qick question. i was reading in Purdues thread that if you are having trouble swallowing or it hurts when you eat like food getting stuck in throat that it may be caused by an aorta that is on verge of rupture???? Can anyone see anything in my numbers that can tell the size or that specific measurement? I have had trouble swallowing and it hurts to swllow like food getting stuck for a month now and never thought anything of it, now I am freaking out.
Larry - Scroll up to my last post for a discussion of your specific aorta measurement relative to the clinical guidelines. Now, about half of the patients with aneurysms have symptoms and half do not, even at much much larger sizes than your current measurement. For those that do, symptoms include: pain in the jaw, neck, and upper back, chest or back pain, and coughing, hoarseness, or difficulty breathing. Just so you know, that is straight off the Cleveland Clinic (#1 rated heart hospital in the US) disease overview page. It looks like your echo was just over a week ago, so you should feel pretty confident that it's accurate to your current condition. In other words, the swallowing problem you mention has been going on for a month, so not something new going on since your echo.
As I said earlier, your 3.9 cm aorta size is not overtly critical, but for the sake of argument, let's ignore that, since absolute size isn't the only determining factor. However, your echo report shows no indication of evidence of aortic dissection (tearing). Echo accuracy in diagnosing dissection varies a little, but I'm pretty sure I've read it is generally over 90% accurate. Now, on to rupture, which has a whole different degree of symptoms, basically so severe that you'll absolutely know it when it happens. They include: pain that is abrupt or instantaneous in onset, pain that is severe in intensity, pain that has a ripping, tearing, stabbing, or sharp quality. That list is from the ACC/AHA Thoracic Aortic Disease clinical guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Other diagnosis tools for a physician include pulse deficit and blood pressure limb differential among others.
So, what I'm basically trying to explain is that the information to date does not seem to suggest that your aorta is on the verge of rupture. I am not a doctor, so of course can't guarantee that, but based on monitoring you've had done so far, your doctor might actually rule that possibility out. Maybe you would even feel better discussing this all with him or her just for your own peace of mind? Of course, if you have any continuing symptoms similar to those listed above, or any changes, by all means, when in doubt, check it out.
You will be fine. If your doctor's didn't believe you needed immediate surgery, then trust their knowledge. I know it is easier said than done when I say stay calm, but I also think that with knowledge you gain daily (both on here and from your doctor's) eventually, you will feel confident that you can get better. Best wishes to you and your new wife and family.
