My Ct angiography results...

[aussigal]

Hi again everyone...
I just got this delivered to my door !

had the scan last week..

as I have never had one of these before can you wonderful people please add the missing English sub-titles for me !...

thanks

and yes I have appointments with my docs in the very near future ..and its ok,,,you arent gonna scare me with some horriffic diagnoses gees I did all that last weekend when I pannicked cos I hadnt followed thru and investigated this condition better...I am actually gonna be more scared if there is nothing there cos I am expecting them to find my pain.

CT angio of Thoracic aorta

Findings:
dialation of the ascending aorta, max transverse dia. 47mm and 48mm AP
the maximum point of dialation lies aprox. 28 mm above the coronary sinus in the asceding aorta...the diam. of the aorta at the level of the coronary sinus is around 30 mm...

there is mild calcific plaque in the aortic arch and mild soft plaque at the origin of the left subclavicular artery with mild stenosis...no stenosis at origin of innominate or left carotoid artery....some calcification associated with the aortic valve......no focal lung parenchymal lesion
...

now a few of the bits i can work out , seems to my uneducated brain there is an aneurysm in the ascending aorta above the sinus thingy?..
but most of it is gobbledygook to me
I can read a skeletal CT scan that talks of hypertrophied longitudinal ligaments better than this...LOL!

oh yes and I have a wicked aussie sense of humour !

 

[aussigal]

aww...
Isnt anyone game to tackle this

I have made sense out of the important bit...


and am heading in to see my Cardioligist again on Monday regarding these results and am hoping for a surgical referral and if not I shall be asking for a second opinion please. I have read these forums alot since I found them and have come to the conclusion the 4.8 is about as long as you should wait and BINGO i got there without the added stress of having to wait for the rat to grow...

so please come on let me know I am understanding this correctly...please...

I just want to be an informed patient ..
Thanks...I do love this new web-home

 

[Ross]

I refuse to answer cause you wouldn't post a pic of YOU on the beach, just your beach!

I'm not good at intrepretations either, but I'm reading it the same way you are. It's slow on the weekends here. People are out partying and doing their things, but give it time and those with the knowledge will be around.

 

[aussigal]

Gee you are persistant hey !?...


I have a piccy of me dressed for the beach ...lets see if this'll inspire you !


All you gotta do now is get "photoshop" out and add the two together...for your requested piccy !...lol

 

[Ross]

I know better. I just look dumb.

Honestly though, I read that thing the same way you do. I'm hoping some of the others will kick in here and add there money to the project at hand.

 

[aussigal]

I have an idea Ross
I might have to offer a reward

 

[Ross]

I've been through a rupture and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. While I know they can grow much bigger, being that mine blew at about your size, I see no point in waiting to fix it. I'm sure others will highly disagree, but if it had happened to them, they wouldn't.

 

[KathyH]

Hi,
The coronary arteries come off the aorta and I am pretty sure that is what is called the cornonary sinus. I know my aneursym was before where the coronary arteries came off the aorta, so the coronary arteries did not have to be re implanted in my dacron patch , they were able to be left alone. I hope this helps.
Kathy H

 

[aussigal]

OK...
I have gone back to both my general doctors and both have reassured me that my Cardioligist is one of the best in Perth and he does know what he is doing...
They prescribed me some Valium to calm me down. and got me a referral to another excellent cardioligist here in Perth.
They also gave me the copies of my stress and echo tests...

Conclusions:
ECHO 2D - Doppler report
trace mitral valve regurgitation by Doppler
Bicuspid aortic valve,thickening & calcification associated with mildy reduced cusp separation. Ascending aorta,aortic root, and sinuses of valsalva are dilated..trace aortic regurgitation by doppler

all rest is normal

STRESS
inconclusive for Myocardial Ischemia
workload achieved 9 1/2 Mets
stopped due to fatigue, sore legs and shortness of breath
BP went from 130/95 to 170/90 post ex.
heartrate 70-144

I believe I am right on the border here regarding the aorta. So now that I am calming down a bit I shall be able to look at all this objectively and not freak-out I hope.

TRUST my doctors and dont forget to tell them anything I am concerned about is my new Mantra .

 

[Ross]

I could shoot them for having you even do a stress test!

