Aortic Aneurysm Surgery 19th Jan

[bythesea]

Hello,

I am 45 and have OHS on Thursday 19th Jan.
I suffered a minor stroke in mid November and in searching for a cause it was discovered that I have an ascending aortic aneurysm (5.8cm), slight aortic regurgitation and a Patent Foramen Ovale (the neurologist believes this combined with heavy weightlifting and a DVT from a leg knock caused the stroke). I have no physical side effects from the stroke and also am asymptomatic in regards to the aneurysm.

I am having surgery here in Melbourne at the Alfred Hospital under the care of Associate Professor Silvana Marasco. When I met with her she helped alleviate much of the anxiety regarding the procedure and I left feeling confident in her ability and experience. She is optimistic in regards to sparring the valve, so I am praying that it is just the aortic repair. She will also stitch close the PFO.

I have a day of pre-op testing tomorrow and then surgery is only just over a week away. The initial fear, denial and disappointment at my body has been replaced with acceptance and an eagerness to have the repair and enter the recovery phase.

I have read many of the threads on the forum and it has been very helpful in what to expect both before and after surgery.

Thank you for reading
Matthew

 

[pellicle]

Hey Matthew

just another Ozzie saying Hi ... you'll be fine and the views you've expressed are very level headed ... if there's anything I can do to help (from here in Finland mind you) just PM me

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hi Matthew,

Hope your surgery goes well, and that you have a speedy recovery.
Your are lucky that they have located the aneurysm before it got any worse.
My ascending aortic dissection/aneurysm actually ruptured, and they gave me a 6% chance of surviving the emergency surgery, that was back on March 23, 2000
The aorta was torn from the aortic valve all the way down and on to my left knee cap area.
Like you I had no idea that this was an issue, so, cheers for finding out that you have this, and get it corrected early on.
I am still here, and life is good.
Did they provide you with and reason that you may have developed your aneurysm?

Stay positive, and you will get this all behind you, and continue to live a full life with relatively few changes to life style.
In my case, I had to give up weight lifting with high weights, and not be quite as daring in some sport activities as I was before.

Rob

 

[Agian]

Make sure she fixes the pfo. Remind her before the op.

 

[bythesea]

Hey Matthew

just another Ozzie saying Hi ... you'll be fine and the views you've expressed are very level headed ... if there's anything I can do to help (from here in Finland mind you) just PM me

Thanks Pellicle, appreciate the welcome. Where in Australia are you (were you) from? It has been so incredibly hot here over Christmas and the New Year, the coolness of Finland would be a nice respite at the moment!

 

[pellicle]

Southport, South East Queensland

 

[bythesea]

Hi Matthew,

Hope your surgery goes well, and that you have a speedy recovery.
Your are lucky that they have located the aneurysm before it got any worse.
My ascending aortic dissection/aneurysm actually ruptured, and they gave me a 6% chance of surviving the emergency surgery, that was back on March 23, 2000
The aorta was torn from the aortic valve all the way down and on to my left knee cap area.
Like you I had no idea that this was an issue, so, cheers for finding out that you have this, and get it corrected early on.
I am still here, and life is good.
Did they provide you with and reason that you may have developed your aneurysm?

Stay positive, and you will get this all behind you, and continue to live a full life with relatively few changes to life style.
In my case, I had to give up weight lifting with high weights, and not be quite as daring in some sport activities as I was before.

Rob

Hiya Rob, thanks for the warm welcome. Yes very relived that I had the minor stroke as without it, the aneurysm would never have been detected.

Goodness I didn't realise an aortic aneurysm could extend that far! Glad that you came through the surgery and you are now enjoying life.

Cardiologist and surgeon are unsure why the aneurysm is so dilated at age 45. I have done plenty of heavy gym work over the years, (including powerlifting) they think that may have contributed. Marfans has been ruled out but they feel there could be a connective tissue disorder in the family as my father had an abdominal aortic aneurysm repaired 7 years ago and my Uncle and Aunty both died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

It is baffling, and initialy I felt like my body had betrayed me as I have always been fastidious about looking after it in terms of exercise and food, never smoked and have not had a drink since my early 20s. However genetics do play a role in some ailments and it seems this is the case regarding the aneurysm.

Thanks Rob, staying positive was tough at first, but have a more balanced perspective on the process now.

