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Untreatable AAA
My 86 yr old mother lives with me. She has known about her AAA for years. Her last measurement was 4.7 when the vascular surgeon said she was not a candidate for repair due to plaques. She is also currently on hospice for COPD. for the past 2 weeks after a viral illness, she is complaining about increased abdominal, back, and chest pain. In addition she has new complaints of not being able to swallow due to feeling like her throat is blocked. If she does take a small bite she dry heaves. Now this is happening with her fluids as well. I'm not sure if these swallowing issues could also be related. I know 3 weeks ago she she said everything tasted terrible. Just figured that was doe to the virus.
Any insight would be appreciated. I know there's not much time left with her. I just want her to be comfortable. Found out she can't take morphine...so that's a no go
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I fully dissected in 2015 with an ascending aortic aneurysm repaired by heart surgery. Prior to the dissection, I had swallowing difficulties. Following the dissection, I have continued to have some pretty severe swallowing difficulties at times and with certain foods. The mechanics of it are that food gets stuck, and I wind up having to throw it up from time to time. It tends to happen with more fibrous and dry foods. I deal with it by coming all of my food into much smaller portions, especially dry meat like steak or chicken. And also tend to use a lot of mayo and butter, which does not make my primary care physician very happy, but then again I'm the one that has to swallow.
After 11 years of living post dissection, I can tell you exactly what's happening because I've seen it in my scans. The dissected aorta created a false lumen and left a large aneurysm in its wake which has become a large blood clot. That blood clot is crowding out part of my chest cavity, and therefore pressing against my esophagus, making it difficult to swallow. This is a known phenomenon following dissections where people have survived, although it's not discussed very much, and most of my doctors are mystified by it – – mainly because they've either never heard of it or forgotten about it after medical school. It's a real thing for some people who have survived an aortic dissection. That aneurysm has to go somewhere and, if it is enlarged enough, it may crowd out other organs and press against your esophagus. There's not a whole lot of excess space in your thoracic so esophagus winds up getting pinched. I have literally seen the high resolution scans of my aorta and looked at my esophagus and saw the pinch.
I am very sorry to hear about your mom. If she can drink protein drinks that will help a lot. I would recommend the FairLife protein shakes from Costco. They contain large amounts of protein, very little sugar, but they taste great and they're very easy to swallow. The ones the hospital supplies taste like metal pipes. Peace.
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5 Reactions"I deal with it by cutting all of my food into much smaller portions, especially dry meat like steak or chicken."
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2 ReactionsSir, thank you so much for the generous way you share your insights. For those of us facing decision-making about this frightening diagnosis, this forum has been a great blessing.
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3 ReactionsHow about Fentanyl or Oxycodone?
Your hospice nurse should be able to help you with the swallowing issues. It may be more related to end-of-life issues than anything else. I am a nurse/RN and work closely with hospice nurses. They can be very helpful.🌺🙏🌸