Panicking about abdominal aortic aneurysm

[nocchi]

Guess I should start with some back story; doctors have recently been telling me I have IBS because I was getting pain in the left and right side of my abdomen as well as abdominal distention (though it doesn't feel full, in fact I can feel very hungry and my tummy looks like I'm pregnant) I also lack the diarrhea or constipation factor of IBS., though I was / am certain that it's something else. I'm getting blood tests done on Friday but they'll take a week to come back and rule out inflammation, cancers and celiac disease.

I'd noticed awhile ago that the distention went up into my upper abdomen and tonight while thinking about what it could be I noticed along with my upper abdomen being distended it also has a very strong pulse which starts around where the ribs split and gets weaker around an inch 1/2 to two inches above my belly button. The distention also doesn't seem to taper like normal bloating; more bulbous lower down the abdomen. I didn't actually notice the pulse today but it was that I didn't think much of it before when I noticed it along with the upper abdominal distention. Yesterday I was also getting a pain in the right of the groin area that seemed to radiate to the right and up and again while editing this post I'm getting a similar sharp pain above and just below the pubic bone.

Next I looked up pulsing abdomens and what do you know Google's telling me abdominal aortic aneurysms could cause this, added to that, that my upper abdomen is distended which of course my brain thinks is due to the swelling of an aneurysm. And now I've called the NHS Direct and am waiting for a call back which could be up to 6 hours, and I'm highly debating just going into A&E but my mum (who I phoned) said they'd just laugh at me if I went in saying I thought I had an aneurysm at 21. (she works in a hospital). Should maybe also be noted that I've been going to the doctor and out-of-hours doctor like every other day in the last few weeks, if I go in again tomorrow that just keeps that record going soon the GPs will probably just think I'm crazy and ignore me like in the story of the boy who cried wolf.

So please help me put my mind at rest, perhaps someone with IBS can tell me they have similar symptoms?

Edit: The area of my chest in between the breasts and down feels tight all of a sudden now, arg. It'll probably go away if I calm down but I can't. :(

[Annie0904]

My husband is 64 and last year he got an appointment to go for an abdominal aortic aneurysm check. I asked why they waited until that age and was told that they only usually happen after that age and only in men so it is not necessary even to check women. Stop googling! It sounds like ibs to me.

[dlr108]

if you had an aaa or an aortic disection you wouldnt be able to post on here you would be on the floor with terrible pain its often described as tearing pain as if your insides were ripping apart i would highly doubt its this condition

google is always going to throw up worst case situations like this really doesnt mean you have it

---------- Post added at 21:59 ---------- Previous post was at 21:55 ----------

My husband is 64 and last year he got an appointment to go for an abdominal aortic aneurysm check. I asked why they waited until that age and was told that they only usually happen after that age and only in men so it is not necessary even to check women. Stop googling! It sounds like ibs to me.

forgot to mention that it usually happen in men at this age and yes stop googling cos you will read something and start getting them symptoms even tho you dont have the condition

[nocchi]

if you had an aaa or an aortic disection you wouldnt be able to post on here you would be on the floor with terrible pain its often described as tearing pain as if your insides were ripping apart i would highly doubt its this condition

Don't you only get pain if it ruptures? At least that's what my Internet searching taught me, asymptomatic apart from pulsation until it ruptures and then you don't have long to get to an operating theater.

[dlr108]

very true but if you were getting symptoms its about to rupture its not a very common condition in the young i even went through a stage of being worried about this cos of the pain i was getting went to the doctor he gave me anti acid tabs and it went away

[Daisy Sue]

I have the same strong pulse beat in my stomach, where you describe. I don't know if it's normal or not, related to gastritis, IBS, or my past surgery.... but it's been the same for years and I've just got used to it.

Rather than keep on seeing your doctor and A&E doctors, can you get referred to a gastroenterologist?

[rsanchez]

I've been worrying about the same for a long time. Have pains here and there along the abdomen, feel a pulse, google and I find aneurysm. Then I notice that younger people who have it tend to have marfan syndrome, and I look that up and all of a sudden I start thinking I match all the symptoms. Then I panic that I might die from it. Every time I feel some little pain, I panic that it might be dissection, and then nothing happens.

The only way to know for sure is to get an ultrasound and maybe a CT scan. But even then, if everything comes out fine, you'll still have the idea of aneurysm in your head.


Sometimes I wish I never googled it. Health anxiety is terrible.

[nocchi]

Rather than keep on seeing your doctor and A&E doctors, can you get referred to a gastroenterologist?

Not sure, guess I'd have to see my GP to ask them.

The only way to know for sure is to get an ultrasound and maybe a CT scan. But even then, if everything comes out fine, you'll still have the idea of aneurysm in your head.

Yeah, I'm going to try and see a GP today (phoning up later to see if anyone has canceled appointments) because apparently they can hear a difference in blood flood with a stethoscope and then send you on for a ultrasound if anything seems off, hopefully that'll put my mind at rest along with the reassuring comments here. But I'll probably just find some other thing to worry about in another few days if it comes up clean anyway.