NARRATIVES
TALK TO A
ADVICE
I was born on August 18,1944 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Spent 4 years in the Air Force and then went to Los Angeles California to live. I have a Brother, Sister a Daughter 24 years old and a lovely wife. I worked in the computer field most of my life. I worked in almost every area in computers over the years, Systems Programming, Network Designer and spent many years in management. I enjoyed my career very much although it was stressful at times. Just last year my wife and I decided to buy our retirement home in Pennsylvania and we did, in May of 2003. We now live 9 miles out of town in the country and love it. I was about to get a small job to make it to retirement age when this happened.
8 February 2004
My Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm was discovered in November, 2003. I am 59 years old, and in excellent health - or so I thought. I do have a Pace Maker to control my heart beat at night when I sleep. However, my heart was verified to be strong at the time (1999). I had a history of heavy smoking , but have been clean for 6 years. I experienced lower back pain the previous 10 or 20 years, occasionally, but I related it to a lifting injury while moving furniture years ago (never saw a doctor for it). I also have had much stress in my life (work - management, family etc,) - or maybe just an easily excitable person. I was secure with my family at this time of my life.
My cholesterol has been high for the last 10 years (250) and steady. Now I take medication to keep it lower. I started the medication before this problem was found. Most of my young years, (25 to 45), I would exercise by swimming a mile every day. In later years, I liked to walk a mile or so and occasionally go for a swim. I could have done more and been more consistent.
I just moved to PA, preparing for my retirement in 6 years. I was looking for work while getting my new home in shape. I was doing heavy lifting and moving things around the house when my right side started to give me considerable pain. After a few visits to the Doctor they finally ran an ultrasound and found the Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm.
It is 4.5 to 5 CM now. The Ultrasound shows 4.5 and the CATSCAN shows 5 cm. Therefore, the doctor wants to wait three more months and do the Ultrasound again to see what is correct.
At this point, every hour of my life is horrifying. I don't know what I can do but wait. I am afraid to lift anything or do much, yet I know I need to stay strong for the operation. They don't tell you much except wait and don't lift. Anything you read tells you how dangerous it is at 5 CM. I live 44 miles from my VA hospital and I will surly die if it ruptures. How do I stay in shape? I do not have any other insurance because I just moved here.
So, if anyone out there has recently gone through this and has some advise please contact me via email. I am particularly interested in the Stent method versus the open operation. I don't know yet if I qualify for the Stent, but would like to get any information.
Update: 13 June 2004
I had my second, 3 month Ultrasound and my AAA has not grown. I'm not sure if that makes me happy or sad. The operation is something you want to get done but NOT REALLY. Its a scary procedure but I am young enough where it should not be a problem.
Also, my AAA is not affecting any other arteries and my doctor says I am a candidate for the Stent. The Stent still seems a little unstable to me. Hopefully I'll hear some better news about the Stent operations in the near future. If any of you have any bad or good news about the stents being used now please let me know. Please include the Stent name with any comments you might send me.
Just to update you on my state of mind now and how I am handling this thing:
When I fist found out I could not even sleep without pills. Now I don't even think about it unless I go to lift something. But don't let me kid you - I always know it is there ready to go off. The difference now is that I and others around me know what to do if it does happen. I also know that the VA will cover me in a local hospital in an emergency. So I'm covered medically and that is a big relief.
I bought a Treadmill and do about a mile a day. That makes me feel good. Also , as I learn more about it - most guys (that know they have it) do not just blow the artery (Aorta) but it begins with a slow leak with severe pain and most have time to get to a hospital. I guess in time you learn to accept it and just go on the best you can. Just take the operation or the Stent when the time comes and hope you make it. In the mean time just stay happy and keep the stress low.
I will update this again on my next Ultrasound in 4 months.
