Ruptured Aorta

[Truebloo]

Hello everyone

I recently had a ruptured aorta, ( 9 weeks ago) has anyone had the same problem? If so would you like to share your thoughts with me.

[sturon]

Hi.

I suspect you are not going to get many replies as you are one of the very lucky ones to come through after such a serious event. You must have had expert help to deal with such a serious condition. Great that you were in the right place at the right time. Here to chat anytime you need support.

Regards Ron.

[Truebloo in reply to sturon]

Hi

Yes I guess I am lucky to be here if what you say is true.

Still very weak, but walking for about 20 mins a day, my wound is very sore & I get very tired at the end of the day.

Doctors tell me the wound will take a good 6 months to heal, is this true? At the moment I don't think I will ever work again, I'm 63 now.

Thanks for your time.

[sturon in reply to Truebloo]

The was a TV programme last evening called Critical Care, a chap on there had a dissecting aorta. He survived the surgery to repair it and the consultant said there was now no reason that he could not go on now to live a full and happy life.

Just take each day as it comes and enjoy life. Sure it will take time to recover from the surgery but you will.

[Queenofthehive]

I had an aortic dissection in October last year. Sadly, as sturon said, there are precious few of us that live to tell the tale.

I am very impressed that you are up to being on message boards 9 weeks later. It took me quite a long time to get my strength back up to a “normal” level and I still don’t feel normal.

Let me know what you would like to chat about. I am happy toshare what happened to me and what has happened since.

Alex

[Truebloo in reply to Queenofthehive]

Hi Alex

I was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery in January, 8 hour operation, I'm now 9 weeks down the line, walking twice a day, get very tired in the evening, my wound is very sore, get good days and bad days, doctors tell me I'm doing very well, how does this compare with your journey after surgery, I'm 63 years old & at this time going back to work seems a long way off.

Thanks for your time Dave.

[Queenofthehive in reply to Truebloo]

Dave

That sounds very familiar. I collapsed at work and after initially being taken to a local hospital I was rushed to St Thomas’s in London for emergency surgery to fix my aortic arch and repair my aortic valve. I was on ICU for 5 days as I had some post-operative complications, 1 day in HDU and then 10 or so days on the cardiac ward.

I was extremely weak for weeks afterwards. Like you, I started walking for short periods of time. It took me nearly 2 months before I could walk long enough to walk my daughter (I am 46) to and from school.

My wound was incredibly sore for a long time. It takes 3 months for your sternum to heal. My advice is to keep on taking the paracetamol if that is what they prescribed you. Even now my wound will still feel uncomfortable if I am tired.

I still tire much more that I did before and regularly have an afternoon nap before school pick up.

I decided to give up my part-time job when I got out of hospital but I do intend to go back to work at some point later this year. My concentration took a long time to improve, longer than 9 weeks, so don’t give up hope that you won’t get back to work.

I am on an aggressive medicine regime to keep my BP down. The cardiac surgeons have said that keeping my BP down should prevent it happening again.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

It is a long journey to recovery, one I am still on but, as I tell my friends, it is better than the alternative!

Beat wishes

Alex

[Truebloo in reply to Queenofthehive]

Hi Alex

What a lovely reply, everything sounds so familiar to my problems.

Blood pressure is key to our problem as you say, doctors have told me 120 over 80 is a good guide & level, I can't think of anything else at the moment, but thank you for your time talking to me.

I wish good luck for the future & please keep in touch with any further information.

Regards Dave

[Queenofthehive in reply to Truebloo]

It is my pleasure. I haven’t met anyone else who has been through the same thing so it was good to talk to someone about it who understand.

Thang is one thing that is worth knowing - when you start cardiac rehab or meet new medical people don’t be surprised if they are shocked when you tell them you had a ruptured aorta. We are a rare breed! Mainly because so few of us survive but they are usually too polite to say that aloud!!

Alex

[Truebloo in reply to Queenofthehive]

Hi Alex

I don't know if you will remember talking to me about our very similar Aorta problems we had?

Just wondering how you are, you were about 4 months in front of me with your recovery, my surgery is now about 10 months down the line & I still get a lot of pain in my back & around my chest area.

Been back for a ct scan & they say everything looks fine, told me it could take 12 months or longer until I feel anything like normal.

It would be nice to have your up to date conditions as we had such asimilar operation.

Looking forward to hearing from you Dave (Truebloo)

[Queenofthehive in reply to Truebloo]

Hi Dave

Lovely to hear from you. I am now nearly 13 months post-dissection. Currently in that period where I keep thinking "this time last year ....". Physically, I am pretty well. Had my CT scan in June along with a full MRA and an echocardiogram and everything looks well. I have a mild leak on my aortic valve and mild LVA (left side of my heart is slightly enlarged as a result of the high blood pressure that led to the dissection) but my surgeon, who I saw in July, is not concerned about either of these and I don't need to go back and see him until next July.

