Scheduled For Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Surgery Soon
Apr 30, 2016
Approximately 8 years ago, doctors discovered a 4.6cm aneurysm in my aorta during routine testing in preparation for an upcoming surgery. Fast forward 8yrs later my aneurysm has increased in size to 5.8cm so everyone in these forums know what that means...its surgery time! I've had echoes and CT Scans every 6 months as this appears to be the wait and watch approach when aneurysms are under 5cm.. My aneurysm was slow growing until the last 18 months. At least 3 CT scans were missed and the echoes didn't clearly show growth. Now, I am terrified out of my mind about having an "open repair". It has been brought to my attention that because of the location of my aneurysm, I am not a candidate for an "endovascular repair". Imagine my disappointment. My anxiety level is at an all time high and I am symptomatic. Chest heaviness and back pain coupled with migraine headaches. Apart of me realizes that these surgeries are done rather routinely now but that still doesn't stop the horrendous fear I have. I have had severe allergic reactions to meds in the past. I'm not a good sleeper generally and now its worst. I have to schedule my surgery by June, to have at least 6 months of recovery time before my family cruise in Dec.. I am a 56yr old female veteran. I used to run least east 3 miles a day and Jazzercise at least 5 days a week until I was told to stop by my cardiologist. I have since gained about 15 lbs in these last 8yrs but other than that, no high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. My doctors assure me that I am a perfect candidate and shouldn't experience any complications but the idea of my sternum being cut open and just the entire procedure is frightening. What's more concerning is once you have aneurysm in one place, another could eventually show up somewhere else in the future. I've also been told that these repairs can require maintenance in the future! Its all just a little too much but knowing the alternative..carrying around a ticking time bomb, I have to have the surgery. I know people that survived a couple yrs after the surgery, had to have some type of maintenance and never truly recovered and died. My niece fiancé was life alighted to the hospital in mid March with a dissection, he is currently and the road to recovery. I have a lot of family support but of course they are all concerned as well. The saga continues..
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I had a 2D echo last week and found 4.6 thoracic aortic aneurysm.
Cardiologist has prescribed blood pressure medicine. Shall I go ahead for surgery or wait till become 5 cm. I am 37 yrs old. I play volleyball every day. Is it ok to continue or stop?
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I have recently been diagnosed with an thoracic aortic aneurysm and a badly damaged left ventricular valve. The aneurysm is 5.9cm and on the arch at the top of my heart. It was found by accident when I had a ct scan for difficulty swallowing then further tests followed which found that the 'murmur' I was diagnosed with 7 years ago had deteriorated so badly the left ventricular valve would have to be replaced with a mechanical one. At the moment I am waiting for a final visit with the surgeon before being given a date for the op. The thing is I feel perfectly fine, I have no pain, no shortness of breath, have as much energy as always and in fact feel fit as a fiddle. I am 58 and have kept as upbeat as possible about all this, but my family are distraught with worry about the 10 - 15% chance that I won't make it through the surgery (national statistics) and the possibility of stroke or paralysis. My dad had an aortic aneurysm (unknown to him) and it ruptured, he survived the surgery but died 3 months later having never left the hospital. This was only 4 years ago and my mum is now sick with worry, literally, about me. I am worried that I will never get back to how I am now, that I will become reliant on family and friends. Its usually me who helps the family with the children and my mum. I live alone but have family close by and my ex husband (who is my best friend) has been a great support. My family, bless them, are fussing around and not letting me do anything and I know I would be the same if I were in their shoes but I feel like an invalid although I should be grateful for their concern. I am feeling so confused, I refuse to cry about this and I am holding myself so tightly together but seeing my families tears is breaking me up. I am putting my 'healthy self' up for a life threatening, painful operation. Has anyone else been in a similar position and could give a few words of encouragement?
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I am wondering if any of you have this and what the threshold is before a surgery is required. I do not have any heart valve issues. What are your experiences with abdominal (and thoracic) aortic aneurysms?
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Hi!
