Aortic Dissection in a very young man...video

[Turkey Hunter]

This is an amazing story, please watch and pray for the family.
http://www.bestcare.org/

Click on ""Aortic Dissection at Any Age: The Tyler Kahle Story".

A very sad story of what a family that knew what was happening that could't get the docs to listen.

Be forceful with your doctors, not just suggestive.


Ben

 

[Nancy]

Thank you Ben, for posting this. I have to say, I couldn't finish the video, I was so angry at what happened to that young man, the ignorance of the doctors in the ER, and hospital, and the weasel words from everyone at the hospital afterward.

It is unconscionable that supposedly learned people would so completely ignore the family history, and DIRECT family pleadings to check out aortic dissection and go down a path that was so terribly and fatally wrong.

None of their appologies and corrections done after the fact will bring this young man back to life.

Please, please everyone, if you think you have something and no one is listening, do NOT let up until someone hears you and also does something about it.

And for those of you with aortic problems and family history, please be mindful of your condition and any symptoms.

Just don't take no for an answer.

Sometimes medical people can be just as lazy as the rest of us, and don't want to be bothered.

I know I'm a pain in the b---, but darn it, if you go into the medical profession, then you have accepted the fact that you must be more careful than you would in any other profession.

It's a matter of responsibility and trust that people have in you.

 

[Ross]

God that brings back bad memories. My lung disease, when it acts up, is a pleural pain, but in November of 94 while shaving and getting ready for work, I got hit with a chest pain similiar too, but not exactly like the pleural pain. I went to the ER and spent 3 days in the hospital while they tried to diagnose it. They did an echo that showed an enlarged aorta, but no dissection. I was told then that corrective action would be taken if or when necessary. FF to March 8th 1995. I awoke in the middle of the night with extreme chest pain that I could not tolerate. Was taken to the ER where they did everything but a catscan. They did a heart cath and MISSED it entirely. I continued to go towards death. Sometime later in the evening, my Pulmonologist lost it and was crying at the desk. He told Lyn he was losing me and didn't even know what was wrong. He read through my last admission notes and had seen where Dr. Cogswell noted the echo findings and promptly got him up there. Cogswell waisted no time in getting me into catscan and found the problem immediately. By now, there isn't any reason why I'm still alive, but I am. The heart surgeon just went to surgery with another emergency and the choice was wait for that to be over or lifeflight me to the Cleveland Clinic. This was a no brainer. The Copter was called and I was transported to Cleveland.

I no longer put my faith in Doctors. They may be the best in their fields and are cocky enough to not see beyond the box. I pity anyone who does because these people hold your life in their hands. I told them repeatedly that this pain was different and they insisted it was respiratory too. I still can't figure out how they missed it by Catheterization. It should have stuck out like a huge sore thumb.

 

[briansmom]

My son dissected at 16

My son dissected at 16

I can't even watch the video. Just reading this post makes me cry. Ross your story and my son's sound pretty familiar. They missed his dissection in his ct scan. They wouldn't even do an echo even though I was begging for help from somebody. The cardiologist said "let me reassure you 100%, this is not a cardiac issue". Less than 2 weeks later my son had massive heart attacks from his dissection. Then he laid in the hospital for 4 more days before they figured out that he was dissecting. I am still amazed that he lived through this. Unfortunately, like Ross he did not come out unscathed. They are telling us that he will need a heart transplant someday. LI also no longer blindly trust anything that a doctor tells me. I was very forceful during the 2 months that I was trying to get my son diagnosed and it still wasn't enough! They just kept telling me that 16 yr olds did not have heart problems. He will spend the rest of his life paying for their hubris.

 

[Nancy]

It would be nice if the DOCTOR could spend his life regretting his hubris--

My guess is that these people just move on with no regrets and say to themselves, (like one of Joe's doctors said, and I had all I could do to not slap him right across his silly face), "Oh well, stuff happens, right?"

The attitude is pretty sickening.

 

[Creed3]

This really brings back memories.

This really brings back memories.

In 2002 I had the same thing happen to me. I had an aortic dissection and the ER docs kept telling me I was fine and it was just chest wall pain. They sent me home. I followed up with many docs looking for answers and they all kept telling me that nothing was wrong. Finally they found an aortic valve leak but still didn't locate the dissection and anuerysm. Many docs and months later the real problem was discovered. Most of the docs thought I was too young to have this happen. I had just had my second child when this occurred. Some of the doctors just thought some of my problems were due to anxiety. It took me going to several docs along with going to an out of state hospital to find out what was really going on. A patient's age and gender should not dismiss the possibility of an aortic dissection or anuerysm. I certainly continue to pray and try to make others aware of the possibility of young people having these dissections and anuerysms occur.

Gail

 

[briansmom]

I just read all of the articles - which was probably a mistake because I am sitting here crying now. How could they continue to make these mistakes!!!! This article is from 2003! What my son has gone through is unconscionable in light of this article. The hospital was giving my son morphine because he was in so much pain. This was while they were doing a bowel prep because they thought he had esophogeal reflux or an ulcer. I will be sending a copy of this article to my son's lawyer.

 

[Praline]

Five years ago, my husband 's son dies at the age of 27 from an aortic disection. He had been to the ER about a week earlier with chest pains and a strong metalic taste in his mouth. They just sent him home. A week later he was helping a friend hang drywall and he sat down for dinner, said he did not feel good, and that was it.
He did not live around here. He was living in Dover, Delaware.

 

[PJmomrunner]

I read the Wall Street Journal articles shortly after I was diagnosed in 2004. They were heart-wrenching then, as they are now.

Ben, thanks very much for posting a link to this very important video. I have emailed an administrator at my local hospital and attached the link to the video and asked her to forward it to the appropriate parties. It was such a convenient vehicle for passing on this important information.

 

[PJmomrunner]

I wanted to let you all know that I received back a very positive email from the administrator at my local hospital telling me that the info would be passed on to ER staff and encouraging me to send like info anytime. Others like me, in the waiting room with aneurysms should consider sending your local hospitals a link to the video. It could save your life one day--both by imparting valuable info about TAA and by making it known that there are people in the community with TAA's.