Abdominal aortic aneurysm

[AquaMan]

My Grandfather died from it, Uncle died from it, Grandmother survived it and now my father is in intensive care for it with a 50 % chance of survival. (Up from a 30% chance and improving daily)

What they never told us is that is it VERY hereditary. Check your family history if you are over 50. It is called the silent killer because there are few clear symptoms until it is too late.

Ask your doctor for an abdominal xRay just to be sure. It would have saved me, my fishing teacher and our family from a lot of anguish.

God bless.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all begins and ends at the water's edge...

[sib]

I hope and pray your father will come out OK. Thanks for the info and hang in there.

[Neal/CO]

I am sorry to hear about your father Aquaman, i sure hope he recovers.

I have a friend who was out Pheasant Hunting in Trenton Nebraska a couple of years ago. He collapesed with severe back pain and was brought into town. It turns out the doctor there called flight for life from Denver because he recognized the symptoms. My friend Don aorta burst right as the surgeon opened him up. A couple minutes late either way and he would not be with us. From what I know about this disorder your father and my friend Don are both very lucky just to be alive!

[Todd_NE]

Number One, I hope the recovery continues! That is EXTREMELY lucky, most of the time AAA or "Triple A" is as fatal as it gets.

I had some interest in this topic because my wife's grandfather just passed away from AAA so I talked to a few physicians in our medical clinic about the malady.

I don't profess this to be New England Journal of Med quality research, but it sounds like while AAA can be slightly to moderately genetically related, the typical leading causes of AAA are smoking and/or high blood pressure. That said, I would certainly encourage anyone with a family history of this to be certain to check with their own physician for specific consultation.

While I'm at it, HONESTY with your physician is the number one way to save and improve your own life.

Best Wishes Aqua

todd

[WAeyes]

Sorry to hear this Aquaman. It brings me the chills just reading your post. My father died 2 years ago on my birthday from complications of an abdominal aneuryism removal. God be with you and your family. Email me if you need any more details. pmcgrat@webtv.net

[chrism]

First, Here's to a quick recovery!

I am part of a team that fixes these things...

AAA's are more common than we know - and there are many related and / or potential risk factors too long to mention... For those who don't know what this is, it is essentially a crack that develops in your aorta. The crack or split happens because of hardening of the aorta itself, which causes it to lose its elasticity. If the tear is big, you're a gonner if you are away from a skilled surgical team. Smaller tears may be "contained" within the tissue layers and may or may not clot off and may or may not heal on their own. This is where surgery can fix this.
Interesting to note is that most people complain of back pain first...so beware and take care of yourselves!

[Rickk]

Aquaman,...I hope your father's situation turns out OK....for YOURSELF,..perhaps you might like to visit http://paulingtherapy.com about 10 years ago I worked on a paper that studied apolipoprotein and its impact on CVD. Its gratifying that its now becomming more recognized in mainstream medicine. (however not nearly so IMO) Anyway I saw some sides at the time on cross sections of arteries 2 years after this blood fraction was greatly reduced,..I was very impressed,..you might like to visit the Alacer site,...Jay IS a maverack but at 87 (I think) I think he can still beat anyone in tennis in this city. I think its just ALACER.COM,..read about how he and ten of his employees went to ULCA to have a ultraspeed MRI of their arteries,..and what was found,...anyway "for your conderation" as Rod Serling would say,..I'm not trying to waltz you into anything and have nothing to sell,..good luck to you both!

[RayChamp]

During Oct of 1998, I had surgery for this and I haven't had any complications. I had a CAT Scan for a lower back problem but the radiologist did not see the spot; my back doctor saw it on the Scan when he was reviewing to see about my slipped disk. If the back doctor did not see the mark I probably would not be replying to this topic. A year later I had another operation for 2 herina in my stomach caused by the AAA operation.

[skeeter]

Aquaman, sure sorry to hear what your going through. You and your family will be in our prayers.

[water_wolf]

Aquaman,
I am so sorry to hear about your dads illness. Hold onto that 50% chance of survival with all of your faith. You and your family are in my prayers.

Rich Ferguson

[RANGER]

Your father and your family are in our prayers!

[Juls_WI]

Aquaman,
Sorry to hear of your father's illness. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! God Bless.

Juls

[Gary B]

Eric,

Our thoughts and prayers are with your family and your father. Say "Hi" to the family for us.

The Bockmans

[bluelund]

Aquaman,

Boy can I relate to what you are going through, my father had an Abdominal aortic aneursym rupture about 5 years ago. Was very fortunate to have a topnotch transplant surgeon at the hospital when he was brought in. I know how you feel and you are correct about these being hereditary. You should have an ultrasound to check as these seem to run in your family also. I talked to my physician and he said the risk usually isn't high until age 50 or so. My thoughts are with you and your family and if I can help in any way send me an email. One word of encouragement, my father recovered, although not as spry as he was before, and he caught the second biggest walleye of his life fishing with me on Lake of the Woods 3 years ago. 9(lbs.)

Take care

Bob M

[Tom (mich)]

You and your family will be in my prayers. Once upon a time, I was an RN in one of the nations busiest trauma centers and I can vouch for the fact that a dissecting AAA represents one of the most intense medical/surgical emergencies that exist. Simply put, if it bursts, you're looking at upwards of 90% mortality. At Todd stated, hypertension and smoking are significant risk factors, so it's important that these be followed closely. The onset is insidious, oftentimes without any symptoms whatsoever, until it begins to dissect.

Hang in there - thanks for raising the issue.

[buzzer IA]

Hey Aquaman,
Thanks for the post and rest assured that we will keep you and your family in our prayers..Thank the Lord that his prognosis is improving..Amazing how we find out about these things through a board for sharing information on fishing..Just goes to show the caliber of folks who visit here frequently..
Take Care and keep us posted..
buzzer IA

[IaCraig]

I wish your family the best of luck.

I believe my father has been diagnosed with this too, but his is something that is not severe enough for surgery (yet). This seems to be quite common, I know of 2 other guys who had surgery to correct this when they were between 65-70.

[Peanut]

Eric - sorry to hear the news. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I sincerely hope your father's recovery continues.

All the best from a WC friend,

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[AquaMan]

Wow!,

Thanks to all of you for the support. This is a very emotional thing for us. My mother was in Italy for a month and just arrived last night. We drove to St. Cloud at midnight and he is really groggy. A colonascopy(sp) had to be done to check his intestines for health. All organs are improving and BP/BO remain strong. Fingers crossed for a good recovery.

Again, thanks for all your wishes and prayers. You guys are the best!

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It all begins and ends at the water's edge...

[tinman]

Aqua Man,
Sounds like your father is in good hands. I hope his recovery is quick and complete.
Tinman