Update: 5 October 2004
I had my 3rd Ultrasound and received the results on September 21st, 2004. My AAA has grown to 4.7 CM. The Doctor says that sometimes the Ultrasound technician's can error and measure it at an angle causing it to seem larger than it is. SURE!!! I'm not that lucky. Anyway, they will check it again in 6 months.
Did anyone else get the Stent, and does anyone have any CURRENT good or bad results or information about new Stent procedures? Please let me know any information you have.
Update: 18 February 2005
On Jan 3rd, 2005 I had my 4th Ultrasound since Nov 17th 2003.
It seems that it is now 4.6 CM which shows very little growth in over a year. My doctor said I will not need an Ultrasound again for another year since it has not grown much. I don't know if I should be happy or not. I want to get this thing fixed so I can feel more secure with my future.
Is there anyone else out there sitting on the edge like this and on yearly check-ups? The stress of an annual check up is scary. Also, you can see by reading my prior record here that the ultrasound technicians can be off on the measurements slightly depending on how they measure it.
Well that is where I stand - with the time bomb still there.
Those of you who get any new information on the Stent or if you get the Stent operation please please keep me informed on anything new or how the operation went. Thanks.
God bless all of you.
Update: 1 February 2006
I had my annual Ultrasound done on Jan 31st 2006. It showed the aneurysm has grown to 4.9 CM by 4.9 CM. Therefore, my Aneurysm it has grown approximately 2 tenths of a CM in one year. They have now put be on a 6 month Ultrasound screening. I will try to get the operation at 5 CM.
At this point I am not sure about the Stent being the best way to go for me. I am so tired of worrying about this time bomb, that the operation seems to be the sure fix at this point. I am still young enough to take the operation, I hope.
However, the Stent is so tempting because it is so easy, but will it last and how long will I worry about it failing? I don't see the evidence of the Stent being the best way to go yet. If anyone has any studies about the Stent over the operation please - please get it to me fast. Or if you have any bad or good advice about the Stent please let me know. I would really like to get the Stent if I could fell more secure with it.
Take care.
Update: 19 February 2006
I received more precise information on the growth of my Aneurysm in the last year from my Doctor and want to pass it on. It was 4.5 cm by 4.6 cm last year. It is now 4.9 by 4.9 cm. That is a growth of .4 by .3 cm. To me, that is significant growth. It is approximately 1/4 inch around the circumference of the wall of the artery. I had them change my next test from 6 months to 3 months because of that fast growth.
I was also informed that the VA will not operate until it is about 5.5 cm. What a shock, I thought they would operate at 5.0 cm. The good news is that when the time comes, I will be sent to the "New York Campus of the VA Harbor Healthcare System" in Manhattan NY for the operation. They are a VA referral and training center for this type of surgery. If I want the Stent, I will go to the Philadelphia VA medical center where they specialize in Aortic Stent Surgery and are also a referral center. So, now I feel a lot better about where they will take care of me when the time comes. But god help me if it breaks before I'm sent there. Its 2 1/2 hours away.
In addition, my brother found my Mothers death certificate and what a surprise. We thought she died of a stroke. She died of an "Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm". So my family does have a history of this problem. However, my mother was also a heavy smoker. She was in a nursing home at the time of her death with many other problems. We will inform all of her family of the possibility of them having this and to get checked.
I will update this again in April.
God bless all.
Update: 5 May 2006
I went in for my Ultrasound and received the news that none of us want to hear. In 3 months my AAA grew from 4.9 CM by 4.9 CM to 5.0 and 5.3 CM or a total of .5 CM in 3 months. That is fast growth. I attribute the fast growth to the slow winter months just laying around and eating. No real exercise , some but not enough, but it was steadily growing anyway.
They are now planning my operation. I'll be going for a CT scan to determine the exact location of the AAA and some lecture visits in the next few weeks in preparation for the operation. I will have the operation in the Veterans Hospital in New York.