 

[aussigal]

its alright,,,I am WELL-AWARE of the fact that my legs were gonna tyrn to jelly 3 minutes into the bike thingy...couldnt do the treadmill went too fast for my dodgy back ...but yeah I did know it was a risk and I have pre-symptoms if you would like to call them that so I wasnt gonna let it happen anyway...My hubby is a martial arts specialist and has taught me to slow my heart-rate down by concentrating and this can bring these weird feelings to a halt in a matter of seconds...


thanks for looking out for me mate!

maybe I shall pop down and join our pet-frog who adopted us in his spa !

 

[CCRN]

Hi again everyone...
I just got this delivered to my door !

had the scan last week..

as I have never had one of these before can you wonderful people please add the missing English sub-titles for me !...

thanks

and yes I have appointments with my docs in the very near future ..and its ok,,,you arent gonna scare me with some horriffic diagnoses gees I did all that last weekend when I pannicked cos I hadnt followed thru and investigated this condition better...I am actually gonna be more scared if there is nothing there cos I am expecting them to find my pain.

CT angio of Thoracic aorta

Findings:
dialation of the ascending aorta, max transverse dia. 47mm and 48mm AP
the maximum point of dialation lies aprox. 28 mm above the coronary sinus in the asceding aorta...the diam. of the aorta at the level of the coronary sinus is around 30 mm...

there is mild calcific plaque in the aortic arch and mild soft plaque at the origin of the left subclavicular artery with mild stenosis...no stenosis at origin of innominate or left carotoid artery....some calcification associated with the aortic valve......no focal lung parenchymal lesion
...

now a few of the bits i can work out , seems to my uneducated brain there is an aneurysm in the ascending aorta above the sinus thingy?..
but most of it is gobbledygook to me
I can read a skeletal CT scan that talks of hypertrophied longitudinal ligaments better than this...LOL!

oh yes and I have a wicked aussie sense of humour !

I believe the reference to the "sinus thingy" is indicating the size of your aortic root which is where the two main coronary arteries originate. The root is the very beginning of your aorta right after your aortic valve. When the valve closes is when your coronary arteries get perfused with freshly oxygenated blood so if you have a valve that doesn't close so well your heart might not get the nice oxygenated blood as well and you can get tired, your heart enlarge, etc. Basically, it's stating you have an aneurysm or "enlargement" of your aorta that starts above your root and continues on up toward your great vessels. If you could look up the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation website it has some pretty easy to read info related to this. Your findings look a lot like mine presurgery and the site helped me understand things much better. Hope this helps.

 

[aussigal]

thankyou for your thoughts...I have pretty-much worked it out myself now with a lil help from all
So I have a new friend/enemy in my aorta and her name is ANNIE !
...

yes the bicuspid foundation have a wealth of info and that is the place I first found...

Now I would be interested in stories or thoughts as to how soon should we be talking/scheduling surgery ?


So,,, any info on the growth-rates of these annies ?

Thanks

 

[CCRN]

thankyou for your thoughts...I have pretty-much worked it out myself now with a lil help from all
So I have a new friend/enemy in my aorta and her name is ANNIE !
...

yes the bicuspid foundation have a wealth of info and that is the place I first found...

Now I would be interested in stories or thoughts as to how soon should we be talking/scheduling surgery ?


So,,, any info on the growth-rates of these annies ?

Thanks

Okay, here is my number one thought: Demand to see a cardiothoracic surgeon yesterday if possible. The only specialist who can fix your problem is a surgeon. Find one that not only replaces a lot of valves but can show proof of having performed a fair amount of Bentall procedures and aortic repair if possible. I would be willing to bet good money he/she recommends surgery soon. Trust me.......I'm one of those medical people.

 

[aussigal]

ok...I am ON-THIS now!...for some reason the stupid blood pressure has skyrocketed overnight and i am too scared to tell you guys what it is ...ask me and i may tell.


Have called hubby home from work this morning actually cos its really high and I am feeling a bit nauseous (ok I did the porcelain salute )

I have a BP machine here at home and monitor daily and I dont think its ever gotten to this

would valium cause this BP to rise?...its the only difference I can think of..

 

[aussigal]

Ok...so I nicked up to see my doc. this morning after the BP decided 140/90 wasnt high enuf and raised itself considerably higher

it had gone back down to 150/95 after an hour or so ... the Doc increased me Enalapril to 10mg daily...and got me an earlier apt. with my Cardio. for this Tuesday and mentions in his referral letter that a consult with a CT surgeon would be a good idea to set my mind at ease and discuss my condition in more detail...
and once again he reassured me that my Cardioligist is one of the best in Perth and I couldnt be in better hands than his.

oh yes and the Valium hadnt caused this mornings episode he was quite sure it was just me getting stressed again...
so there you go...I am feeling mentally better again...

dont like this rollercoaster though and i want OFF NOW !

