carlie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 My father had surgery on his aortal annurism (sp) when it grew fron 4cm to 6cm during a bit over a 12 month period. carlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder Pete53 Posted January 31, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 31, 2007 Tommy Mercer had this problem and it was fixed by surgery. Allan you should aggressively look into this. I have also found that being a Heart Patient at VA has moved me up for quicker service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder jbasser Posted January 31, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 31, 2007 Alan, The MMSC is correct, If they do a cath and have to insert a stint, then it will be overnight. Also if they find anything serious, The Appointment timing is out the window and they will respond aggressivly. I hope all goes well. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder Pete53 Posted January 31, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted January 31, 2007 I had a stent in September. I had to stay overnight. It was a little scary but tolerable. Don't forget to ask for the "smackdown" so that you don't really notice or care what they are doing. Good Luck Allan its really a pretty easy procedure looking back of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest allan Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 I tried to post this last night but it wouldn't go through. I'll try it again............... Hello everyone, just got in the door from a trip back to see the VA Dr. He said the good news is, it's not an aortic aneurysm like they previously saw on the xray. The ultrasound was negative for anything. They now say it's a large bulge on the spine that was misinterpreted, as an aortic aneurysm. Lower thoracic I think he said. Meds were updated, provided a 2 month supply for Zocor & wants to take me off of Ibuprofen & switch to some some less harmful on the stomach. I've been taking it for nearly 40 yrs. He thinks it may clear up some of the problems. In Jan, I asked to have an radiology update on my spine, due to increased problems & neuro pain. I remember the radiologist took several of the cervical, thoracic & lumbar. Than came back in with instructions to take several more from different angles. I could see it come up on the screen as a large mass. The lab tech even blew up that area to get a better look. Things get busy at these places so I know there are mistakes in reading xrays. Not sure how soft tissue can be mistaken for bone mass. But I guess the photos were distorted or superimposed some how. I asked if they were going to retake the xrays & the reply was, "since the ultrasound ruled out the aneurysm, theres no need to retake the xrays again". I understand the part about the ultrasound being able to rule out something that wasn't there. What I don't understand is, what about providing a clear xray with an accurate interpretation of the mass? Is it on the bone, muscle, connective tissue? Is it treatable? I need to follow up in 2 months to see if the Zocor is helping. The only thing I really know, is how lucky I am that its not the aneurysm, & that the mass hasn't changed to much since the last photos, in 2003, he says. I'm so lucky, that theres no need to followup on the mass or request for a 12 hr medication , instead of something that only lasts a few hrs. When asked what they could do for me at an appointment back in Jan,. I said I've been having severe throat spasms & feeling like objects get stuck in my throat allot. GERD keeps kicking this acid up & eating at my throat. Feels like some kind of lump there all the time & I get pills stuck in it easy. I hoped to get an ultrasound of my throat & spinal xray updates. Instead, I ended up getting an ultrasound of my aorta, no workup on the throat, nothing else to do with the spine at all and no change in pain management. Quality care? Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder jbasser Posted February 25, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted February 25, 2007 Alan, Im happy this turned out OK, It would be wise to obtain a second opinion. ( outside of the VA) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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