The sad thing is that, at this point I am still not sure about the STENT (there is not enough information on it) and I must go with the operation - the sure fix. The Stent would be so easy for me to do now. The more I hear about this operation the more I worry. However, what scares me even more is this thing continually growing in my abdominal cavity waiting for it to break or to get the Stent and then have something go wrong with it and still get the operation anyway. I'll get it over with now and stop all this time-bomb worrying one way or the other.
Anyway, that is where I'm at. The operation should be performed late this month or early next month.The next time you hear from me will be after the operation, hopefully, or my wife will update you on what happened.
Oh, one other thing. Those of you who have had the operation could you please tell me what to expect during and after it and what should I do and not do. I'm sure the doctors will tell me but I'd like to hear from experienced people. Also, what are some of the complications that could occur, feeling in the legs, stomach, etc.
God bless all of you and without all of your support I don't know what I would have done. I'm really ready for it now. I want my life back.
Thanks again for everything. God Bless all off you.
Update: 15 May 2006
On May 11th, 2006 I went in to see my primary doctor ( not the Surgeon) to begin preparations for my surgery in NY. What a shock I received.
On Feb 7th, 2006 I had an Echocardiogram test to check out my heart for the operation (requested by my surgeons assistant). I assumed all was OK since I did not hear anything from the hospital. Bad mistake - very bad. (My AAA was 4.9 then). It seems that the test showed the following:
"Dilation of the aortic root, dilated left atrium, Regional wall abnormalities and reduced left ventricular function suggests coronary artery disease. There is a mild to moderate reduction in LV systolic function. There is hypokinesia of the septum and apex of the left ventricle."
So here I sit , with 5.5 CM AAA and all that stuff above.
To top it all off, my AAA surgery is on hold to check out these other problems now and my doctor schedules me for a "Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram) on June 30th, 2006, six week away. NO RUSH THERE - IS THERE !!!! When I told him we need to move faster on this test, he said "don't worry, people live for years with these things". At that time I just put my head down and left. I even called the hospital and tried to get the test moved up but haven't received an answer back yet.
The bottom line for the our support group is: If your have an AAA make sure you get an Echocardiogram ASAP to handle any of these possible problems in advance. And why these doctors don't do it in advance and before your AAA gets critical in size, is beyond me. Oh, and be sure to verify the results, your doctor may be too busy or just doesn't do it without a follow up appointment.
.At this point I do not know which way to turn. For now I'll just take one day at a time and hope it all works out and if not - Oh well.
I'll keep you informed.
God bless all.
Update: 21 May 2006
Somebody out there is praying hard for me and it seems to have worked.
I complained enough and got my "Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram" move up to this last Friday the 19th. This is a test where they inject Dobutamine into you which races your heart. Was I relieved to get that test done sooner. Waiting around for 6 weeks (see update15 May 2006) knowing I had some serious problems would have stressed me to the limit.
Even better news was, as the Cardiologist was performing the test he kept saying "that looks good". When he was finished he said there is nothing wrong with your heart. I looked at him in amazement and asked again - are you sure and he repeated - your heart has no problems at all. I then asked him to review the last echo and the comments made by that technician and my primary doctor. He came back to me and said they didn't do something right. I asked him to go back and verify that test and let me know. He still insisted there is no problems like they mentioned. I felt like a million pounds was lifted off my shoulders, although I was still not happy with 2 conflicting results.
Then a new Cardiologist came in to put the whole risk assessment together to insure I was OK to have the AAA operation. Because of the conflicting results he offered a Cardiac Catheterization procedure to verify that all is really OK and there is no blockage. I accepted it and will have it done on the 25th in NY. This is a test that measures blood pressure within the heart and how much oxygen is in the blood. It's also used to get information about the pumping ability of the heart muscle. Catheters are also used to inject dye into the coronary arteries to see where the blockage is and sometimes repair it with a balloon or stent through the catheter.
