I do not hear much from people who survived a ruptured AAA aneurysm. Are you doing fine now? How was the experience of getting all that blood out of your stomach? Did you have trouble bending over and picking things up for a while? Did the pools of blood in your belly cause you to have weird pains? Can that dispersion cause blood clots later on? After 6 months are you feeling normal again?
Hi James.....Well done in surviving a ruptured AAA! The sad reality is that not many do, only a small percentage. You must have the luck for it to happen close enough to a competent Vascular Surgery Centre and within the window of time before internal exsanguination. The repair must have been "open surgery" with you being in a fairly fit state to survive! Again well done!
Thanks 68survivor. I was extremely fortunate - What if I was on a train or plane or cruise, in a foreign country, or got misdiagnosed with kidney stones. Fortunately, I was within 20 minutes of a hospital that deals with heart issues. When they took me in to the operating room, they did not know if they were going to do "open surgery" or EVAR. They must have felt they have me stabilized enough with transfusions that they decided to go EVAR. I was in ICU for 9 days. For those who have aneurysm that are reaching the danger zone, stay close to good hospital. You will not have much time.
Really good to hear that James! The proposed national monitoring of at risk groups might cut the risk, but we all need a bit of lady luck as well. I hope you go on to "live long and prosper" as Spock would say.
Hi James I also had a ruptured AAA in May 2012. How long since you had yours? Almost three years on I'm near as normal as I'll ever be.i walked six miles this morning. I was just browsing and came across forum. Like you I haven't met any survivors either. If you have any questions you would like to ask me on forum please feel free to do so. It may be a long road , just count yourself lucky to be on that road
Hi Frank, I am so glad to have found someone who is a survivor of a rupture. I had my rupture in the middle of May, 2014. Now, I am doing most everything that I did before the rupture. This summer I was able to golf, but had real problems bending over because of all the blood in my belly. I bought a bunch of handicap equipment like magnetic tees and ball grabbers to pull the ball out of the hole. It helped a lot. I go on 3 mile hikes in the woods every day with my wife and 2 dogs. I really enjoy that. I also retired from work this last summer and I really enjoy that. The only thing I can't do is run like I used to. I used to be able to run 4 or 5 miles comfortably. After the rupture, I run a quarter mile and walk a quarter mile and I do that for about 3 miles. So, I do not have the endurance I used to. I wonder if the stent prevents the blood circlulating to my legs like it used to. Anyway, it is no big deal - I am running and that makes me happy. The biggest problem I have had is all the blood in my belly. It has been over 9 months since my rupture and I still have a glob of blood the size of a baseball in my belly. It seems to roll around in there giving me side aches, sometime scaring me. But the aches aways goes away. So, all is good. I am looking forward to golf season in about 2 months. Let me know some of the issues you ran into. Are you getting an annual cat-scan now? Thanks again, you have inspired me.
Hi James you are doing very well 3 miles a day! I'm impressed . I wouldn't have been able to run at that stage. Then I was never really a runner so it didn't bother me i do have weakness in my right leg I was just glad to be able to walk. I don't know about blood/baseball didn't have that problem. What did surgeon say about it? I had kidney failure after op as they had to shut off blood supply to them. Was on dialysis for a few weeks after op luckily they kicked back in. Have to do blood tests every six months. My surgeon/angel who saved my life doesn't want to do ct scan too often 18 months in case it affects kidneys so what he says I do.
I never played golf and coming from the same island as Rory McIlroy Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke I don't know how I managed it but ther you go
Great to be able to relate to somebody who has been through the same ordeal I think we are fairly thin on the ground
By the way I was 53 when it happened aneurysm was 9 cm
Look forward to hearing from you
I have a 5cm AAA. Stented but not shrinking. What were the symptoms when yours ruptured and how painful was it if I may ask?
Hi rraven01, It is confusing to me why you say your AAA is stented but not shrinking. If it is stented, wouldn't it be fixed? On my rupture it started out as a slight back pain. I got into the shower and ran hot water over it thinking is was a sore muscle. After I got out of the shower, the pain kept getting worse. I layed on the floor and had my wife massage it for a couple of minutes, but it continued to get worse and worse, to the point where I could not get off the floor. I told my wife to call 911 because I knew something was seriously wrong, but I had no idea what. So, I just laid waiting for the ambulance. Every now and then the pain was excrusiating. While I was being bounced along to the hospital in the ambulance, the pain was excrusiating. In the E.R. I was writhering in pain. After the doctors were pretty certain what was going on I heard one Doctor saying "this is serious" and I that was the last thing I remember. In summary, you will not feel the rupture at all, it is totally painless. The pain comes from the blood pooling in your belly pressing up again your organs.
It was scented in 2011 at 4.2 cm. had a type I and II endless repaired in 2013 after it grew to 5cm. Down to 4.9cm as of last CT scan.
Thanks for the quick reply. Good to hear that you're healing well
Hi frank
I had my bad luck on the golf course,but was playing with a paramedic who called an ambulance in hospital in Brighton they were waiting for me
All I can remember was someone cutting all my Clothes off and waking up two days later that year was 4 years ago I am now 77 play golf 3days a week with (buggy) down side lost so much strenth.
Also very large hernia in stomach
Hi James Am so glad you are a survivor :D
If you don't mind tlling me, what were your symptoms if you remember them?
