Don’t know what to say

Very best wishes to you and your mum.

Mell967 thanks for the update I’m glad an informed decisions been made.

My mum died of an aortic aneurysm. It was very quick and she would have known nothing about it. She was totally unaware that she had it.
It was a total shock for me but as you know (& yes 6cm is quite large) so they would offer surgery.

Husband had aaa, got to 5.5 cm. He was able to have keyhole surgery which entailed one night in hospital.
He had to take things easy for a short while, but recovery was speedy — and so much better than the alternative!

Update

Just to let you know, Mum has decided not to have her AAA repaired.

She had a CT scan yesterday & then a follow up with the Vascular Team afterwards.

Thank you all for your posts 😊

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng156
It may be helpful to read this through with your mother Its the NICE guidlines and then go back to the consultant with a list of questions to be answered
Discussing the benefits and risks of repair or conservative management
1.5.2
When discussing aneurysm repair with people who have an unruptured AAA, explain the overall balance of benefits and risks with repair and with conservative management, based on their current health and their expected future health. The decision on whether repair is preferred over conservative management should be made jointly by the person and their clinician after assessment of a number of factors, including:

aneurysm size and morphology

the person's age, life expectancy, fitness for surgery, and any other conditions they have

the risk of AAA rupture if they do not have repair

the short- and long-term benefits and risks, and the other disadvantages of repair such as having to stay in hospital, the risks of the operation, the recovery period, the potential need for further procedures and the need for surveillance imaging appointments

the uncertainties around estimates of risk for AAAs larger than 5.5 cm (measured inner-to-inner maximum anterior-posterior aortic diameter on ultrasound).

It is a very difficult decision for a frail person to make. However dying of a sudden ruptue is dreadful See U tube below

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9plh5BjBgo

I would explore the least intrusive surgery available on the NHS and then decide.

How difficult for you and your Mum!
It is your mum’s decision but an honest discussion with the consultant should help process this. Does she understand what will likely happen without surgery? How likely is a full recovery from surgery for her? How long will the recovery be and what are the potential complications?
My mother ( aged 92, but fit for her years) suffered a burst AAA, but survived long enough to have these conversations and decided against surgery and to accept the end of her long life. The odds of recovery from surgery had she had it at her age and with an already leaking AAA were poor. We fully understood her decision.

Thisismyname1953

I would have the surgery . I don’t think I could live with a ticking time bomb inside me .
I think of an aneurysm as a bicycle tyre with ‘an egg’ in it , liable to burst at any moment . I couldn’t live contentedly with that hanging over my head .

Me neither.
To the OP, your Mum isn’t ancient at 82! Her decision of course but I would advise my own Mum to have it repaired.

PamelaJ1

tanith are men offered a routine scan.
My DH has never had one.

Yes it is offered to men only over 65. If your husband wasn't offered it he can ask his GP to refer him as can men under 65 or women who have family history of AAA.

tanith are men offered a routine scan.
My DH has never had one.

For the life of me I don't understand why women aren't routinely offered a scan for AAA they say its more common in men! So womens lives aren't as important it seems. I bet it was a mans decision not to scan 🤔

I would have the surgery . I don’t think I could live with a ticking time bomb inside me .
I think of an aneurysm as a bicycle tyre with ‘an egg’ in it , liable to burst at any moment . I couldn’t live contentedly with that hanging over my head .

tanith

Unfortunately my husband was in this position. On being dragged very reluctantly by me to a AAA scan offered by the NHS at 65 they discovered an AAA of 7.5 he needed Surgery ASAP. He wanted to leave and wait and see but I made him go for all the tests and scans needed to plan the surgery the consultants were ready to go in 6wks, but his AAA had other ideas and ruptured late on a Sunday night. He was in pain I was terrified as I knew what it meant. Long story short dash to hospital surgery successfully carried and he was home in 4days and fully recovered in 2mths.
Sorry this is so long but if I were you I would encourage your Mum to see the consultants then be led by the them, its very major surgery and they are best placed to give their honest opinion.

I agree

Zetters

AAA operated on as a planned procedure have a far better outcome than those operated on post rupture.

Agree! She is less likely to survive a rupture.

Given today's unfeeling attitude, you will also be asked if she would like a DNR! They asked this of a 68 year old friend going for a minor op. I told him the answer was recovery by all heroic efforts including intensive care if required.

My 92 year old mum died unexpectedly with an AAA. She hadn't been to the GP for years as she was quite well. We didn't know she had one. It was a shock when it happened but now we are glad she didn't suffer with pain or operation as she would've hated that so much. If we had known she had one I don't know which path she would have gone down tbh.

My brother 62 had an aortic aneurysm 3 years ago and was extremely fit, into walking and healthy foods etc. Unfortunately 5 weeks after the operation a blood clot from the operation hit his heart and caused a heart attack and he sadly passed away.
I totally expected him to recover from the operation he was extremely fit and a young 62. I’ve just turned 70 and my new knee replacement snapped in half in January, granted I found out whilst in hospital I’d got 2 other health problems as well, I was in for a month and here we are in July and I still feel absolutely exhausted from the operation! My mother had 2 types of cancer for 8 years before she passed away and debated whether to have chemotherapy (she also had other health issues) I explained to her it was up to her if she had chemo. She was in her early eighties and she decided not to have it as the cancer was unlikely to kill her in her eighties, it didn’t, she died of pneumonia. What I’m trying to say is, is she extremely fit and healthy for her age, would she recover well from major surgery do you think? I appreciate she’s a ticking time bomb at the moment so it’s all very frightening for her but has she had previous surgery and no

Agree! We all should have someone to advocate for us when unwell or older. I always accompanied my mother. Always worked out well.

Thanks for the update do go with her and don't be shy of asking loads of questions, my husband listened but took nothing in or questioned anything, it was a good job I was with him.

tanith

Mel1967 do come back and tell us what was decided or how things turned out. Either way I hope everything goes well for your Mum.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts & suggestions
She has a CT scan this week & then wait for a follow up appointment.
I’ll keep you posted

Mel1967 do come back and tell us what was decided or how things turned out. Either way I hope everything goes well for your Mum.

Can I ask if your mum has been given any options for the surgery? My brother has just had this operation but because of his severe COPD he couldn't have the open heart surgery, which would have been the best option. Instead he has had it done by keyhole surgery through the groin and was home in 2 days, although he is much younger at 68. He is recovering well but will have to be monitored to make sure the stent stays in place. I just thought there may be other options for your mum too.

Yes that is a good question for your mum. But do ask the consultant for advice.
How difficult for her , her DH and you OP.

There's some scary conditions around. But foxie's suggested question to your mum 'what is making it difficult to make your own decision ' is a very helpful one possibly for her.

In that situation I suggest you ask her Consultant to be very frank about surviving General Anaesthesia, and major surgey given her age frailty , heart condition and medical history.

Also, ask about doing nothing and letting nature take its course.

IMNADr but my layman understanding is that if a large AAA ruptured, causing a large internal bleed, it would cause rapid loss of consciousness , followed by death within minutes.

You may want to consider DNR/ an advance medical directive. and POA.