In the summer of 2001 my grandma (then 74) had surgery on an AAA that had reached about 7cm. She would not have been able to sustain if the surgery had been done the conventional way, so the doctors decided to proceed with minimal invasive surgery and she had a stent inserted into her aorta. The surgery went very well, she recovered quickly and I could tell she was feeling and breathing much better.
Recently my grandma (now 77) noticed a pain in her back. On Friday December 5, 2003, the pain became unbearable and she was rushed to the hospital. We found out that the stent had fallen and is no longer blocking her aneurysm, so it has continued to grow. We are not sure when it slipped down, but her aneurysm is now 8.5cm. After talking to two doctors, my grandma decided not to go through with the surgery again. It was hard enough for her the first time so they would guess that she wouldn't live long after the surgery a second time. She also decided that she would be happier being alert and able to talk to us all instead of hooked up to a respirator, which is what would probably happen. After spending four days in the hospital my grandma is back home now. There is a hospital bed set up for her there, where she will remain until the aneurysm finally ruptures. All she can really do is take pain pills for the pain in her back.
This is all very hard for me and my family. It came as a surprise to us because after the first surgery we never guessed that we would have to deal with the aneurysm again, let alone this. It is hard not knowing when she will pass. I must spend as much time with her as possible because it could rupture tomorrow, or weeks from now. I just hope that when it finally happens, she is in as little pain as possible. I wish there was something else we could do, anything, but this is what is best for her.