re aortic aneurysm

No symptoms even now 12 years later. It was 3.2 cm when found by chance and is now 3.7cm.

No symptoms at all. Developed an irregular pulse and an echo revealed a root aneurysm of 4.2. Bicuspid aortic valve was discovered later. I am now 67 and no symptoms apart from the worry now that I know it is there.

Good luck to you too joycemadine. Very best wishes.

My AAA grew to 8 cm before I got a new family doctor to check out my annoying coughing, difficulty swallowing food and strange feelings of throat obstructions plus what felt like chronic laryngitis every time I tried to have "a non-stressful"discussion with my family and friends... I had a sacular aneurysm with both left and right subclavian arteries sitting atop this aneurysm.  I had surgery forty years ago for my coarctation of the aorta ...also not discovered till I was 18yrs of age...had the surgery on my 19th birthday in 1974.  There was a complicating anomaly at the time, an aberrant R. Subclavian artery which was very close to my coarctation.  In those days the tests were via angiograms...and the surgical options had to be decided once they opened me up.  Forty yrs later we have all these imaging tests at our fingertips etc and more knowledgable specialists in the field to all collectively decide what our best options are...

It's sooo important as to how you follow up AFTER SURGERY...AND EQUALLY important to learn what to expect beforehand...IF of course it's scheduled surgery versus emergency ....

Cardiac rehab encompasses all the disciplines ...YOU AND YOUR FAMILY most important ....continuation is VIP...and staying connected to help others and yourself...locally and distant connections like this forum...to see that we're not alone in all this...and to appreciate all the numerous variances of aortic disorders!!!

Further testings were done to rule out Connective Tissue Disorders as can happen, though I didn't have Marfans Syndrome.

I had a two phase surgery ...because I didn't have life threatening symptoms, the team opted to wait for a custom low profile stent from Denmark for my situation...that was the TEVAR surgery...the open surgery I had both the cardiac thoracic specialist and the vascular specialist etc working on reattaching my subclavian arteries from the left and right arms to my carotids left and right at neck level... 'Twas eleven hours...

My first surgery I went home in 21 days. This latest surgery, I was discharged the third day!  Probably too soon, cause I had delirium from a fever the first night home...once I realized why I felt completely helpless in my emotions ...to the point of feeling suicidal, I realized I was buried under my bed covers...too warm!!  I drank liquids and ate Popsicles !!  Cool cloths...calmed down Also the beta blocker proved to be too much for my system...I had headaches and vertigo and cross eyed visions...

My blood pressure is low enough without the meds and I was told that with the stent, that my left and right arms would always have different readings...the right is higher than the left, FOR ME... there is a difference of up to 30 between the arms, etc..  I'm keeping track...

Many variances could be attributed to other factors including a possible thyroid nodule(s) enlargement...

Keeping a diary of your BP and heart rate, nutrition & fluid intake ...triggers, how you feel, sleep ...exercise...etc for a few months...helps when explaining to your GP or specialists....Get copies of any reports/ tests/ CDs to keep track on your own!..keep your own records because the hospital destroyed mine from forty years ago !!!  Good thing I kept my own because the present docs gladly made copies of those old reports!

Best of luck to us all!

 

Hi Joyce, Over a year and half period before:  I had migraine, dizzy spells if I got up to quick,  pins and needles across the shoulders blades, lethargic and worn out feeling.

     Never visited doc’s on any regular basis through distrust with good reason: as all the times I did, it was dismissed as individual Items, always put down too much work, need more excursive, dietary..  even depression.    Best care I had was emergency! And no surprise they told me shame they did not connect the dots.. As I all could have been prevented…Really… no poop there then!

  After care is back to ignorance of support and knowledge within the system, found out more through support groups mainly in the US like the John Ritter foundation as most UK sites are moderated (Info removed) if it does not support the NHS view or sites! Welcome to restricted Briton Info on a need to know basis and apparently we don’t need to I know! LOL.

Hi Joyce, my sister who had elective surgery for a 5.1 TAA about a year ago, now remembers having occasional difficulty swallowing food such as rice. She never thought anything of it and only discovered her aneurysm following a routine health check. Another sister and I have since been tested and confirmed to have aneurysms, hers at 4.1 and mine at 4.3 so both being monitored. I have had dry coughs a couple of times which scared me a bit but my December CT scan showed no change in size which was reassuring. I am due an ecocardiogram next week and will ask the consultant about the dry cough. Will keep you posted.