That’s probably also causing more pain than usual, so yeah this one is a much more different experience.
I’ve been lucky so far. 3 x access to right femoral for angiograms and each time has been healed by the next day. They used gauze on it each time also, which is a blessing because they used that clear bandage on an attempted and failed wrist entry one time and on an arterial line anesthesia used another time and I am SO allergic to that bandage. The last time I had what looked like poison ivy bumps on my wrist with that bandage. Took weeks to heal. I’m hoping that femoral holds out for the follow-up angiogram. They cannot use my right wrist because of a birth defect where my right subclavian attaches to the aorta, so you can’t get to the brain from it. Unkown why they do not seem inclned to use the left wrist. Yeah, I’d call and ask about yours. Good luck.
Really?? So I guess gauze is common as well. Idk if it’s the gauze or the way my neuro did the angiogram but either way it’s messing with me. The healing process is much slower. Now that they know you’re allergic to it they’ll stick to gauzes for you so that’s good. And you’re happy with it as well which is great.
Yeah I also wonder why they don’t use the left side? I asked my nurse if all the right side groin incisions would cause any damage overtime since I’ve had so many angiograms and he said it may be harder to get through the scar tissue but if it’s really that bad theyd go through the left, which didn’t happen.
From what I have read, experienced & still find - is that every case & MD is different. Every entry & entry point is specific to the work location & what they are performing
My neuros sure do work in sinc tho. I do also remember seeing what you referred to as a “pocket” < that lasted about a day past my embolization procedure - I couldn’t even look at it - I had to ask my nurse guy to do it for me
Just the angiogram alone is not a simple procedure. It is in “most” cases - but, it just depends
Right now - a tad over a year post my procedure, I have no signs of anything on/in my crotch & my wrist
I never thought I’d recover like I have
P.S. I’m no medical pro, but gauze sounds terrible for a incision of this size/depth
That sounds about right, but I didn’t think that there would thaaaat much of a difference like leaving the incision as an open pocket.
Yes! I couldn’t barely look at it but I had to, I felt so sick to my stomach. I went into the procedure thinking it’d be just like the past ones I’ve had but no, my worst experience.
I had some soreness from my other angiograms which were a year ago, but it was never too bothersome. I’m hoping this one heals fine despite the painful healing process. If I ever get angiogram again I’ll def ask for no gauze.
All of this sounds so wrong. I hope you’re ok. It’s a completely different feeling for you and you’ve had plenty of experience. I hope you got some help.