Matt

 

[cldlhd]

Nice and "cool" here in Pennsylvania - 23 fahrenheit with a fresh half foot of snow- being hot at Christmas is hard for me to wrap my head around. Seems like you have your head around the situation pretty well and it sucks to have the situation but it's great that it was caught and you have no effects from the stroke. I had my aneurysm replaced with a graft and valve sparing surgery in Feb. 2015 . I'm no expert but anything I can help with.
It's one of those things. Although in recent years I laid off the weight lifting I was always athletic and lifted pretty heavy for years and obviously if there is a genetic tendency towards an aneurysm it's easy to see how weight lifting could contribute to making it worse. Mine was discovered just before my 45th birthday ad had similar thoughts. I never smoked and although I was never total fitness fanatic I always took good care of myself so I had the usual " this kin of thing happens to other people".

 

[bythesea]

Southport, South East Queensland

Ah know it very well. I lived in Broadbeach for a number of years. We were up in Byron only a few months ago .... we seem to find a way back there each year!

 

[bythesea]

Make sure she fixes the pfo. Remind her before the op.

Thanks Agian, good advice! I am meeting the surgical team today so will be sure to remind them. Will hopefully also stop the migraine with aura that I have been experiencing for the last 25 years.

 

[bythesea]

Nice and "cool" here in Pennsylvania - 23 fahrenheit with a fresh half foot of snow- being hot at Christmas is hard for me to wrap my head around. Seems like you have your head around the situation pretty well and it sucks to have the situation but it's great that it was caught and you have no effects from the stroke. I had my aneurysm replaced with a graft and valve sparing surgery in Feb. 2015 . I'm no expert but anything I can help with.
It's one of those things. Although in recent years I laid off the weight lifting I was always athletic and lifted pretty heavy for years and obviously if there is a genetic tendency towards an aneurysm it's easy to see how weight lifting could contribute to making it worse. Mine was discovered just before my 45th birthday ad had similar thoughts. I never smoked and although I was never total fitness fanatic I always took good care of myself so I had the usual " this kin of thing happens to other people".

Much appreciated, thank you.

Haha, it was just shy of 40C Christmas Day but hot weather is expected and I think we tailor the day to it. Kids were in the pool, we had plenty of seafood/salads and of course copious amounts of ice and cold drinks.

Have you had any issues with the graft? How are your activity levels now? I also hope my valve will be spared.

Yes I also found it hard to reason that I needed OHS, that happened to other people.... but I was fortunate it was detected and there is a fix.

 

[cldlhd]

Thank you much appreciated.

Much appreciated, thank you.

Haha, it was just shy of 40C Christmas Day but hot weather is expected and I think we tailor the day to it. Kids were in the pool, we had plenty of seafood/salads and of course copious amounts of ice and cold drinks.

Have you had any issues with the graft? How are your activity levels now? I also hope my valve will be spared.

Yes I also found it hard to reason that I needed OHS, that happened to other people.... but I was fortunate it was detected and there is a fix.

That is properly warm. Can't say a pool and cold drinks doesn't sound far away today. I ran out of heating oil for the first time ever so I was out there this morning pouring 10 gallons of diesel in to tie us over until I can get a delivery tomorrow.
My activity level hasn't changed. I can do whatever I did before although to be honest the last few years my working out has basically consisted of brisk walking and a few push ups but that's down to being busy and a bit of "one of these days I'll get back in the gym" on my part. I was fortunate enough to have a great surgeon who specializes in valve repair along with a list of other surgeries. My valve was in pretty good shape with only trace leakage and no stenosis . I had the surgery due to my aneurysm. It was estimated to be 4.7 or 4.8 cm so I could have waited but didn't want to. It measured 4.99 cm when they took it out.
No issue with the graft , don't even notice it but every once in awhile I think about how strange it is to have a major piece of plumbing in there being man made . I think I hear the valve more when I sleep on my side with my ear on the pillow but I don't know if that's due to the graft or the valve closing being crisper. No big deal though I just look at it like one of those things I have to get used to , like gray hair around the temples.

 

[RobThatsMe]

Hiya Rob, thanks for the warm welcome. Yes very relived that I had the minor stroke as without it, the aneurysm would never have been detected.

Goodness I didn't realise an aortic aneurysm could extend that far! Glad that you came through the surgery and you are now enjoying life.