So on I go. My AAA is 5.7 CM now, according to the last Cat Scan. So time is not on my side. However, things are moving a lot faster now and I am satisfied with that. Hopefully this next test clears me for the operation. I think I am the only person I know who will be happy to get to that operating table. Win or lose, I have a chance if I get to the operating table.
God bless all.
Update: 29 May 2006
I had my Cardiac Catheterization done on May 25th, 2006 in New York. The Prayers are working. The results are NO PROBLEMS FOUND with my heart or arteries. However, I do have a slightly enlarged heart and aortic root. The doctor said it should not be any problem at all and stated this is all good news and he had no bad news to tell me. When he told me that, it was such a relief, tears came to my eyes on the table. I had the nurse wipe them off quickly - you know that manhood stuff.
I must share the following with you:
This was quite an experience. The night before, the doctor came to
my room to interview me before the operation. He told me then that
for the tests he would "RUN THE CATHETER UP THROUGH MY GROIN and
THROUGH MY ANEURYSM" to my heart. If you think you can control your
blood pressure when someone tells you that, go ahead and try.
Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night and waited all day -
until 3 PM the next day to be taken for the procedure. I was a
nervous wreck on the table and they don't give you anything to calm
you down. However, the procedure is almost painless except for the
tiny pinch of the first numbing needle. So the procedure itself is
nothing to be afraid of, it's the mental stress that gets you, as
always. I think they should start treating us for serious stress
throughout these type of problems. Stress is probably what causes
the aneurysm to grow and rupture much faster.
My Cardiologist here in Wilkes-Barre VA in PA said that the enlarged Aortic Root slightly increases the risk of surgery. So my next step is to double check my Aortic Root with a Cat Scan on June 1st, 2006. Although one doctor told me the Aortic Root is not a problem, this will give me backup.
On June 6th, 2006 I have an appointment with both my Primary Doctor and a Surgeon in Wilkes-Barre VA Medical center to discuss all the finding and what procedure to take.
Maybe some of you can help with the final decision. I've been considering the operation for so long that I don't even remember what the risks are from the stent operation. So those of you who know the stent risks please drop me a line and list them - during the operation and those after. I will really appreciate your help.
God bless all and I'll keep you informed.
Update: 5 July 2006
On June 1st I had the CT scan for the enlarged Aortic root and that doesn't seem to be a problem any longer and they said I could go to NY to discuss my options.
On June 15th I went to NY to meet my Surgeon and discuss the options available to me. While there, they ran another Ultrasound on my left/right neck arteries because of my prior heavy smoking. If these arteries are blocked you could have a stroke during the surgery. They found my right neck artery to be 50% blocked. The doctor stated that it will not be a problem for the operation but will have to be monitored in the future. Per the technician, this is pretty normal for a heavy smoker. So you heavy smokers - get checked prior to surgery.
My surgeons name is Dr. Paul Gagne, M.D. Dr. Gagne is an Assistant Professor of Surgery specializing in Vascular Surgery at the NYU School of Medicine. He received his MD from NYU School of Medicine in 1982 and completed his surgical training in 1995. He is Board certified in General and Vascular Surgery.
Dr. Gagne has done "100's" of these operations and the mortality there at the VA Manhattan is 1 to 3 % base on your health and my general health is good. I am very pleased with Dr. Gagne. I told him I wanted the open surgery. He made me feel very comfortable about the operation and because of my good health and age he recommended the open surgery also. If I didn't think I had a chance before - I do now because of Dr. Gagne.
My surgery date is July 12th 2006. I go to NY again this week for a Pre-op. That is; they will take blood etc, and I will meet some of the doctors that will assist during my operation. There is still a chance that the open surgery could be canceled, based on the results of some of these tests during the Pre-op. If all goes well - I will return to NY on the 11th to prepare for the surgery on the 12th and should return home in 7 to 11 days.
The waiting continues - I should be about 6.0cm now or real close. I'm still trying to walk 1 mile every day on my treadmill - trying to keep my heart strong and not rupture this aneurysm.