Ohh gonna have to get my camera batteries charged now for a beach trip...its gonna be a warm weekend,,,,Summer is on its way YIPPEE!!!

now get to bed all you night owls and I shall see you all again in the morning

 

[Ross]

Ok...so I nicked up to see my doc. this morning after the BP decided 140/90 wasnt high enuf and raised itself considerably higher

it had gone back down to 150/95 after an hour or so ... the Doc increased me Enalapril to 10mg daily...and got me an earlier apt. with my Cardio. for this Tuesday and mentions in his referral letter that a consult with a CT surgeon would be a good idea to set my mind at ease and discuss my condition in more detail...
and once again he reassured me that my Cardioligist is one of the best in Perth and I couldnt be in better hands than his.

oh yes and the Valium hadnt caused this mornings episode he was quite sure it was just me getting stressed again...
so there you go...I am feeling mentally better again...

dont like this rollercoaster though and i want OFF NOW !

Ohh gonna have to get my camera batteries charged now for a beach trip...its gonna be a warm weekend,,,,Summer is on its way YIPPEE!!!

now get to bed all you night owls and I shall see you all again in the morning

Well I'm going to keep worrying about you until they fix you. Your mirroring everything that happened to me just before mine blew. I DO NOT want to see anyone else go through that because of Doctors wanting to wait.

 

[aussigal]

Well I'm going to keep worrying about you until they fix you. Your mirroring everything that happened to me just before mine blew. I DO NOT want to see anyone else go through that because of Doctors wanting to wait.

see its this kind of concern that makes me love you Ross mate!

If I check in with you every hour or so would that help!?
or I could always move in with my paramedic-ambulance-officer sister as a pseudo baby-sitter til I get surgery!?

Oh yeah...and I fessed-up and told my mum the saga,,,she had been overseas on holidays til 2 days ago and i didnt dare worry her before she had finished enjoying her trip-of-a-lifetime to the old country Ireland would have stressed me out even more if I had told her cos she woulda hopped back on the plane and flown straight back here


now cos I remind you so much of yourself you big spunk !
you are gonna have to fill me in on more details... have you posted "your story" anywhere locally?

time for a walk...and I walk very slowly so as not to get the heart-rate up or anything and absolutely NO HILLS ! ...I just enjoy the sun and fresh air and I ALWAYS take my mobile (cell-phone) with me incase of emergency.

so I am gonna wait patiently (no pun intended!)...for you to fill in the blanks...

 

[PJmomrunner]

..and my dad died of the same thing i have ay 38 and I am 41 so yeah...I feel like I am living on borrowed time very-much...

Aussiegal, I have become quite good at not freaking out about the size of my own aneurysm and, in general, I have wrapped my brain around the idea that the risk of dissecting is very small. Knowing Ross and others who are lucky enough to be alive after dissecting despite this "very small" risk also makes me very aware that statistics mean nothing if one is among the few. Now that I know about your dad, I'm going to chime in with Ross and state very plainly something that hasn't really been said to you:

I don't care if you have the very best cardiologist in the world...unless he is also a cardiothoracic surgeon (most preferably an aortic specialist), he is not qualified to fix your problem and cannot relate what he sees on a CT to what a qualified surgeon will see in your chest the way only a qualified surgeon can.

I had three cardiologists tell me to go ahead and keep running (two were at a Top 50 US medical center) while the surgeon said, "I know when I get inside your aorta I'm gonna see that spot where your valve has been forcefully squirting blood for years. If you keep running you'll be fine for 999 times. That 1000th time, you'll dissect." (This is a paraphrase.) My point isn't so much about living within one's restrictions (although that is valid), but more about the importance of talking to the surgeon with the expertise to fix your problem--his perspective may be very different from the best cardiologist's.

 

[BAV Pt's daughter]

I don't care if you have the very best cardiologist in the world...unless he is also a cardiothoracic surgeon (most preferably an aortic specialist), he is not qualified to fix your problem and cannot relate what he sees on a CT to what a qualified surgeon will see in your chest the way only a qualified surgeon can.

ABSOLUTELY!!!!! You need to consult an aortic surgeon, let him set your activity limitations!!!