Angiogram

Hi i have an angiogram on the 13th of this month to block/clip my avm. And out of all the operations i have since the rupture back in june, this is the one i am most scared of
Im scared of the chances of having astroke and being awake while they do the procedure as i believe you need to be awake so if you do have a stroke they will know and sort it asap
Has anyone ever had an angiogram procedure to fix an avm? If so whats it like? Internal bodily feeeling wise… Absolutely any info will be greatly apreciated.

Hi Kyle,
I've had 4 angios done to check my AVM and I can assure you... they aren't bad at all. Althought they normaly don't put you out completly. They do sedate you pretty good. You are only somewhat consciouse.
Personally, I like having the angios done. It sounds odd, doesn't it? But, it's the best test to see how the avm is and the time goes real quick since you are "out of it".

You really don't feel anything except when they first start to put the "tube" in the artery at your groin area. That just feels like a pinch. Then it's done. If they put dye in you to take pictures of the avm, then you may feel some "heat" in that part of the head. The dr. will tell you before hand and it only lasts a few seconds. Since your's is more for a surgical procedure, they may put you out completly. I don't know for sure though. When I had my GK done. They did an angio first and they had me out completly for that one.

I hope this helps you and good luck with the surgery.

My experience was about the same as Ben's, a "pinch" and some pressure in groin area & a slight "heat" sensation with the dye but that was all. You are awake and aware of your surroundings but no pain and I was Very relaxed. Good luck with your procedure...

Hi Kyle. I did a search on the word angiogram for you on here…323 pages popped up! It is actually a pretty common procedure used for diagnosing a lot of different medical conditions. Over 2 million were performed between 2004-2008. Needless to say if it were super dangerous…they would not have done all of those angiograms. As with any medical procedure there are risks involved. I had 3 performed on me and that was 25 years ago and I am still here! You are now on my prayer list!

Kyle,

Most of my angiograms were performed when I was completely out of it. My most recent one, however, was performed as part of the prep for the GK treatment and I was awake for it, though in a sort of "fuzzy" state. The part which was the most uncomfortable for me was when the "tube" was threaded through the artery in my neck. For some reason, I think I felt the actual "pulling" sensation as it went to my head, pulled back down, up, and down. It may have been due to the fact that some intern kept talking, reporting to me exactly what was happening so I may have been imagining it. I would have much rather prefered he let me rest in my "fuzzy" state without understanding exactly what was happening, as some tube was being threaded through my body! I do, also, have a tendency to become nauseous easily (motion-sickness, heights...) so I was extremely nauseous from the moment the tube entered my neck region, and this lasted the rest of the day until ultimately I threw up during my GK treatment... Not fun... Though that was probably also associated with the drugs and my being nervous throughout the day.
I hope your experience is much better than mine, as from most of the responses I've seen on this site, it's much more common to have a positive or at least neutral experience, rather than the rough time I had.
Thinking of you!

-Birdie

Hi
I had an angiogram last month as I’ve an AVM in my arm and I didn’t even get sedated. Yes you do feel the tube going in but that’s all. My arm went really heavy when the dye went in but only lasted a few minutes.
Youl be fine, good luck :slight_smile:

Hi Kyle,

Perfectly understandable to be scared.

Yes, you will be awake (probably mildly sedated), but I think it's more so they can do a neuro exam before they seal the AVM. That way, they can make sure there is no neuro damage if they block at that point. I've never read that they keep you awake to watch for a stroke.

My wife said it was 'weird' to feel the probe going up her chest toward the brain. She didn't say it was painful, just uncomfortable.

There is always risk in surgery (heck, there's risk in just walking across the street). But the risk of a bleed in an untreated AVM is significant as well.

Hope this helps.
Ron, KS

Thankyou all for your replys appreciated :slight_smile:

I've had a couple of Angiograms, and I was awake for both, just a sedative and a local anesthetic in my groin where they stick it in. Ben described it well - I felt the bit of heat, but apart from that it was quick and pain free.

omgoodness..you have to be awake during this..my friend said he was awke when they did his stroke..and he said it hurt so bad up above his left eye..this scares me to do anything about mine..but will see....im sending prayers your way,,and hugs