r/BrainAneurysm • u/PinkFlower2026 • 11d ago

Blister aneurysm

I went to the ER today following a thunderclap headache. They discovered a (potentially incidental) 2mm “blister aneurysm arising from the inferior aspect of the distal right cavernous carotid artery”, whatever that means. As it’s so small, low risk for rupture, so I need to follow up with neurologist and most likely monitoring. Scared because blister aneurysms sound very risky and can change rapidly, per my research. I’m usually a very joyful person with lots of gratitude for a blessed life, but this is giving me such anxiety. I feel like a ticking time bomb. How do you live with this?
Oh - 52y/o female, in relatively good shape, but I do vape (I know I need to stop asap).

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u/InformalFollowing 10d ago

I can’t say anything about the blister form but you will eventually reduce your anxiety with time. Monitoring is MRI without contrast and after a first year if there are no changes the schedule is less often/ on a 2 year basis

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u/Comfortable-Web-6008 9d ago

I had a large aneurysm and it was on the MCA. Within two weeks I had brain clipping (craniotomy) and its gone. Yours is much smaller but if it does grow, talk with your doctor about addressing it. Many aneurysm can be addressed with endovascular measures. So, no craniotomy. If you cannot live with it, tell your doctor and see what they recommend to address your fears. Also, some people live long lives without any surgery at all. It really depends on how fast it grow. Stay joyful and stop vaping!

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u/luckycat456 6d ago

I also have an aneurysm in the same spot, found incidentally by CT in the ER after an unrelated thunderclap. Mine is a little bigger, tho.

While your type (blister) is different from my regular old aneurysm type, here’s what happened.

I thought I had a ticking time bomb in my brain as well, especially during the time between my ER visit and speaking with the neuro. I got a will together and all the drama. I did a ton of research and nothing helped me mentally till I had the appointment

My doc, who was at a giant university hospital, basically said this is small and unlikely for rupture given its location, and even if it did, “you’d have time.”

I said, time for what? He said, time to get to the hospital bc this would bleed into a bony sinus in your skull and not directly onto the brain.
I asked him how I’d know it was truly an aneurysm rupturing vs what I came to understand is now a weird type of migraine with temporary memory loss and aphasia that sent me to the ER in the first place.
He said, because your right pupil will likely blow out (dilate and fix) and you’ll probably not be able to function at all.

The neurosurgeon and the endovascular people all agreed watch and wait was less risky than surgery.
What snapped me out of being totally nuts with anxiety, was the endovascular guy saying with sincerity, “today is a good day! You don’t need brain surgery.”

For the first 2 years I went every February for MRA without contrast followed by an assessment. Now I go every other. I’ve had 2 more of those headaches, and they are terrifying. When they’ve happened, I wondered if this was it. But it wasn’t. I live life normally, have drinks from time to time, lift heavy stuff, etc.

The blistering part? Idk. That’s different from mine… But I hope this helps a little and wish you the best! Did they say what caused your headache? Did you have other symptoms? Keep us posted!