Celiac Artery Aneurysm: Anyone else with same illness?

I have "mychart" and I just got a note saying to scan it in a year and nothing else. Nothing was said about anything else. I would have thought my family doctor would have at least met with me to put my mind at ease. I guess when you have "mychart" it takes the personal touch out of healthcare. It's made to be more efficient for doctors and get the word to patients quicker. I guess I get it, but with something like this a phone call would have been nice. I see the VS in two days and I'll post my findings and next step. With mine being 1.8cm I'm not taking any chances with my health. My gut feeling is that he will put me on the wait and see program. If so, I'll be contacting Mayo to get their opinion. If everyone says wait and see then I'll do that. I just want to make sure it's coming from the right people and then I'll be alright with it. I'll continue to post my journey for everyone.

Hello @johnnyfive and welcome to Mayo Connect. I can certainly understand your concern. Please know that it is always your right to seek a second or even third opinion if you are uncomfortable with what your current medical team has advised.

In addition to the follow-up in a year, did your doctor advise you regarding restrictions like lifting, etc.?

Well, I thought I was the only one! I’m kind of new here and thanks for having me.
I went to a hospital ER for something else. One test they did on me was a simple CT scan. A doctor finally came to the exam room and said “we are going to transfer you to a trauma hospital for emergency surgery “ when I asked him what he meant he said that the CTscan showed I had a rare celiac artery aneurysm and that it was 3cm long. “Not bad “ I said and he cut me off and said that there was a tear in it.

So they packed me up and called for an ambulance to transport me. The trauma hospital’s cardiovascular surgeon said that I would need to come back to the hospital for surgery but not now as an emergency case because the aneurysm wasn’t bleeding and the team decided that I was stable enough to be discharged. “ But contact your cardiovascular surgeon ASAP “

The next day I contacted my cardiovascular surgeon to make an appointment as instructed by the hospital and I told him that the hospital has said ASAP.
He says to me “all hospitals say that “ I could tell that he seemed annoyed by his tone of voice.

So the next day I was in his office and he had a radiologist do a sonogram of my abdomen. I was sent to an exam room and he finally comes in somewhat laughing saying “I didn’t see anything “ “see you next year!” and he started fast walking out of the room and I said “can it burst?” And he said that “ it could but we have ways to deal with that “

A burst aneurysm is an emergency and must quickly be treated or I understand that it could be fatal!! If I don’t appear right while jogging right away people say “heart attack “ and chest compressions won’t save me.
On top of that, I am on a blood thinner due to a mechanical aortic valve replacement I had years ago. I was thinking that it might leak or burst because my thinning blood could go through the wall. I wasn’t sure.

2 different hospitals and 2 different cardiovascular surgeons seen it but mine said he couldn’t see it?
I feel like I’m a walking time bomb. I think I need a second opinion.

Hello everyone! Two weeks ago, I went to my family doctor with abdominal pains. He ordered a CT and everything looked good. But like many of you, they found a celiac artery aneurysm. My doctor told me that it was small and we would scan it in another year to see if it grew. He also gave me the option of seeing a vascular surgeon. So, I decided to follow that route and see what he says (I have an appointment on Monday, May1) . I have read up on it and it looks like they don't do anything until it reaches 2cm. I'm pretty close to that now with mine being 1.8cm and it makes me a little uncomfortable. I don't know if I should be seeing a local vascular surgeon or go to the Mayo clinic? Will they go ahead and do surgery since i'm only 2mm from 2cm? If anyone has any advice for me I'll gladly take it. I just don't know what to do with this rare and dangerous issue. Thank you!

@dan1230,
Wow, that's incredible! What an experience you had, I can't even imagine. I'm so happy you're doing well and the doctors at Mayo took great care. I bet it feels wonderful to have that behind you and I'm sure the pain is healing-related and will hopefully go away after a while. Thank you for the update, I'd been wondering. Like you, my celiac dissection is being monitored for now. The doctor I spoke to in Oregon is willing to perform interventional radiology but he recommended a doctor in Denver so I could avoid travel. But that doctor feels the procedure is too risky and not willing. I then met with a heart medicine specialist because I too have hypertension and taking a beta-blocker. He said I'll be fine if I choose to get the operation, and I'll be fine if I choose not to. He said he's seen hundreds of celiac dissections and most do not grow. So I have another MRA scan in May to check the size and go from there. Options are good I guess and hopefully it hasn't grown to where I don't have options. All the best to you and a continued recovery!