I am a 54 year old female who underwent a thoracic, abdominal aneurysm repair surgery 8 months ago. The aneurysm was 5.5 to 5.6 centimetres and essentially the aorta was repaired from my heart to my kidneys. I would like to discuss my recovery. I am still not up to my usual level of energy in that I still have to rest if I have not taken it easy. During the surgery the left side of my ribs were clamped open and I find myself still favouring that side of my body. eg: protecting my ribs with my hands if I am in a crowded area. But, what has really stumped me is a feeling of panic and anxiety. I had imagined that after the aneurysm was repaired that I would feel relieved. I AM most grateful but sometimes I feel dissociated from my body and I feel depressed a lot of the time...which was not a usual occurrence before the surgery. It feels as if for the 18 years that I knew about the aneurysm I lived in a mild state of anxiety as to whether or not it would rupture or if and when I would have major surgery. Now, that it's repaired I feel like I have to learn to live in a different way....kind of like when I was a child and went skating all afternoon and then took off my skates. It felt strange to walk in boots. I know it's a silly analogy but it feels like I have to learn to walk again. Is there anyone else that has felt this panic or does anyone have symptoms of PTSD following their surgery?
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My mom had been complaining of back pain for the past few months and was taking Robaxacet to fix the pain and it seemed to work ,she called it the miracle pill. Unfortunately and of me telling her to go get it checked out ,she did not and now has passed away and will be missed dearly and she was such a beautiful lady . She just turned 72 in Oct. Within 40 mins, she passed away and we found out today from the coroner that she passed away from a ruptured aortic aneurysm and he said that she went very fast and did not feel any pain and even if she was at hospital there was nothing that could have been done. I will miss her dearly and it is so painful because it is so unexpected and so sudden. I regret not pushing her more to go get her back checked out because they might have found the aneurysm and been able to fix it. I have just looked for the first time since I found out earlier exactly what it meant that she passed away from and the coroner said she would not have felt anything ,it would have just been like falling asleep and that has made me feel abit better because she was alone and I hate the thought that she died alone. I just wish she would have gotten her back checked out and then they would have found this and maybe saved her life and fixed it. She seemed to also ,for the past months have a hard time going shopping and being on her feet for to long , she would sort of burn out faster than normal and she was seeing her doctor because she was diagnosed with borderline diabetes and had 2 months to lose abit of weight and change her eating habits, she did everything she was suppose to and the doctor never picked up on this and this is something I do not understand because she had so many different bloodwork done for this and other things and is it possible that this was overlooked because I was also told that she had a lot of plaque and her cholesterol and was on medication for that. I don't understand why this was not found at all. With the high cholesterol why wouldn't a chest xray been done to make sure her heart was ok and also her aorta? If anyone has any kind of answer to my questions it would be much appreciated and comforting to know , anything about this and why it was not found. I loved her dearly ,she was my best friend ,my confidant and I will miss her so much, my life has changed drastically over this and I will never be the same person I was 3 days ago.
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i had all the tests . My aorta has a aneurysm of 6.5 it is also split from one end to the other . . its pushing on my lung making me short of breath . I also have parkinson's . and have a deep brain stimulator to help my PD because of this Broad Green keep putting it off what can i do?
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My younger sister aged 50 was diagnosed with TAA of 5.1 cm in January and operated in February due to her small frame. She is recovering well which is encouraging. I have been meaning to go and have a check myself but kept putting it off. I went to my GP 2 weeks ago and he immediately picked up a murmur. Echo followed by a CT scan confirmed I also have an aneurysm but mine is still at 4.27 and I am 55 years old. Clearly we have a genetic disposition but mine is growing more slowly (so far) . I am in shock and still cannot get my head round it. I am fit, practise yoga, follow mainly a vegetarian diet, don't smoke, hardly drink and do not have high blood pressure. I am now now in 'watchful waiting' and will have another CT scan in 6 months time. I have been advised to take Beta Blockers and was wondering how patients react to them. I have a professional job in sales and need to keep my energy up. I have off course been considering giving up work but sitting at home waiting for my aneurysm to grow will not help me. I would also like to know if aneurysms always grow and if I need to accept that mine will be bigger by the time I have my next CT?
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I have just lost my fiance because of this and am trying to find out what causes the aneurysm to rupture. I get answers to why people get aneurysms (none of which apply to him) but no answers as to what causes it to finally rupture.
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Two day before Christmas, I was diagnosed with a 5 cm aneurysm near my heart and told, "If it's not repaired, it will burst and you will die". The NHS cardiologist had only just seen my file and met me, 5 minute before that. He also stated that if my valve is bicuspid, they need to replace it and repair the aneurysm now. So I've been waiting for either a tube down my throat, or an MRI to get a clearer picture. So far, I've only received a phone call, from that Cardiologist, on New Years eve, saying the Tube test should be end of Jan, beginning of March, but the MRI will be scheduled in the interim.