I will gladly update you when I return.
God bless all.
Update: 20 July 2006
I had the open surgery on July 12th at 10am. All went well. I came home yesterday, the 19th. At this time I am still very weak and will provide all the details to you when I feel better.
Take care.
PS. I am aneurysm free .. Yahoo !!!!
Update: 26 July 2006
Well I had to be put back into the Local VA hospital. Here is what happened and symptoms that others can look for when they return home. This is a common problem after the open surgery. Rare for it to happen at home. It generally happens in the hospital just after surgery.
Over a period of 2 days I started to get nauseous, then very nauseous, felt stuffed and couldn't swallow any water. No appetite at all. I thought it was just a result of the operation and I was just very weak. We decided to go to the hospital anyway. Just at that time I vomited in the bathroom sink pure green bile. I filled the sink twice with it. I couldn't believe that much liquid could come out of me. I immediately felt better.
We went directly to the hospital. After taking some x-rays they found that an intestine twisted and closed in me and is not letting any food or liquid process - they admitted me. They inserted a hose in my nose down to my stomach to keep it drained ( not fun at all ). That night about 1 am the twist un-twisted itself (lucky me) and I began passing gas again. ( Sometimes its beautiful to do it. HAHA!). The next day they took the hose out and here I am again - home.
If it didn't un-twist itself they would have had to open me up again and untwist it. Thank God it did it on its own and you should know it generally does untwist by itself - with hospital help.
I am even weaker than before now because of all of the above and I couldn't exercise, however, I will start today - slowly. I still have a very minor leak from the surgery and am fighting a low grade infection. The infection is almost gone now.
Well again, I will update this when I feel better.
God bless all of you.
Update: 29 August 2006
Hi all;
Sorry it took so long to update this but I had another problem after I got out of the hospital the second time for the twisted intestine ( documented above ). I'll document this new problem below to possibly help one of you if you get it.
After I got home and tried some solid food I would get extreme stomach pain along with spasms. It would last for hours. I believe that the antibiotics were causing the problem because my stomach had been irritating me since I started orally taking the antibiotics when I left the hospital. ( In the hospital they were giving me antibiotics intravenously. ) So, I started eating soft foods and had the doctor change the antibiotic. That seemed to stop the irritated stomach.
After a few days I tried solid food again and the same thing would occur. This was not a little pain but very excruciating pain with each spasm and it would last for hours at a time. It was so bad that I believed that it was doing damage to my stomach. This went on for about 2 weeks - every time I ate solid food, I was miserable. So back to the Hospital again. The doctor diagnosed it as "my brain wasn't working with my stomach yet" and gave me some pills for acid. However, I had no acid problem. I still believe it was from the antibiotics eating my stomach walls.
I stopped the pills after a few days, since they weren't doing anything and started eating only soft foods, like milk, creams and puddings and cream soups and stayed on it for weeks, and I am fine now. I can eat anything again and feel fine. I still have constipation but walking on my Treadmill really helps that. At times I will use some pills to help the constipation out if it gets bad. The only other problem I still have is that I still get tired once a day and must "MUST" sit down and rest. Before the operation I never sleep during the day. It's the strangest feeling. All of a sudden I'm tired and must rest. I even went to sleep in a shoe store while my wife was shopping. However, that's boring anyway. Grin grin! I can feel I'm getting stronger day by day. I'm almost back to normal.
So there it is, I had a very bad recovery, I think. From what I have read on recoveries for the open surgery, this is unusual and rarely occurs. However, it's still worth all the trouble. I am alive again, walking a mile a day on my Treadmill and actually holding myself back so I don't hurt myself , because I could do much more. My mind is clear of all that horror now, and all I think about is how to get my boat in the the water and go fishing. That will be around the 2nd week in September. I was told not to do anything to hard until the second week in September. That will be 2 months from my operation date of July 12th 2006.
