Mom had her second surgery in early September, shortly after labor day. She received an artificial graft of her thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysm (aka TAAA) in open surgical repair. From her aortic arch down to her illiac arterie. Here’s an illustration of something similar. Her aneurysm was over 6.2 centimeters in diameter in places, extended the full length at varying diameters, and included at least one dissection.
Her surgeon for this one had two key traits you want in your surgeons in general–cockiness and meticulousness. My informal survey of CVSU nurses agreed as to these traits being desirable. That is in addition to the kind of things you can look up on healthgrades and the like with respect to number of procedures, survival rates, and so forth.
Mom has gotten tinier over the course of all this, which brings up the question: how the hell did she have room for over two feet of enlarged artery?
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Posted in: life.
Tagged: aneurysm · family · health · parents
My mother is the proud owner of a new heart valve, a repaired aneurysm (ascending aorta), and a heart bypass.We’re still trying to get surgery number two scheduled (descending aorta and abdominal aorta).
Mom has also been my roommate for the past six weeks. I am nearly constantly in awe of this fact, never having been good at sharing space with others and having been routinely awful at being in close quarters with my parents. I think we both feel like a guest in my own home.
Dad’s leg is healing, but I think his broken fibula is slower going than mom’s broken sternum.
The details of the story are boring, and difficult only for me. I’m just here, hanging, until I’m free to commit myself full time to something other than my folks.
Posted in: life.
Dad broke his leg today.
The universe already sent me this bullshit, with this for good measure.
Posted in: life.