JSTO,
I am now two and half months post op of my open abdominal repair of my SMA dissection and thrombosis. I am doing well. Surgery took over 10 hours and I lost almost my entire blood supply due to hemorrhaging. My doctors at Mayo, especially Dr. Mendes, we’re great. I spent a week in the hospital and then went home. Was on leave until the middle of February and have now returned to work. Not as Spry as I used to be, but will get there. Still have some episodes of pain, but think that is due to the healing process. I am able to eat pretty much anything I want now. I still have my Celiac dissection that they will continue to monitor. I have also just been diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. Have testing next week to find out how severe.
How did your visit go?

I just came back from my cardiovascular surgeon and he said my torn aneurysm is “not that bad” A Celiac artery aneurysm dissection. First he seemed annoyed because my appointment was scheduled for March. 2 months from now. The aneurysm is at 4 cm by the way.

And he was forced to take me today January 4 because my nurse gave him a piece of her mind. He poo-pood the first nurse and said “I’ll see him in March.” The second nurse, who has no flies on her demanded that he see me today.

He simply said “No change that would require an operation today, see you in a year” When he realized that I knew I had a tear he still said “ it’s been like that since last year”. I said
“since I have a small tear, could it burst or just break open more and now it’s an emergency right?” He told me “ it could but we have ways of treating that”

Now I’m playing Russian roulette. Do I wait until there’s an emergency or do I do something about it now “well, it could leak or burst” but he insists that I see him in a year.

See, on December 27 I was rushed to an emergency room for severe abdominal pain. Eventually they gave me a shot of morphine and did a regular CT scan as part of my treatment. The scan was concerning to the ER doctor as she said that it showed a tear on my celiac artery aneurysm.

She said she would send the results to a hospital specialist. She comes back and said “we are sending you to another hospital (a trauma hospital) you need emergency surgery “.

I said ok and off I went in an ambulance that looked more like an ER on wheels.
Once I got to the second hospital it was now the 28 of December and I was wheeled into triage and I bi-passed other people who were there for sniffles or drunk. It was packed and I was in pain again since the morphine wore off.

Eventually a cardiovascular surgeon came up and we had a discussion (No other CT scan) and he said that I was “going to have to come back to the hospital but because it isn’t bleeding (yet), it would be safe for me to be discharged and see my own cardiovascular surgeon asap”.

Once discharged and I went to my own surgeon he first said “oh hospitals always do that” “Say you need to see him asap.”
(Refer someone? Of course, nothing odd about that). I live in an assisted living facility and it took 2 calls from different nurses to get him to cave. Now he’s telling me “it’s fine but it could burst”.

Should I get a second opinion without him getting upset? Did I mention that my blood is thin due to my mechanical aortic valve replacement in 2015? I also am prone to A-Fib. I am on Coumadin and if my blood gets too thin, as it has in the past wich resulted in an ER visit, is it possible that this adds another dimension to my problems?

It had been a low lately so clots could come into play. Right now I should be between 1.0 and 2.0 but today’s labs came back as “out of range “ it was now high at 4.5 witch is too high and puts me at risk of bleeding! What should I do?

I have a torn Celiac artery aneurysm and am prone to a-fib and blood issues and high blood pressure. Am I an accident waiting to happen?

I have a 13mm Celiac Artery Aneurysm too. Got real scared when told. After seeing expensive people come to find out they knew I had it for 7 years and never told me!? Glad the VA paid for this! Said it is the same size still and will CT it every 1-2 years. At 71 I have a new problem. Reason they found this was looking for another problem. All these years I find out I also have AFIB and now on Blood Thinners and a heart regulating pill. Only been a few days now. Had Type A FLU and bad AFIB at the same time so now they know my real problem to treat. Took 10 years for them to catch this! 8 hours in the ER and they slowed it down. But at least now they can't say I am faking my problems it happened in front of them.

Very very rare your condition, according to my researh.
Your aneurysm is only 1.2 cm, tiny, and does not normally become considered large and dangerous until 5 cm. Which might take 1-5 year or more, depends on many factors.
How fast it grows depend on lifestyle, diet, smoking, soft drink acid, and more.

Blood clot I would be more concerned about. Has your doctor prescribed blood thinning medicine?
What else your doctor say?

I had evar and AAA abdominal aorta aneurysm surgeries last year, and after that also blood clot.
It comes suddenly, and the pain is beyond anything you ever felt in your life. Rush to hospital for emergency surgery, IF one get there fast enough, and depends where the clot is located.

Your doctor is your best source for educated opinion.

I had an acute bilateral pulmonary emboli on Sept 30th of this year. There fore they did an CT scan and by incident found my Celiac Artery Aneurysm. It is only 1.2 cm some days I am not sure if I have to be more worried about my blood clots or my aneurysm.
I just noticed that my blood pressure is getting high (150/105). I hope that it is not doing anything to that aneurysm!