I MUST ALSO COMMENT ON THE EXCELLENT SERVICE AT THE VA HOSPITAL IN MANHATTAN, NY AND ITS STAFF:
I felt like I received every possible thing there was to help me during the operation and to recover. The very best of doctors ( 5 of them watched me daily for 7 days while I was there ). This isn't counting the normal on duty doctors that also helped. They were all assisting Dr. Gagne as interns and assistants. They had the best nurses and machines that monitored me right up to the day I left. I don't think there is better care anywhere. They do 1 to 3 of these AAA operations a week and Dr. Gagne will tell you its not as serious as it used to be. If you need a good Doctor get Dr. Gagne - he also works for NYU. He is a professor there and at the VA hospital. He comes highly recommended by all I researched.
I MUST ALSO COMMENT ABOUT THIS SITE AND ITS MEMBERS:
I would like to thank all the members of this site for their emails, help, advice and support, especially those I corresponded with. Without you the horror would have been so much worse. Each of you had your own way to go but in the end I had to make the decision as to what was best for me. Even those of you I didn't correspond with helped. I read all of your AAA files and learned from your notes. Because of this site I knew I was well informed and prepared for all that was about to happen.
Other comments:
It was really funny how I would change my mind weekly to the Stent or the Open surgery based on the latest test results from my doctors, my research or emails from you guys. One week I had heart trouble and the next week I was ok and so on and so on. Things just kept changing. Finally I was diagnosed healthy and I wanted this problem gone, so open surgery was the way for me. On the way to the hospital I kept repeating one thing "GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH". That is the way I felt at the time and still do. I finally understood the true meaning of those historic words and how something can wear on you so much that you actually feel that way.
Be sure when you make your decision you get advice from a doctor Like Dr. Gagne who does both the open surgery and the Stent and that you go to a hospital that is a Vascular training hospital. In a training hospital your odds are much better. 97 - 99% based on your health and age.
Another real scare I had was my aneurysm grew so fast at the end it really had me scared about a rupture, but the doctors at my local VA hospital just seemed to take it for granted. ' Don't let them '. Get your appointments done fast. Don't let them schedule you a month out. Let me tell you - when they opened me up I had a 6 CM aneurysm with another aneurysm budging out of it ready to rupture. I grew 1 full CM + in 6 months. I was 4.9 CM in January and 6 CM on the operating table on July 12th. So my recommendation to you is that once you get to 4.5 CM and it has continually grown , watch it every 3 months and have them do all the tests in advance to prepare you for the operation. Because when they finally did the tests on me they found possible heart trouble and I had to wait 3 more months to resolve that. It almost killed me waiting , both mentally and it almost ruptured. That was really mental torture of the worst kind. Don't let it happen to you. Get the tests done fast.
The operation:
You really don't know about it since you go to sleep and wake up and its done. The worst of it all is that darn hose in your nose for 4 days or until your stomach wakes up. Then they take it out and you can eat soft food. However, I was never hungry even though I didn't eat for days because they were feeding me intravenously.
I was up and in a chair the first day. Walking the second day and out of intensive care to a step down intensive care for 2 more days. Then after 4 days I was in a normal hospital room and walking the halls. The doctors said on a scale of 1-10 ,as far as recovery in the hospital, I was a 10. That made me feel good. Remember, I prepared by walking a slow mile every day before the operation. So I was strong going into it. Even so, when you wake up you are very very week for a few days - almost helpless but not quit.
Today:
I am a happy man again. I appreciate life so much more now. I feel good - slightly tired at times but able to do almost everything but heavy lifting, for now. No horror thoughts - my mind is clear and I'm smiling again. A little damaged emotionally from all the horror over the past 3 years but hopefully that will heal with time.
The Doctors are so confident in this operation that my next appointment is in 2 years, just to check it and after that the doctor said it will be 5 year intervals. So I will update this web page after every check up or if something else occurs.
