TTA With Dissecting Aneurysm
28 August 2001
My Episode began on 2/11/01 after a wonderful weekend with my wife and chldren. after returning home we began dinner, and I suddenly felt a tearing pain when I swallowed a piece of lasagna. The pain as we all know was unlike any we have experienced and would not go away! I had my wife drive me to our local comunity hospital, which is only 5 minutes from our house. She asked me If I wanted to go to the trauma center which is about a 1/2 hour away and I told her no because I didn't think I could make it.
It took our local hospital approximately 36 six hours to realize that it was a dissecting Thoracic aortic aneurism and not a MI or Stroke or Gastroenteritis!. When the Hospital finally realized the severity of the situation I was transferred to the University Hospital in the next town and a Heart Transplant Team took over. The Cardio Surgeon and his assistant did excellent work by the grace of GOD! They were able to repair my aortic valve, and then put in a Gore-Tex graf from the Hemi-arch to the bifurcation, using the "elephant-Trunk" procedure. The dissection was not repaired, it extends down into both legs as well as up into the carotids.
I guess due to my age and general good health and the will of God I have survived with minimal complications. I was home 8 days post surgery and returned to full duty at work in 90 days! I still have passing bouts of dizziness, as well as extremely mild chest pain and some deep muscle pain. I'm allowed to do walking and swimming however no lifting above the chest!. So, I never was a weight lifter any way!
I will continue following with the surgeon for a long time. I do have other vascular issues that will be addressed such as renal stenosis however it seems in this area he is the only expert in this disease, its process and the protocols. My advise to any one reading is to do your research, after your initial life saving surgery any further surgery that is needed should be done at a center that does more than one or two a year! There are at least six centers nationwide that are doing more than 200 thoracic as well as Abdominal Aneurism and dissection repairs per year and these are the places you want to go to. At one of these centers they may even be able to do some repairs non invasively! Although experimental the non invasive approach does work well. Again do your research!
Update: 28 Aug 2002
Well, it has been almost a year and a half since my original illness. I made a brief attempt to return to work, and it didn't work out. I've since received a total and permanent disability rating and hence a pension.
It has been uneventful medically and personally we've sold our home in the Northeast and relocated to SW Florida. I've arranged follow up surgical care with Dr. Shiefield at Tampa General who is very cognizant of Aortic aneurism's and dissections. I've learned that I've a classic textbook "complete dissection" which will be closely studied and monitored to see if there is any thing that can be done to control my blood pressure better and hopefully rid me of some of the more irritating symptoms of the chronic dissection as well as the hypertension and the meds I'm required to take. I've also learned that the original surgical care that I received at RW Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey with Dr. Bernard Vasseur is world Class. He was able to repair my aortic valve and still do the graft of the ascending aorta with only the normally expected complications. His work has been described to me by other Surgeons and Physicians as truly artistic, and that I had been blessed to have him as my surgeon that fateful night and morning.
All in all life continues and hasn't been all that bad... I have changed due to this disease and am actually glad that I have changed. Just wanted everyone in our family to remember not to give up hope... You can loose your faith and then later regain it, but if there is no hope all is lost. God is there just open up and look!
Update: 19 Dec 2003
I am now approaching the three year mark on my dissection/aneurysm surgery, and things are looking pretty good. I had my anual CT scan and there have been no changes in the size of the descending aorta, and the aortic valve repairs have healed very well. Kidney funtion is good as well as liver functions. It seems I get to live for another year!
I've returned to school and will be attempting my own rehabilitation over the next 2-3 years with a goal of returning to the world of work then. God has truly been good to me! So there is life after a complete dissection/thoracic aneurysm repair.
God Bless to all
Update: 23 February 2005
It is now four years post my ascending aortic repair. No major complications have arisen except that I now have bilateral rotator cuff tears! I'm getting one repaired in June and maybe the other one next year. Anecdotically the orthopedic surgeon said that this was not an unusual occurence after open heart surgery...I have no opinion on that. At the end of March I'll be taking a run up to Tampa for my bi-anual phyicals and CT scans, and really don't expect any major changes in the caliber/diameter of the aorta.
As a side note, we survived Hurricane Charley, in August, and lost the house and most of the contents. We were at home when Charley came through. It was very upsetting, however none of us were hurt (wife, three children, two dogs and two cats) We have been blessed by many friends and relatives who have provided for us when we most needed help. We are in a rental house still in Charlotte county, so our kids could maintain their friends and schools, so it just has been a major loss of stuff and a lot of agravation!
I've managed to continue with my schooling, I'm enrolled in a resp. therapy program and should be graduating August, 2006, and returning to the work world soon after. So...there can be life after devestation, you just have to keep the faith and don't succumb to failures.
Discussion, comments, or questions: Donald Williams
© Copyright 2001 Donald
Williams
All Rights Reserved - Fair Use
acknowledged