So, for now, I need to continue to take my three lots of BP medication and have quarterly blood tests to check my kidney function (I am taking Ramipril). I do still get pain in my sternum especially if I lift too much. I do sometimes get pains in my left arm that do make me anxious at times but they pass so I try not to worry too much.

For me, my recovery is now focussed on the psychological impact of the dissection. Both my son and I have really struggled to come to terms with my brush with death and have been seeing a counsellor. I have also joined a support group on Facebook called Aortic Dissection UK Buddies". If you are on FB, I would definitely recommend joining as they are a lovely group of people and extremely supportive.

Take care of yourself and hope to hear from you again.

Alex

[Recoder_Bill in reply to Truebloo]

Hi Truebloo,

I didn't have precisely the same condition but have had similar surgery; I had a pseudo thoracic aortic aneurysm. To elaborate, my thoracic aorta had burst in the area of my aorta between the aortic valve and the right cardiac artery … I’ve seen the photos of the operation! This would normally be fatal but the rupture was contained by scar tissue in my thorax; I had surgery for cancer back in 1995 hence the scar tissue. So I am one of the few who can say, cancer saved my life!

The pseudo thoracic aortic aneurysm was diagnosed in October 2018 but it was apparent on CT scans going back to 2015 it’s just that no one noticed it.

In November 2018 I had my aortic root and hemi arch replaced with Dacron grafts and I had an existing mechanical aortic valve replaced with a new one (I think it was integral to the aortic root Dacron graft) at the same time. I was in the operating theatre for 12+ hours.

My surgeon told me I wouldn’t start to feel myself again until this spring … I think he is right! Until recently I tired very easily and I still have good days and bad days. I don’t have much pain but it is necessary to stay on top of the pain and keep taking the painkillers until any pain has subsided.

I’ve recently started rehab and it is clear that I’m very out of condition … it’s all that sitting around taking it easy and not doing too much … I am expecting that I will return to a normal, active, life style. So assuming you make a full recovery I don’t see why you couldn’t return to work unless your work involves massively physical effort.

Hope all goes well with you, just keep pushing forward!

Regards,

Phil.

[Truebloo in reply to Recoder_Bill]

Thank you for your email, not many people have come forward because it would appear not many people make it through the surgery.

However we have & must be very grateful to the people who have given us another chance.

I really feel walking twice a day has helped me in my recovery, pain killers are still a must, also being able to pace your day is a must for me in my recovery.

Do you know how long the wound takes yo mend completely, my GP has said anything up to six months, it gets very sore at the end of the day, but I find a shower in the evening as well as the morning helps the wound.

Think that's it for now, thank you once again for getting in touch to share our problems.

Regards Dave

[Recoder_Bill in reply to Truebloo]

Hi Truebloo,

Lovely reply, thanks for that.

I agree, if it were not for those in the medical professional that have applied their skills then I for one would not be here!! … thank you Mr. Field and others …. It feels that … I almost ……… love you that have healed me! ……… does that make sense?

I should do more exercise and actually as a result of your comments Truebloo I will …. I will walk twice a day … I vow that now.

As for mending of wounds: I think you just have to go with what your body dictates. We all heal at different rates and we have to listen to what our bodies are saying to us. I seem to be lucky, I don’t feel pain much … I bounce back pretty quickly … I think the fear of pain is an issue too. If you fear pain then it seems to make it worse …. of course knowing that doesn’t help! … even if it’s true. It may be a defence reaction but I personally find a powerful need to know all I can about my own circumstances and how the body works and that seems to help for me….. of course a lot of medicos don’t like all my questions!!

I don’t know how long it takes for wounds to heal. My experience is that my chest feels “relatively” normal now after 5 months. I get some nights when it feels a bit tender but it’s not long lasting and subsides after a while… please bear in mind here that I have had my chest opened three times now so I am perhaps more relaxed than most about what to expect.

People are different but I would say if it were me and I felt noticeable discomfort and it wasn’t going away then I would pressure my GP big time to address the issue … and let me say, pain killers are not the solution, they deal with the symptoms not the cause but one does have to keep taking the pills … it’s harder to get pain under control once it’s gained a foothold…. but one still needs to find the cause!!!

You will know if it’s time to talk to your GP. If it feels wrong then tell your GP. The GP will listen because he/she knows only you can know how you feel.

Hope that helps … it’s hard to put in to words … my prayers and thoughts are with you Truebloo