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Thoracic Aneurism Surgery follow-up
I had thoracic aortic aneurism surgery 3 years ago. After the initial 3 month post surgery, I have never had any follow-up done. Is this normal?
I asked very few questions prior to my operations. I didn't want to know details, just get it done, but now I wonder about this foreign object in my chest, if it will "leak", how long it's expected to last, etc. Does anyone know?
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@wags199 glad to hear you’re staying on top of your aortic aneurysm. I think at a 4.4 I’d be more concerned with the aneurysm and maybe less concerned with the renal impact of the dye. I understand that it’s probably uncomfortable to have it if you’re gonna have a reaction to it, but at the same time you have to balance that against the need for them to completely visualize the aneurysm and where your vasculature is at. Given what I’ve been through, I’m always on the side of more information about my aorta is better. I do feel warm all over when I get that contrast and it makes me feel like I’m going to pee my pants, but the results with contrast are outstanding. That’s said, I only get contrast now every other year for my surveillance purposes. In other words, they’ve repaired the aorta and now things are stable, so it’s basically in watch mode. But again, I think it’s super critical for you at 4.4 cm to know exactly what’s going on inside your chest and that may mean having contrast. Sorry if that’s not as definitive as it should be, but I would err on the side of contrast because it’s important for your surgeon to know what’s going on so that it can be dealt with rapidly. You do not want to have the situation I had which was an emergent dissection. They are tough to survive. Even so, I’m glad to be here every day I walk this earth. Here I am last weekend looking at colleges with my 17-year-old. Life is good. Peace.
@moonboy I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. It does give me clarity, thank you. What a wonderful picture of you and your daughter. Life is beautiful and I’m glad you’re here. Thank you for your continued support here, I know there are many of us who are grateful for your insight.