I'm originally from America, where my possible bicuspid valve was monitored yearly with echos. I've been here in the UK just over 4 years and only ONCE did a Dr. so much as listen to my heart, until they thought I had a TIA.
Is this typical of the NHS? Give you bad news, then make you wait?? Some say I need to go to my GP and see if they can refer me to another place to get the tests done...others say, play up your symptoms. I am somewhat symptomatic, but so far, I still walk a mile to the bus every morning, and work a 40 hour work week.
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Can I ask anyone who have been diagnosed with aortic aneurysm did you have symptoms before the diagnosis
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I have just been diagnosed with an Aortic Aneurysm, this was discovered using ultrasound scan for investigations for blood in the urine.
I have searched the web and have found nothing but fatalities surrounding this issue. My AAA is 56mm at the moment and to be honest I am frightened to death.
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My fiance, had a check up at the doctors to see if he had an enlarged aneurysm, he had, unbeknown to him, no pain no symptoms of any kind, a very fit and active man at the age of 65. December 12th diagnosed, operated on 1st February 2007. It was as you can imagine a big shock to the both of us obviously him more than me. He was advised to stop smoking which he did the day before the op was given cholesterol lowering tablets and told to exercise, walking up and down stairs, up and down the garden just as much as he could manage. We did not have a computer when he had his op so the only information we had was from the hospital which was reasonably informative but it did not say how /what problems would occur after the op! The surgeon explained it would take between 3 and 6 months for him to start feeling better. Well we are now 7 months down the line and he still gets tired and twinges as he puts it in his abdomen, the doctors say its due to the nerve endings repairing themselves. I personally would advise any wife or girlfriend with a man over toe age of 60 to get a scan, plus we were told it can be genetic so if he has brothers get them to check as well. It has been a ver traumatic time for us both, he is now on the road to full recovery and I'm glad to have him back.
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If you have a 75 yr old female Alzheimer patient with a severely distended stomach, a CT scan showing fluid in the stomach and a confirmed abdominal aorta aneurysm measuring almost 4 cm and the patient is in pain with troubled breathing, what is the proper medical progression in treating this patient?
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I'M 62 YEARS OLD AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AN ASCENDING AORTA ANEURYSM OF 4.4 CM. HAD A CT ANGIO SCAM OF THE CROSS -SECTIONAL DIAMETER BEING 44X42 mm Nine months ago, now with another CT ANGIO Scam its 40.9 x 39.4 mm. Cardiologist told me it shrunk sum. Can this be possible ? I lost 28 pounds and my blood pressure is 109/69 almost all the time. Can an Ascending Aneurysm Shrink ?
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My late dad's aorta burst while watching tv, he was in early 70's ( we didn't know what was wrong with him ) rushed to hosp, 6 hrs in surgery, he lived until his early 90's never looked back after the op, took a long time to recover but lead a good life and did lots of walking with his dog, just old age he died from.
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My 21 year old brother was at the heart doctor today, they told him he had an enlarged aorta. When he was 5 he had open heart surgery for a hole in his heart. Today was supposed to be just a regular check up for his old condition but they found the enlarged aorta. I'm sorry that I don't know much information about his original condition or much of anything else but I get everything passed on from my mother and she's pretty upset with the news. Apparently the doctor is not very worried about this and says that he needs to come back in a year for a follow up. This to me does not seem right....seems they need to maybe look into this further instead of sending him on his way. Any outlook on this? He has always been an athlete and is an high jumper for Washington State University (went to Pac 12 this year) so he is in really great health. I would really like to console my mother and give her some good (better) news.
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Just curious what kind of symptoms did anybody have from an aortic aneurism?
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My AAA is currently 4.5 and monitored quarterly so I may need surgery sooner or later. But I also have Atrial Fibrillation and am concerned this may be a stumbling block for surgery? Anyone know? I take warfarin for the AF which is also monitored regularly.
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I now have a 4.1 ascending aortic aneurysm. Begin taking synthroid in 2007 after stage 4. Total thyroidectomy. Could there be a connection? My endo thinks I am loco.
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I recently felt that i can look at my abdominal aorta pulsate near my epigastric region. I can look at it when i hold my breath and also when i am in a lying position... Is it normal or do i have to check for AAA. I am quite confused. Recently i had lower back pain but it was due to a disc prolapse.
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