This might be a stupid question, but I had a craniotomy to remove my AVM and the remaining vessels were sealed off with clips…Can these clips come off and cause another bleed. I know I shouldn’t be worried but I can’t help it. Has anyone heard about this happening. It is the only thing that I keep thinking could possibly go wrong. Am I extreme for thinking that? For some reason, I have a bad feeling that this isn’t over…maybe its because I got through it with no damage, side effect, i keep thinking something’s gonna go wrong again.
My husband’s clips have been safely in place since 1982. With the good imaging technology that’s used today, if the doctors say you’re all set, you probably are!
Mary Kate,
I dont know the answer to this question, but i sure would like to. I am supposed to have surgery to remove my avm in the next few months (it bled and casued stroke in Nov) and im still working on picking a hospital/surgeon. I’m visiting Mass General in Boston in the next few weeks. I’m terrified of surgery (understatement), but from what i gather the docs all say this is the best solution and then its over for good if all goes well. But I would think the exact way you do and worry about it. I will certainly add this to my list of questions for the surgeon at Mass General when I meet them. Its a great one!
also, Mary Kate,
Was yours in your cerrebellum? mine is, I would love to chat some time if so.
Nope mine was in the right frontal lobe
Larisa Diephuis said:
also, Mary Kate,
Was yours in your cerrebellum? mine is, I would love to chat some time if so.
Don’t be too terrified…expect to be tired and in pain, but you’ll find the strength to get through it…the morphine helps a lot…luckily, I had no idea what was going on so didn’t know to be scared. Good luck.
Larisa Diephuis said:
Mary Kate,
I dont know the answer to this question, but i sure would like to. I am supposed to have surgery to remove my avm in the next few months (it bled and casued stroke in Nov) and im still working on picking a hospital/surgeon. I’m visiting Mass General in Boston in the next few weeks. I’m terrified of surgery (understatement), but from what i gather the docs all say this is the best solution and then its over for good if all goes well. But I would think the exact way you do and worry about it. I will certainly add this to my list of questions for the surgeon at Mass General when I meet them. Its a great one!
I certainly hope this doesn’t happen, but I also worry about this too!! Needless worrying, probably.
Sometimes I think I can feel the clips too, they’re in the back of my brain and when I lay down on my back I can feel… something… in there, but if I lay on my side, I don’t feel it. It’s like a pinch or a poke, but not, it’s just a really weird feeling.
Let´s live one day after the other. The future is uncertain to anyone.
I have been asking the same question for a couple of years now. I have these sharp pains in my head where my scar is and every time it happens i think that something could be going wrong. So far my fear has been needless. I hope that i can overcome this fear as i hope you can to!
Mary Kate,
What a great question. I sure wish there were a real answer. I suspect it’s much like a doctor’s answer to what will happen after an AVM has ruptured. “Every brain injury is different.” My daughter’s AVM regrew, but nobody has ever talked about clips coming loose. My daughter has a plate with two loose screws.
Best bet from what I have heard is to call your neurosurgeon and ask him what are the odds of clips coming loose, etc.? You probably have annual checkups? If not, just call. He should be willing to give you some kind of answer. It may not be the one you want to hear – or may not provide any real answers – but at least you might get some facts.
Hope that helps,
Tina