I was in great shape at 63 years old and hardly ever went to the doctor. I completed a 4 mile run and got home that night. I felt no pain in my aorta. The pain occurred in my lower left back side where the blood was pooling up. The pain kept getting worse and worse to the point that I knew there was something seriously wrong with me. I never have back pains. My wife called 911.
I am so glad your ok now thanks for answering xxx
Hi James, glad to see there is another survivor. I had a emergency endovascular surgery and am 2 months into recovery at home. I am 64 yrs old and never had any previous medical problems. So far I have just had one follow up ct scan and visit with the surgeon. I will post more soon , breakfast waiting. Smile
awesome... my rupture was 1 1/2 years ago (May 2014). I just had my yearly CT scan and blood test. Everything is good according to the test. My doctors say I am doing great. I was worried because I have had pains in my stomach, but that could be muscular pains from golf. Plus, I still have a glob of blood left (little bigger than a golf ball) pressing up against my stomach walls. Other that that, I am doing great. I do my 3 mile walks every day and do a little running twice a week. Every day I wake up is a good day. Mike, are you having any problems with the glob of blood in your belly? I had lot of trouble bending over for months after the rupture.
James , not that I know of on the blood pool in belly , but yes on bending over. Will have another ct scan in early March , will know more then. I am starting to walk each day in the local mall , but my muscles get sore quickly in my legs and back and I take several breaks sitting to rest. My hips and legs seem to start aching along with my back . I guess it will take a while for me to get back my strength. The two Incesions are still just a little sore but seem to be healing ok. I do have some problems sleeping at night, I wake up a lot. Could be due to the medicine I am taking. Or just need more exercise to get tired. I am not used to taking any medicine. I am taking some blood pressure medicine and monitoring it often. So far it runs normal or just above. I am also on some thyroid medicine and have a checkup for it in January. They said it was a little hyper at the hospital, after the operation. I take my gout medicine and a baby aspirin a day, for now. I keep a check on my temp for infection , and keep an eye on my blood pressure. Other than they tell me there is not a lot that I will notice about complications. Just watching for anything out of the ordinary. How long did it take you to get back your strength back and begin to feel normal again. Did you have the endivascular surgery? Did they talk to you about the chances of complications and what they could do if you did have some? How often do you have checkups? Did you have any other medical problems. Anything else you want to share , thanks .
Hi Mike,
I had endovascular surgery. I bled out a lot because the hospital had to wait for my stent to arrive from a city 60 miles away. I was in ICU for 9 days and a total of 11 in the hospital. I was a mess. For a few months I had trouble with my blood pressure. Sometimes my high number was over 200, but most of the time I got it down to 130 to 150. I was a regular exerciser before my rupture. I exercised daily because I have two large highly energized dogs that get mad at me if I don't take them out daily. It took me couple weeks after getting out the hospital to get back to my 3 mile walks. It wasn't easy at first, but did get easier fairly quickly. I can't run like I used to, but that is no big deal. I am just happy to be mobile. I think the daily exercise really helped my recovery. I had a slight wisp (leak), but after my 6 month ct scan, it had gone away. For you it would be very important to get some exercize. You would be better off getting off the concrete and walk in the park on the grass or the trails. It is much easier on the skeleton. If you still have problems then maybe no-impact exercises like a stationary bike would work for you. I didn't have any medical problems before. I didn't smoke I didn't drink and I didn't chase woman, except my wife ( I have a very nice wife). The first year I got ct scans every 3 months, after that once a year. I have trouble with sleep, I aways have. I take sleep aids like nightime tylenol. I get panicy at night sometimes but as a whole it is not too bad. When you have weird aches and pain it is very concerning, but in my case they do go away. You are still very early in your recovery, so pace yourself, stay close to the hospital and be very thankful to God. Let me know how you are progressing. It is nice to hear from you. Maybe I can help you in some way.
Thanks, Jim
Hi james,
I will stay in touch and let you know how things go. I will take your advice on the exercise. I may have overdid the walking, I am very sore in my hips and legs, and back and stiff when I sit for a while. Still not sleeping well. I also just use the Advil pm but it doesn't seem to help. it will probably get better if I can get off of the blood pressure medicine and the thyroid medicine. i was hoping the panic feeling would get better and I am resisting it and speaking the things that are not as though they were. I do believe by faith but am asking God to help my unbelief. I also have the weird twinges and pains, it must be a normal thing when you have bled out from a rupture. Mine started With the severe back pain, they told me I was leaking , I ruptured about 45 min later and passed out. From there I was in and out several times. The 1 hr ambulance ride to the larger hospital felt like I was in a dump truck, it seemed very rough and painful along with being switched in and off different gurneys and beds. It was like I was mostly out of it but could hear what people was saying which was not things I wanted to hear, lol. Sometimes my mind gives me flashbacks of different parts of this experience which is something I would not wish to revisit. The whole thing will make you ask yourself a lot of questions, and help you to rethink which doors you open and shut in your life. The journey we are all on is still there and everything in the world is still laid out before us to choose from. I am thanking God for the Good Samaritan that was going down the same path that I was on and took the time to minister to my wounds. His name is Jesus and he is within those that receive him. You seem to also be a Good Samaritan, they were a mixed breed, part Jew and part gentile. Think on that , Christ in you is your hope. Man and God become one within. I will stop, I am getting into deep waters here. Smile We all have our Golith to face, I think you are doing well against yours so far, we were never intended to face him alone. Knowing that helps each of us overcome. It's good to know you James.