AAA question

[Smitty]

Hi all, I have a weird question. Sorry this is long...On Oct 9th, out of nowhere I had bad chest pains. It started over my left side and went to the front shoulder. This threw me into a panic. Went to the hospital and the paramedics thought it was anxiety. I did not stick around because they automatically wanted to send me to the psych ward. Since then I've had lower back pain and stomach pain/ fullness with occasional pulsing- all mild pain. I went to my doctors on the 21st and she checked my lungs and heart, but not my stomach. I know you can hear blood flow etc through a stethoscope and she said my lungs and heart sounded fine. My question is even though she said everything sounded fine, would she be able to detect AAA without checking my stomach aka just via my heart and lungs? :blush:

[PanicOver!!]

What is AAA?

[Smitty]

Sorry, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

[gypsywomen]

no she wouldst you would need tests for that,but a doubt if you have one you would be ill ,, do you eat ok and go to the toilet normal ..anxiety can make you think the worst its so bad hope you get it cleared up ,,maggie psi was a nurse for 15 years

[PanicOver!!]

A nurse... thats handy :)

[Cococj]

Hi all, I have a weird question. Sorry this is long...On Oct 9th, out of nowhere I had bad chest pains. It started over my left side and went to the front shoulder. This threw me into a panic. Went to the hospital and the paramedics thought it was anxiety. I did not stick around because they automatically wanted to send me to the psych ward. Since then I've had lower back pain and stomach pain/ fullness with occasional pulsing- all mild pain. I went to my doctors on the 21st and she checked my lungs and heart, but not my stomach. I know you can hear blood flow etc through a stethoscope and she said my lungs and heart sounded fine. My question is even though she said everything sounded fine, would she be able to detect AAA without checking my stomach aka just via my heart and lungs? :blush:


Aortic aneurysm was the biggest health anxiety issue I had to deal with. I had 5 years of worrying about this and really I've had all the pains you could possibly imagine that's back up my supposed self diagnosis.

First off, let me put this into perspective. AAA's don't cause acute pain unless a) they're about to burst/have ruptured b) they've dissected or c) they've expanded and are directly impeding the function of something else that hurts.

They don't cause pain that's bad then disappears entirely! If you have a AAA that was causing you chest pain then it'd be a big AAA or affecting your diaphragm. If it's big enough to cause pain in your chest and shoulder and give you symptoms in your abdomen then don't you think that it'd have been spotted by now?

To actually answer your question. No. She wouldn't be able to detect it like that. You can sometimes tell that an aneurysm is present in the abdomen if you listen to the abdomen but it's not a useful diagnostic technique.

The likelihood of you having an AA which caused you severe pain 3 weeks ago in one location and then causing you mild pain in another, is... shall we say virtually nil. The longer your pain goes on for the less likely it's that.

If you're worried, go back to your doctor, explain to her what you're worried about and let her order any tests that she feels might help you. A simple non-invasive ultrasound is the easiest and gives very good results.

Personally though I think we both know deep down it's anxiety so until you can learn to accept that and face it you're always going to have this issue, it took me ages to overcome my AA fears but it can so easily be done.

Chris

[Smitty]

For awhile I didn't eat anything, I've slowly started eating again but still not enough. I've also been irregular as far as the toilet. When I went in she said it was just anxiety, but didn't really check me out fully. I think that's why I'm worrying so much. Like I said all she checked was my heart and lungs, and I didn't think to have her check my stomach (she was rushing, I was nervous). I know it's usually in older people and men which I'm neither, but with the chest pain and all, I wonder.

[Cococj]

Can I ask a rude question and how old you are please?

[Smitty]

Aortic aneurysm was the biggest health anxiety issue I had to deal with. I had 5 years of worrying about this and really I've had all the pains you could possibly imagine that's back up my supposed self diagnosis.

First off, let me put this into perspective. AAA's don't cause acute pain unless a) they're about to burst/have ruptured b) they've dissected or c) they've expanded and are directly impeding the function of something else that hurts.

They don't cause pain that's bad then disappears entirely! If you have a AAA that was causing you chest pain then it'd be a big AAA or affecting your diaphragm. If it's big enough to cause pain in your chest and shoulder and give you symptoms in your abdomen then don't you think that it'd have been spotted by now?

To actually answer your question. No. She wouldn't be able to detect it like that. You can sometimes tell that an aneurysm is present in the abdomen if you listen to the abdomen but it's not a useful diagnostic technique.

The likelihood of you having an AA which caused you severe pain 3 weeks ago in one location and then causing you mild pain in another, is... shall we say virtually nil. The longer your pain goes on for the less likely it's that.

If you're worried, go back to your doctor, explain to her what you're worried about and let her order any tests that she feels might help you. A simple non-invasive ultrasound is the easiest and gives very good results.

Personally though I think we both know deep down it's anxiety so until you can learn to accept that and face it you're always going to have this issue, it took me ages to overcome my AA fears but it can so easily be done.

Chris

I guess deep down it IS anxiety- I'd been stressed since July. I think my thing is I'm on anxiety meds and they're obviously not working. Thanks.

[Smitty]

Can I ask a rude question and how old you are please?

32

[Cococj]

32

I'm 31, I was a smoker for 16 years until I quit last month. I'm male. My chances of developing an AA in the absence of genetic/trauma is about 20 times more likely than a female of a similar age who doesn't smoke. That sounds quite scary until you realise that the prevalence in someone of my age even with the risk factor of smoking is so tiny that I'm more likely to be run over by a bus when I go out to the supermarket shortly.

As I said I think you need to sit down and have a proper chat with your doctor and try to get the help you need for your anxiety if that also includes a simple test to put your fears aside so be it, but be warned some doctors won't humour you as when they prove to you that you don't have condition X you then decide you've got an equally deadly condition Y. In the long term you need to deal with the underlying anxiety issue while making sure you get checked for things which are likely.

Chris

[gypsywomen]

your only young i think its anxiety,,, dontworry be STRONG x