In this story Tamara Smith shares her experience going to a doctor for a cheek/eye twitch and discovering 2 aneurysms.

“The twitch isn’t so bad after all.
For years my cheek/eye would twitch. Sometimes it would twitch in response to stress/anxiety. However, last year one of my friends constantly commented about my face “jumping.” I was unable to feel it and it was different from my normal twitches. Due to her constantly informing me when it happened, I became frustrated and made an appointment to see my Primary Care Physician. My doctor thought it was anxiety too but to be on the safe side she referred me to a neurologist. In March 2021 the neurologist ordered an MRI. The results from the MRI revealed I have occasional facial spasms due to one of my blood vessels contacting my facial nerves. The MRI also revealed a “possible” Brain Aneurysm. The neurologist ordered an MRA for confirmation and referred me to a Neuro Surgeon. Of course, this heightens my anxiety even more, but I had less concern about the facial spasms.

At that moment, the facial spasms weren’t a concern at all, living was my priority.

After seeing my Neurosurgeon, he informed me usually if you have one Brain Aneurysm there is a possibility of others which the MRA confirmed. I have one on the right side of my brain and the other is in the back of my head. The aneurysm in the back of head is not in my brain so there was no reason to operate on it. However, if it were to burst it would be the worse headache of my life said my surgeon. Fortunately, I was able to have surgery on the aneurysm on the right side of my brain June,2021. It was coiled, and a pipeline diverter was inserted. The surgery went well. I stayed in the hospital one night following the surgery. I experienced headaches that were manageable by pain medications and relaxation. My last scan showed everything was still in place. Although, I have a coil and diverter in my brain I continue to look at the brighter side of all things and I am blessed to be here to tell my story.”