BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 23 Aug 11 - 04:19 PM

Sometimes churches in US will sponsor a mobile scanner that does a lot of scanning for various conditions for under $200...I can not attest to the quality but I do believe they catch stuff. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 05:43 PM

I asked my GP for a referral after my Dad died of an aneurism. I was given it immediately, went to the local hospital, and got the result (an all-clear) on the spot. If you get the chance, do it!

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 03:15 PM

My sister's husband collapsed and died while cleaning his teeth in the bathroom one morning. It was an aneurism in the brain, and he was just thirty six. There had been no warning, no illness, a terrible shock. Doctors said it was often hereditary, so his two little daughters were given scans, and fortunately they are clear. This was twenty years ago. There was no way at all that he could have been saved, it was instant.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 02:02 AM

ODude, the Aorta is the large artery which carries blood from the heart to the largest muscles of the body, and I think everything else. If it breaks, you are dead. An aneurysm is a bulge where the artery is weak, as 'Spaw says, because one of the layers is damaged.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: catspaw49
Date: 22 Aug 11 - 12:09 AM

Some of you may not remember but we used to have an inside joke about the "Aneurysm Club" but we lost two members and it sorta' died off so to speak............Two very fine 'Catters......LR Mole and Little John Cameron.


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 06:34 PM

A swelling in the aorta, abdominal in position (lower part of the aorta). See 'abdominal aortic aneurism' in Wiki.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: olddude
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 06:14 PM

Pardon my ignorance but what the hell is it?

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Will Fly
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 02:25 PM

Some facts:

The mortality of AAA rupture is up to 90%. 65–75% of patients die before they arrive at hospital and up to 90% die before they reach the operating room.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur most commonly in individuals between 65 and 75 years old and are more common among men and smokers.

The influence of genetic factors is highly probable. The high familial prevalence rate is most notable in male individuals.

These are the reasons that males of my age in the UK are being targeted by the Health Service at the moment.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 02:07 PM

Bonzo in the opening post said men, but certainly women should be, and are, included.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: open mike
Date: 21 Aug 11 - 02:00 PM

why only men? this can happen to anyone--AAA is often caused by trauma such as traffic accidents...

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 03:14 PM

In Alberta (and I presume rest of Canada) the ultrasound examination is covered by the provincial insurance.
I was receiving annual ultrasound examinations, requested by my urologist, and the technician noted the small aneurism. Hence a periodic examination by a vascular surgeon.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 01:46 PM

Yeah.....Well..............See, I have a Triple A which is fairly stable but compounded by the fact I also have an Aortic Dissection, aka a dissecting aneurysm. The aorta is three layers and one layer tears away creating more pressure on the the outer which may open up or dissect into the heart. This is what killed John Ritter. Mine runs from the femoral to the aortic arch but stops just short of the heart. This makes it hard to repair the AAA and instead need to replace the aorta which ain't happening because my heart has a very low refraction of about 30%.

So I just say WTF and don't worry about it. What's the point?


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 11:01 AM

It's interesting that I was provided with the result immediately. Normally, results of tests under the NHS are communicated to your GP ........eventually.

However in the private sector, consultants always copy us in with any test results!!

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: BlueJay
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 01:33 AM

And where, in the United States, can I get one of these ultrasounds for FREE?

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Gurney
Date: 20 Aug 11 - 12:36 AM

Good luck if they find one!
I have the opposite problem, a thickening/partial blockage, which medical opinion blames firmly on smoking. Smoking, they think, causes abscesses inside the artery. Where it is, the surgeon is reluctant to operate, as there are so many nerves around there controlling the organs in my lower trunk, and the possibilities of side-effects are appalling. That's what I mean by Good Luck.
I'll live with my problem until I'm "Old enough to insert a stent."

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 19 Aug 11 - 06:30 PM

Seriousness depends upon degree.
Small aneurisms are fairly common, and tend to remain the same for long periods, often years, and require no treatment unless change is noted in the examinations.
For many people, once-yearly untrasound (painless, a bit of pushing) followed by its evaluation by the vascular surgeon on your case, is all that is necessary.

If there is more than a small extension that remains constant- the ultrasound shows the situation is changing, then corrective surgery may be necessary.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Will Fly
Date: 19 Aug 11 - 02:46 PM

Yes - had one done free last year in a local Health Authority campaign. Done by ultrasound and fairly painless. Got the result immediately and well worth doing. The condition can exist without you knowing and can kill pretty quickly.

Subject: RE: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: GUEST,999
Date: 19 Aug 11 - 12:31 PM

Worth having. A triple A is a killer. I think that even if one had it on an operating table with a crash team standing by, that would be it.

Subject: BS: Free Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 19 Aug 11 - 09:06 AM

Any men out there had one of these - by invitation on the National Health - and told the result immediately?