re aortic aneurysm

I was checked in the January 2011 and then it was 1cm.  I was already experiencing Periferal Arterial Disease which is narrowing of the arteries - I was told smoking was the most likely cause. The only symptom I had was bad circulation in my legs.   I took ill over a period of a week ultimately I collapsed.  I was diagnosed with salmonella sepsis food poisoning with blood poisoning - this was late July 2011.  After improving I told them about the ultra sound check for the aneurysm.  I was eventually taken one morning and had another ultrasound - I saw the figure of 5.3 being scribbled on a piece of scrap paper.   This was on a friday morning - on Monday I was visited by the surgical team - I collapsed in their presence.  The aortic had ruptured,  I was resussetated and taken to surgery-my family were told people in my condition post op do mot "usually survive".    I had no warnings at all and was sitting in a wheelchair when I collapsed.

Sure was scary - I am a bit damaged - memory - mobility - speech - balance.   but I am alive - the experts opinion was the the week of vomiting considerably exsasibated the problem as usually it takes years to get to an operable stage.  I had given up smoking the year before but the damage to my vascular system PAD Periferal Arterial Disease - just like the advert with the gunge coming out of an "artery" - The nurse said without an intervention it takes about 4 minutes and there is no return to become terminal.   I think probably the 26 units of blood helped with the sepsis (blood poisoning) as transfusion isn't a treatment for it.  I try to live normally but at least I know passing in that way is painless and quick lol   

Dear Joyce, 

I'm new to these forums and I latched onto YOUR "discussion" forum....

Perhaps I should start my own because I would also like to know about others having a similar aortic aneurysm as myself. More specifically, I have a thoracic aortic arch aneurysm.   I'm grateful that I haven't had a rupture or the aortic dissection etc. that I've heard from your replies... Apparently, most aortic aneurysms are AAA ( Abdominal aortic aneurysms)...I erroneously said I had that had that... I thought AAA also stood for aortic arch aneurysm!!...oh well

 I'm from Cambridge, Ontario Canada...

The Symptoms before my diagnosis, were without my knowing I had it of course.  As I already said, my aortic aneurysm had grown to 8 cm when it was discovered.  

You asked if we had symptoms?  ( I was told of cases that had reached 10 cm in the same area ...and that the closer to the heart; the size considered for surgical readiness becomes a smaller number, unless of course one has acute, life threatening signs & symptoms, in which case it doesn't matter what size or location!!!)

Well, though the location & size of my AA made me an immediate surgical candidate, my symptoms obviously weren't " life threatening" but they were still symptoms! Sooo I just wanted to share that with you and your followers....

i had spasmodic coughing, hoarse voice and voice loss and a feeling of a lump in my throat when swallowing...etc.  all of which were becoming too frequent, such that I finally made an appointment for a medical check up in the fall of 2013.

At this point,  I hadn't had a full check up since 1997.... 

In retrospect, I actually had a few episodes of very painful to the point of unbearable epigastric distress that took hours to recover....I don't know if that was part of it ???  

The reason that I had those symptoms and at times a strangulating feeling was because  I also had a congenital, "Aberrant Origin of the Right Subclavian Artery" which added to the complication of my situation, in that this artery was sitting on top of my aneurysm.  The left and right subclavian arteries are two major blood vessels that supply oxygenated blood to the upper limbs and chest of the body and brain.   My right subclavian artery was abnormally routed to my right arm having to wrap around the esophagus and trachea...pressing on the nerve innervating my vocal chords.... I have to keep referring to my medical reports which I kept copies...

The left subclavian artery feeding my left arm was ALSO on top of this same saccular type aneurysm, which ballooned out from the aortic arch area closer to the descending aorta.  Horrific in my mind was that I was facing my mortality, once again, as this was over the same site that I had a surgical repair forty years ago for a "coarctation of the aorta", a narrowing on the aortic arch area on my 19th birthday.  The right subclavian artery was not re-implanted to it's proper origin on the arch because in 1974 it was risky enough dealing with one anomaly and it was an open surgery...

For my present scenario, I had "elective" surgery in less than two months from the time of my diagnosis...I opted for the Stent/ an Endovascular Repair far less risky than the open surgery option from which they told me I had a 50% chance of survival because of the other anomalies...It was a rather awful & horrifying description of things that could happen and of things that would happen including being left with one functioning lung, because I have a portion of my Lung attached to the aortic arch, kind of like an internal adhesion from the previous surgery...

If I survived, it would be a long hospital stay...a long painful time  recovering...

I was told that I could have a major stroke, rupture,  become brain dead, lose a lung, become paralyzed etc...

It wasn't a pretty picture....and yet there's no saying how long this stent is good for either!!

 ...but there's likely to be better techniques yet to come in the future....sooo I went with the a Stent option... 

The open end surgery I had, dealt with reattaching my subclavian arm arteries to my carotid arteries at the neck level...

I just remember that during those two months of knowing what I was dealing with, I was afraid to move, turn in bed  or cough or sneeze etc... 

I wasn't allowed to carry more than ten pounds..

I had thought...geez.....all this time, I was cycling up hills, shovelling snow...being a caregiver for my late husband in our own home, he had Parkinson's and was in a wheelchair and then looking after my now, 91 year " young" mum with her numerous past calamities!!!  

I had just done a huge major task of decluttering my Toronto home ...selling, and then moving to my present home....where I have a lot of yard work and gardening that I got much involved with....???

I didn't smoke nor drink much...ate healthy....I never had high blood pressure fortunately...

Perhaps that helped?... I don't know??

I'm back doing all the activities I did before and I'm off the beta blockers, though one of the cardiac physicians felt I should be on it always...BUT it made my BP too low even at the low dose etc. I felt too tired, had vertigo and would get cross-eyed vision!

My thoracic cardiac surgeon told me this..." Your aneurysm is fixed, but until we have some long-term data, we don't know how the rest of your aorta will progress and reducing the shear forces on your aorta is helpful. I don't think you are at higher risk for aneurysm formation elsewhere, but the area of the repair may be vulnerable...." 

Hi joycemadine, i have thoracic aortic aneurysm,4.8 cm. Before I learned about it I easily feel exhausted,even a short walk and i have hypertension as well.

Anacetrapib is a cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitor that raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.  The below studies indicate that a higher HDL cholesterol level will not only prevent Aortic Aneurysm but actually induce programmed cell death in order to replace the walls of a failing Aorta.  Anacetrapib is only one example of this type of drug, evidence shows it may raise HDL cholesterol and induce these beneficial effects but it is important to note three other analogues proved ineffective.  In general raising HDL cholesterol is an appropriate strategy to fight heart disease.

http://www.ahjonline.com/article/S0002-8703%2808%2900828-4/abstract?cc=y=

Anacetrapib reduces progression of atherosclerosis, mainly by reducing non-HDL-cholesterol, improves lesion stability and adds to the beneficial effects of atorvastatin

It's in phase 3 clinical trials right now.  They won't submit an application for FDA approval until at least 2018.  Basically it lowers your LDL cholesterol and raises your HDL cholesterol by inhibiting CETP.  We should consider getting it now instead.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130306084157.htm

The study, led by researchers from St George's, University of London, found that elevating the amount of HDL cholesterol in the abdominal area of the aortic artery in mice both reduced the size of aneurysms that had already grown and prevented abdominal aortic aneurysms from forming at all.