Middle Colic Artery Aneurysm
14 October 2004
On the evening of August 17th this year (2004) I was packing my backpack in preparation for an exciting mountaineering weekend in celebration of my 37th birthday. I took a call from my partner and as I hung up the phone was struck by the most sudden, piercing kind of pain imaginable. The pain was in the upper left quadrant of my abdomen. After a few minutes the pain subsided. I was pretty shocked at what had just happened but I live alone and decided not to panic ...I would just try to get on with my evening and hope it didn't come back. I went to check my emails and the pain returned again for a few seconds. The kind of person I am is to check everything out via the internet...so ...I found a symptom-checker and immediately was faced with a diagnosis of aortic aneurysm! I found this unbelievable so went to lie down and get that possibility out of my mind.
The pain kept coming and going ...by midnight the pain stopped going. I find it unfathomable now that I didn't call for help, I guess the pain was so severe that I just couldn't think clearly at all. Eventually I managed to call for a doctor. It took him a further two hours to reach me and he was not pleased that a young person like me had called a doctor to my home...he told me I should have driven to the nearest hospital!
After examing me the doctor said I had colic...like what babies get.... he gave me an antispasmodic injection and told me it would take 10 minutes to work. I was rolling about in sheer agony at this point . The doc kept an eye on his watch and after 18 minutes looked utterly bewildered. He then gave me a Stemitil injection... to stop nausea............ well no surprises, that didn't work either. I begged him to just give me something...ANYTHING for pain relief.......... he gave me a shot of morphine.... NOTHING HAPPENED.... the doctor was starting to apologise for his comments about me driving myself to the nearest hospital!... he gave me an injection of Voltarol... and told me he had to send me to the surgeons at the best hospital in the area... and that certainly isn't my nearest hospital... so I'm fortunate I didn't drive myself there.
My parents were sent for...they looked terrified when they saw me... in the ambulance I was given a mask and told to breath in Entonox and not to stop... that didn't seem to work either... eventually we reached the hospital.
A lot of what happened between arriving there at 6am Wed August 18th and my operation at 5pm Fri August 20th is a blur. I know that a very kind surgeon visited every few hours and talked me through the possibilities of what might be wrong. I know I was given LARGE amounts of morphine. I remember that the nurses kept getting angry at me for getting out of bed ...they found me collapsed on the floor 3 times...I was hallucinating and calling out for help and it just seemed to go on for EVER.
I was sent for x-rays and ultrasounds and was examined by what seemed like dozens of doctors. Eventually on Friday a nurse told me to get up and go for a shower like the other patients!! I looked at her and passed out onto my bed. I ignored her instructions after that. In the afternoon a very kind Syrian doctor returned many, many times to take blood samples. He kept saying how sorry he was to be doing this again. I was covered on bruising from the needles. At some point that afternoon the Syrian doc, the kind surgeon, my parents and my partner all appeared at the same time and the curtains were pulled around my bed. I started to cry. I just couldn't figure anything out any more.
I was told that I had lost a lot of blood and asked if my period had started!! Er no. Everything happened quickly after that. I was taken to theatre. They had decided that I was having a bleed from an ovarian cyst. I tried to say that the pain was nowhere near my ovaries but what did I know... I just wanted help.
Coming 'round from the anaesthetic, I know my surgeon told me something about what had happened ..the main thing he told me was that 'it has been repaired'.
I was taken to intensive care and given huge amounts of morphine. During that night I asked the nurse what exactly was wrong with me. She said she wasn't allowed to tell me but made it clear that it was something rather unexpected.
The next day my kind surgeon came to see me even though it was his day off. He was there first thing and was visibly relieved to see me alive. He told me I had had a ruptured middle colic artery aneurysm. He said that in all his years as a surgeon he has never seen anything quite like it and never in his life would have considered a ruptured aneurysm in someone of my age and fitness. Wow!!!!!!!
I have been exploring the possibility of me having Ehlers Danlos type IV for the last 18 or so months. This has been a personal 'project' as I have always had unexplained high blood pressure, hypermobile joints - particularly my hands ( I put this to good use and I'm a violinist),and I bruise very very easily. It now seems even more likely but I have not yet had any tests to confirm this. I am adopted so my family history isn't very easy to trace.
I am still far from well. I have not yet returned to my own home as I would be alone most of the week and don't think I would cope too well. I'm very lucky my parents are here. I find that I have to lie down a lot as after only about half an hour I am hit with very sharp burning pains in my abdomen, which sometimes take my breath away.
I've been referred to a very good vascular specialist here in Scotland so hope to learn more about the cause of my aneurysm and the road ahead. I can't find any information on middle colic artery aneurysms.
I feel overwhelmed by reading the narratives here on this site....it's doing me a lot of good as I don't feel nearly so isolated. I hope this reads well enough, I have real problems sitting upright at a computer to type.
Very best wishes to you all.
Update: 9 July 2005
I have now had a diagnosis of Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome confirmed and been the focus of much attention in the medical world locally. Sadly they don't seem to have a clue what to do with me and have now found a new aneurysm on a branch of the Superior Mesenteric Artery of a few cm. As you can see from my picture and previous narrative it's hard for others to believe I have such a terrifying condition...an invisible disability indeed.
I tried to pose a question to one of your Vascular Surgeons...Mr Haggie I believe but it bounced. Do you have any ideas on who I could ask about this new development...the Docs here have run a mile at the thought of a repair or any more surgery due to the rarity of my Syndrome.
Best wishes.
Update: 16 July 2005
Wow...a lot has happened in the last few weeks. I have practically turned detective in my search for someone knowledgeable here in the UK about VEDS and at what point to try to repair a new aneurysm. To offer myself up for another laparotomy within a year of the last rupture must show just how desperate I am to avoid the indescribable pain of another rupture.
Well...at last... detective work I believe is complete and I feel quiet proud to tell you I have been referred to Professor F Michael Pope who is HIGHLY respected for his research and aneurysm work. He is in London...about 400 miles from me but it is irrelevant ....I will get there somehow....at least I lived in the city for 8 years and have friends with whom I can stay, they will also take me to the appointment ( don't know yet when it is) so I am now at least in the belief that I am about to receive help from the very most experienced and respected of Professors in my country.
I'll keep you updated as time goes on..... I just hope and pray that this goes ahead.....
In the meantime...as always....all try to take care.
Thank you for the wonderful letters of support and advice I got from other board members after my last update. Much appreciated:-)
Discussion, comments, or questions: Nicola McKenzie
© Copyright 2004 Nicola
McKenzie
All Rights Reserved - Fair Use
acknowledged
