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TITAN:SvS Study - Ascending Aortic Aneurysm

Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (14)

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@smithrod549

That's all well and good, each person has a choice in life. However, I still drive myself, as I live alone. Each time I get behind the wheel I have to worry about what if I sneeze too hard, cough the wrong way and it goes? According to the so-called experts in the field, When it busts and not if, I won't have to worry about it as it will only take 10 to 15 seconds for me to bleed out. Well, thank god for that no pain. I'm driving down the highway at 60 miles an hour, the city street at 20 or 35 miles an hour, its a school day or just turning into a parking lot with people all around. Who dies with me? One of your family members, your son your grandson, or daughter, your wife, your dog, or even you.
My question is, all these so-called experts know it's going to grow and it's not going to get better without medical treatment. So why force the subject to wait until there's no choice but to operate? They could have had an operation at the time of the finding. In most cases 10 years earlier in life, when you're younger and healthier.
My question is, if you have cancer, are you going to wait around for a couple of years to see how it goes before, you decide to go through the treatment to try and cure it, some expert says we have the knowledge and power to do it NOW!, Let me tell you between the Kemo and the radiation and after effects, this operation is nothing, It won't come back in a couple years and put your though all the pain of doing it over.
How ask how I know, go on, ask me.
3 years ago I was in perfect health, with no meds besides 10mg of Atorvastatin Calcium for Antitox or cholesterol, and they discovered a small lump in my neck, did a test, and came back with cancer. 4 months later, going bolded, no taste buds, no salivary glands and it kills my thyroid gland. That was 2 1/2 years ago. Still no taste, or saliva, and my meds are 10mg, for antitox now a Thyroid 25mg pill once a day. Health wise everything is grand, no heart, blood, or weight problems. Nothing but the stinking aortic aneurysm,
Lived, with the worst that GOD can hand me, Fed up with living on 6 to 10 bottles of ENSURE a Day or protein blend mix. With no taste or flavor. Plus 10 to fifteen bottles of water a day to stop dry mouth. And you think a few days or weeks in recovery for an operation to save your life is too much. I promise you it's nothing, I spent two years recovering from my military issues.
Yes, it is risky, but the only ones they are protecting with the wait is themselves. If they screw up the operation, it will look bad on their resume. Or won't get paid, this way they tell themselves, well I did everything I could for them, and they just got unlucky and passed before I could operate. Or hey, they refused to do it earlier and I could have saved them.

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Replies to "That's all well and good, each person has a choice in life. However, I still drive..."

Wow, you have been through the wringer. I'm sorry you went through that. I can see how you'd be nervous after that.

In defense of the surgeons, I don't think it's as simple as protecting their resume. They're people too, so it's hard to make generalizations, but I believe they work to try to do what gives the best possible outcome. They wait until the odds of a bad outcome from the surgery are lower than the odds of a dissection. If they operated on you before that point and you had a stroke and were debilitated for the rest of your life or you died, then they would be forever thinking that they should never have operated and odds are you would have been fine. For my 2 cents, with the relatively serious issues I have now, I only thank god that there are people out there willing the go through the lengthy process to become a surgeon and then are willing to take the responsibility of my life in their hands. I am not up to those demands. How is anyone? It's almost miraculous.

The odds equation depends somewhat on where you get the surgery. Cleveland Clinic, for example, has a very low rate of complications. I'm not sure where your aneurysm is at, but you may be able to find someone to operate. I posted this for people that might want to use it as a way to get surgery earlier than their doctor is currently willing to do.

It's a very individual journey. I hope things go well for you. It sounds like you have earned some good luck/experiences.

I don't know for sure, but it may be that insurance companies won't cover the cost until you reach 5.0 or 5.5. I hate thinking that some pencil pusher sitting at a distant desk is making decisions about my life or death. I also think doctors weigh the odds. If the risk of waiting is worse than having the surgery, they go in. I'm just guessing about all this but unless someone changes my mind, this is what I assume is true.