Hi, I made this profile a few months ago. I was diagnosed with a right frontal lobe AVM- 5 cm, I also have a “small” aneurysm. After many consultations and waiting, surgery is the best option. I’m a lot nervous, because I’ve never had surgery and was wondering if anyone else has a right frontal lobe AVM. I have no symptoms from my AVM. I was just wondering if anyone had surgery- I have to get 1-2 embolizations before surgery, then in the first week of January, going under. I’m curious to how your recovery was, is it really three months?
Hi. There are a number of people with right frontal lobe avms, so you are not alone. If you type “right frontal” into the search facility, you’ll find some stories. The search is the grey magnifying glass symbol on the green banner, above.
I also found this example : Frontal right avm
Hope this helps, Richard
I have/had a grade 6 right frontal lobe AVM that I found out about in March 2013. After many consultations and referrals I put my care in the hands of the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN. Surgery was a risky option for me so I chose what my doctors called “staged Gamma Knife radiation”. I had 3 rounds of radiation (5/2013, 10/2013, and 01/2014) and have had huge success. As of December 2015, my AVM was “99.5% near complete obliteration”. For something that was supposed to take up to 5 years to work, I’ve beat the odds. My doctor has called me his poster child and stated that my story will be in medical journals/books.
Best of luck with your surgery.
Hi there. I had a 5cm left frontal AVM and was told surgery would be the best option for me. I was nervous, but did my homework and found a surgeon I was comfortable with. My surgery went well, and I was home from the hospital a week later. I am lucky that I did not suffer from any serious complications, and was able to return to my normal life about two months later (although it’s now six months later and I still don’t feel that I have my full energy back, but it gets better everyday). I wish you luck and will send positive vibes your way!
Hi, I experienced the same issue this time last year however I found out about it after having a nasty little bleed and then followed it up with another the next day. Maybe my recovery was different due to some damage from the bleed before my 2 embolizations and surgery. I suspect we all recover differently but I would say it does take a while to feel yourself again. I was not able to drive for 3 months which was tough. I like the independence it gives me. I am not sure what sort of work you do (I work in a busy office environment). I found the first couple of months back very tiring. My work was great and let me come back 2 days a week, then 3, then 4 and I didn’t go back to normal hours until April. I got sick in October.
I am fine now and enjoy life just as I had before. I had never been in hospital before and never had any health issues. I didn’t enjoy the whole " you have to take it easy and loose some independence" thing that happens in hospital but I was home a week after the last operation. I recovered quickly at home. I think the ability to sleep in your own home does wonders for your recovery.
I would say the 4 things I didn’t suspect and no one told would happen were.
- Post op you feel like you have been in a pretty nasty fist fight, which you lost. My right eye closed over due to post op swelling.
- A week after my embolizations I woke every morning with the taste of garlic/onions in my mouth. This is a symptom of using Onyx in the embolization. It was unexpected.
- 2 weeks after getting home a patch of hair on the back of my head fell out. Apparently I was given some radiation during the treatment.
- for about 2 months after the surgery I had lots of very vivid dreams when sleeping.
While I know I don’t paint the most rosy picture I have to say what I tried to do was stay positive and think the best. You will be surrounded by lots of well trained caring people trying to do their best for you. Take the help they offer. If you are offered any additional assistance for after you go home take up the offer. It will get better each day and you will recover. Good luck and if you want to know anything more let me know.
Chris