After reading all of the narratives listed on this page, I feel pretty lucky to have had my aneurysms "discovered" by a chest x-ray for bronchitis. At the time I was 27 years old and for some reason could not recover from a bout of bronchitis. I considered myself a relatively healthy person prior to this episode. I was not overweight, never smoked, and was moderately active. I was also the mother to three young children. My husband had just changed careers in the Air Force to become a recruiter, which gave us the advantage of living in my hometown which is near Detroit. This meant that I was seeing civilian doctors since we were not near a military installation.
After the chest x-ray, my regular MD mentioned that the aorta looked enlarged at the descending arch. I had no idea of what he was talking about ( I didn't even know what the aorta was at the time ) and asked him what that meant. He told me not to worry, we would follow up on it after the bronchitis was cleared up. He then sent me to a pulmonary specialist who ordered a CAT scan of the chest. When I went to see the specialist for the results of the scan, he said that there was nothing wrong with my lungs, but that I had an aneurysm of the aorta. He then went on to scare me to death by saying that he had set up an appointment for me to see a cardio-thoracic surgeon on Monday (this happened on Friday), to go home and do nothing all week-end long and if I had any chest pains to report to the ER.
I saw Dr. Silverman an Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. An arteriogram was performed on Tuesday, where it was discovered that I had four areas of dilation along the aorta. The descending aortic arch measured 4.5 cm, eight cm down from there measured 3 cm, another one measuring 4 cm at the thorax, and one measuring 3.2 cm slightly below the renal arteries. The surgeon said that surgery was not required at this time, but told me to eat a low-fat diet because of the unusual amount of calcification of the abdominal aorta wall.
I was put on a regimen of yearly CAT scans. I was not told of the risks of rupture or of the possibilities of surgery, so I went on with my life as if there was nothing wrong with me (self-denial on my part). I was also seen by a team of doctors to try to figure out why such a young person had so many dilations(nobody ever called them aneurysms, I did not know I had aneurysms until January 1999).
After many tests and referrals, it was decided that I must have inherited the disorder, although nobody in my lineage has had, or died from, an aneurysm (my maternal grandmother has a AAA at the age of 85). I went for my yearly CAT scans and was told all was fine. My husband was transferred to Puerto Rico in 1995, where I came under the care of military doctors.
My 1995 CAT scan was uneventful. However, after having the 1996 scan I was medivaced to Bethesda Naval Hospital where I was seen by a cardio-thoracic specialist who spent a whole five minutes looking through my records and scans. He then told me that the dilations were getting smaller, I had no restrictions, and could go every 2-3 years for the CAT scans. I was elated! I then asked him that if I wanted to join the military could I get in with this condition and he said yes. So I went on with my life thinking there was nothing wrong with me. I should mention here that I became a healthy eater and regular exerciser in 1990 and still am to this day. I also had another baby in 1992 (my doctors said it was safe for me). I never had high blood pressure. That brings us to the present.
We were transferred to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska in August of 1998. I decided that a 2-year wait for a CAT scan was long enough, so I had one done in December of 1998. The doctor at the base hospital sent me to see a cardio-thoracic surgeon at Creighton Hospital in Omaha. He opened my eyes by telling me that I had four aneurysms which now measured 4.8, 4.8, 4.0, and 3.2 cm respectively. He then told me of the risks of rupture, the risks and involvement of surgery, and not to lift anything heavier than 25 pounds. He also put me on a Beta-blocker to keep my systolic rate as near to 100 as possible in hopes to prevent further growth. He has me going for a CAT scan in one year. In the meantime, I have gone from being a passive patient to an aggressive one.
This web site has helped me tremendously, and I have already e-mailed with some of the other narrators. I am going to get with the MD on the 27th of April to see about a second opinion. I am currently on 75mg of Atenelol of which the effects will also be monitored starting on the 13th of April. I am now 35 years old, my kids are ages 6-14, and I work part-time in the criminal justice field ( I have been offered a full-time position but don't feel that I should take on the added stress). I don't know what the future holds for me or what kind of surgical repair I may have to endure. I only pray that the Beta-blockers work and prevent me from reaching the 5 cm mark.