My father passed away June 9, 2009 of this disease. He was a banker for 32 years and he also worked for the New York Mets for 47 years as an usher/director and went to work that day as usual. He was found by security in the parking lot and was rushed to a local hospital. We were lucky to have some time with him before he succumbed to AAA. My Dad didn't believe in doctors or hospitals, and for all the years I remember he was rarely if ever ill. In the emergency room, the conversations with the doctor were difficult, as my Dad had no prior medical history. When the doctors came out to tell us what had happened and that he had passed, we were shocked. I'm surprised at the number of people I have crossed paths with recently that have also been touched by AAA.
My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July of 2009. As a result, he underwent a CAT scan to see if the prostate cancer had spread. When I talked to my mom the next day she said she had some bad news. I thought, “Here we go, the cancer has spread somewhere,” but instead she said that the CAT scan revealed that the cancer had not spread but that they had found a 5 cm AAA that they needed to fix right away. It may sound odd, but we were very lucky he was diagnosed with the cancer because without it he would never have had the screening test. The doctor said within 3 years it would have ruptured and chances are we would have lost him. I would strongly recommend the screening, even if you feel you are in generally good health. It could save your life.
My 59-year-old brother experienced a painful death when his AAA ruptured. Even though he was admitted to the hospital within minutes of his attack, it was too late. Since heredity is strongly linked to AAA, I began getting an ultrasound screening at age 55. My AAA appeared at age 58 and my doctor and I opted to monitor the bulge for awhile. When the bulge began to increase, I decided to have an endograft put in place.
I had an AAA in March of 2001. My AAA hit with no warning and was so painful that I immediately passed out. Fortunately my brother was persistent to call 911; my AAA ruptured at the back toward my spine, which gave me a couple of hours for the ER doctors to diagnose the problem. I lost seven pints of blood and the procedure took five hours to repair the damage. I would like to help this cause in any way that I can.
I am a 52 year old man. A year ago I had an AAA. I had to be airlifted to a large hospital and later was told that I was 30 minutes from death when I arrived. I was in the hospital for two months, lost five feet of my intestines and was in a coma for two weeks after surgery. I have all kinds of problems from the AAA. I would really advise everyone to be screened. AAA is a horrible ordeal to go through, but I do thank God daily for my life.
There is heart disease in my family that I was aware of but never thought that AAA was a factor. I am a 32-year-old woman that survived a dissected AAA by the grace of God. After surgery to repair it, I plan to live happy with my family. There is always a worry of “what if”, but by working with my doctors and getting screened, I feel safer.
I am a 65-year-old in good health. This year my family physician told me that part of the Welcome to Medicare free exam was a screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Not only did they find an AAA but it was large enough to warrant surgery (about 5 and a half cm). My family doctor was surprised; I was not because my father passed away after emergency surgery for a ruptured AAA in 1985 at the age of 69. I have had an aortic endograft installed and was out of the hospital for 3 days with very little pain and only a few restrictions. I was lucky and I can testify that if you have a family history of AAA, don’t wait too long for a screening exam that could save your life.
A CAT scan of my abdomen and pelvis was performed by my gastroenterologist to see if my diverticulitis had gotten worse. Through this examination, my AAA was discovered. I would have much preferred not having this AAA, but I am so grateful that it was discovered. It's only 2.6 centimeters and the doctors will keep a very close eye to monitor the growth. Being aware and watching this condition is the key. So many of us are presenting each and every day with this condition and are not even aware of it. So I am one of the lucky ones who has found out early.