THE END.
God bless all of you. If I can help anyone - just email me.
GONE FISHING.
Update: 8 February 2009
Sorry I didn't get this done sooner but I forgot all about it.
In August of 2008 I had my 2 year check-up done on both the repaired AAA the enlarged Heart and Thoracic arch. All is fine . That is; no problems found and no growth.
There couldn't be something more pleasing to the ear as those words. My life is great now. I still have the normal occasional problems like all of us aging. They call it O-L-D and there is no cure. HAHA.
Anyway, I spend most of my time in the summer now fishing and in the winter I make Bird houses (believe it or not) for something to do. Its a great past time.
Anyway, all is well and I wish the best for all of you. If any changes occur I'll update the site.
God bless all.
Phil
Update: 7 September 2009
NEW Thoracic Aneurysm Found
Back on the chopping block again. Thoracic aneurysm found.
I went in for my annual cat scan of my so-called enlarged arch and found that I now have a Thoracic aneurysm that has grown from 4.27 to 4.39 CM. What a shock. I went through the AAA operation so I would never have to worry about this again. Oh Well. Here we go again.
I was so shocked that it really hasn't sunk in yet. This time though I'll just wait for the time to operate and go do it and not do all the worrying. So , I guess this thing we all have in the Aorta is a disease that keeps coming to some of us. I guess we just have to deal with that and go on. I read some more of our support groups Thoracic pages and some them have replaced almost all of their Aorta. Their stories are unreal with multiple operations.
Thank god for the doctors who can fix most of us and we can go on with a normal life.
If I ever decide to come out of the shock and research this problem I'll update this page again. If any of you who have had the operation can give me any advice/tips such as when do they operate (what size), is there a reliable Stent, etc, I'd appreciate it.
God bless all.
Update: 28 February 2010
I went in for my 6 month cat scan on my Thoracic Aneurysm. Great news!! It has not grown. They will scan it again it 6 months.
Some comments about the shock I mentioned in my last note:
I'm not really that shocked. I've seen it on our site so many times before where people have multiple aneurysms. So it wasn't such a big surprise after all.
I don't seem to be that concerned either. I guess it's because I have already gone through the worrying and have most of the answers already.
I know what to do and where to go and have the best Doctors/Hospital I could find. So when the time comes I'll get it fixed.
Right now my life is not affected at all. Not like it was with the first aneurysm.
Here is the strange part:
Since I found out I had another aneurysm I have been eating like a horse. I've gained 20 lbs. I'm at 260 lbs and my height is 6-4. Also, I have barely worked out. I ran on my Tread mill a few times this winter.
Even my blood pressure has been higher during the last 6 months. Why didn't the aneurysm grow? The only thing that has changed is that I started taking Omega-3 (fish oil) 1200MG twice a day for cholesterol and (Levothyroxine NA - synthroid) .25MG once a day for a thyroid problem, about six months ago. That is it. All my other medications are the same. You figure it out? Lets see what the tests say in 6 more months before we make anything of it.
However, I do think that some medications are stopping the growth of aneurysms as I have discussed with other members and some Johns Hopkins University tests have shown. You have to research this for your self. At this time I can't recommend any medication. I just don't have enough information. I do wish that this site start tracking the medication details of those who have aneurysms that are not growing or have stopped growing.
I'll update this in 6 months after my next Cat Scan...
God bless all.
Update: 6 December 2010
I had my 6 month Cat Scan done on my Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm and it showed NO GROWTH. That makes it over 1 year with no growth, so they put me on annual Cat Scans now. Great !! because these Cat Scans are dangerous. I've had so many , I'm surprised I don't have cancer already.
So the waiting goes on.
Take care all and God Bless.
Update: 15 April 2012
I have had 2 Cat scans of my Thoracic Aneurysm in the last year and there is no growth. Yea.
So on I go.
I'll ad status again next year.
Phil
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Barcola
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