Cardiologist and surgeon are unsure why the aneurysm is so dilated at age 45. I have done plenty of heavy gym work over the years, (including powerlifting) they think that may have contributed. Marfans has been ruled out but they feel there could be a connective tissue disorder in the family as my father had an abdominal aortic aneurysm repaired 7 years ago and my Uncle and Aunty both died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

It is baffling, and initialy I felt like my body had betrayed me as I have always been fastidious about looking after it in terms of exercise and food, never smoked and have not had a drink since my early 20s. However genetics do play a role in some ailments and it seems this is the case regarding the aneurysm.

Thanks Rob, staying positive was tough at first, but have a more balanced perspective on the process now.

Matt

Hi Matt,

My Dissection caused my aorta to dissect, and the dissection ripped the inner aortic wall from the valve down to my knee area of the left leg.
I also, like you, have no known disease that caused this to happen. The doctors said it was most likely a congenital defect.
My life then was hitting the gym hard 5 days a week, and have had since been told that perhaps this had something to do with my issue.
Anyway, I was rushed to the hospital, emergency surgery, and woke up with a mechanical heart valve and graft installed. Glad you found out about this before an emergency situation, and to allow you time to make some choices about the surgery itself. Since then, I have also had to have a surgery to replace that valve, and then another one to repair another aneurysm. But still, after all that, I am still extremely active, as you too will be.
Feel free to private message of e-mail me if I can be of any help as you go forward.

Rob

 

[pellicle]

Will hopefully also stop the migraine with aura that I have been experiencing for the last 25 years.

Good luck with that bit. Mine are influenced only by posture flexibility and a bit of chiro...

 

[pellicle]

Ah know it very well. I lived in Broadbeach for a number of years. We were up in Byron only a few months ago .... we seem to find a way back there each year!

Great part of the world. Like Byron a lot, though growing up there I liked it more as a before all the development urbanized it.
It was only recently that I sold up.
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2016/10/stepping-off-home-plate.html

 

[AZ Don]

Yes very relived that I had the minor stroke as without it, the aneurysm would never have been detected.

My aneurysm was found in a follow-up scan for cancer (which was caught early). I had valve sparing surgery the next month. Aneurysms can run in families, and it certainly appears to run in yours. Your immediate family: siblings, parents, children should probably all be checked.

Best wishes for your surgery and recovery.

 

[bythesea]

My valve was in pretty good shape with only trace leakage and no stenosis . I had the surgery due to my aneurysm. It was estimated to be 4.7 or 4.8 cm so I could have waited but didn't want to. It measured 4.99 cm when they took it out.
No issue with the graft , don't even notice it but every once in awhile I think about how strange it is to have a major piece of plumbing in there being man made . I think I hear the valve more when I sleep on my side with my ear on the pillow but I don't know if that's due to the graft or the valve closing being crisper. No big deal though I just look at it like one of those things I have to get used to , like gray hair around the temples.

That is a great result, hope I have a similiar story to tell. Yes it is amazing to think your largest artery has been replaced with a piece of cloth!

 

[bythesea]

Good luck with that bit. Mine are influenced only by posture flexibility and a bit of chiro...

I had my pre assessment today and the surgical consultant made the comment that due to my having a PFO that is always open the 'migraines' may have actually been small clots that had flicked off and via the PFO gone to the brain.

Anyway hopefully surgery will not only fix the aneurysm but stop the migraines.

 

[bythesea]

Great part of the world. Like Byron a lot, though growing up there I liked it more as a before all the development urbanized it.
It was only recently that I sold up.
http://cjeastwd.blogspot.com/2016/10/stepping-off-home-plate.html

Oh you were a local and spent your childhood there. I am sure it had changed a great deal in the last 25+ years. That whole coastline is beautiful...

 

[pellicle]

I had my pre assessment today and the surgical consultant made the comment that due to my having a PFO that is always open the 'migraines' may have actually been small clots that had flicked off and via the PFO gone to the brain.

First I've ever heard that theory. I guess that surgeons are no less prone to having totally unsubstantiated rumors in their heads, but because they are the medical high priests we give their crackpot ideas more credence.

When I was doing my biochem degree back in the 80's I had a real bad run with them. to cut a long story short some asshole neurologist prescribed me some real mind numbing drugs which zonked me out big time.

The migraines were easier to deal with