Hello Fellow survivors,
My name is Melanee Hall and my journey with aortic dissection began in March 2016.
My sister who was 46 and appeared to be very healthy was getting ready for work when she called her husband who was already at work and she said
she felt weird he asked if he should come home and she said yes.
When he reached the house, the front door had been kicked in and there were medical supplies threw out the home. He then went to the nearest hospital where he was told my sister had called 911 and been taken to the hospital but she had passed away before reaching the hospital.
As we all sat in disbelief how could this happen, she was healthy and had no know health issues.
About a week before her passing she had gone to the doctor complaining about what she thought was anxiety. At the time of her appt they said her blood pressure was high so they gave her blood pressure meds and meds to help with her anxiety.
No scans or testing was completed on her.
We had to wait three months for her autopsy results. Once the report came back it showed that she had passed from aortic dissection and that all immediate family members would need to checked for the condition.
I completed a scan and it showed I had enlarged aortic root.
My Mother who was absolutely devasted by the loss of my sister was withering away in grief did not get out of bed most days and did not go get checked.
A few months later In Sept 2016 I received the call at 3:00am that my mother had passed away.
She also passed from aortic dissection.
I went for 7 years doing routine scans and lived with many issues such as passing out severe chest pain and being in and out of the hospital.
In 2023 I had genetic testing done and it came back with no results showing what the condition may be.
I met with a surgeon who said my aneurysm was large 4.5 but it was my choice if I wanted to have open heart surgery to fix it. Clearly dissection would be in the near future due to family history.
I decided to have the open-heart surgery in Oct 2023.
Leading up to surgery it was so very scary. I feared I was going to lose my life and leave my four children in this world without me.
Before I knew it, I was waking up in ICU.
The next day I was informed that things did not go as planned and during my surgery my right coronary artery dissected and I had actually died on the table. Thanks to quick action of my amazing surgical team, they took a vein from my ankle and used it to replace the right coronary artery saving my life.
I remained in the hospital for 14 days. Every Doctor and nurse that would come in my room and read my chart was amazed that I was alive. Once I went home the recovery was very difficult and I was unable to hold anything down including water. I was also suffering with trauma brain and severe sadness and depression which they assured me was common and would subside over time.
I was so thankful to be alive but everyday the thought of what would my family being today if I was not here was constantly in my head.
It has now been six months and I embrace every day.
Our family journey with aortic aneurysm continues. Two of my four children have the condition along with my niece and my aunt.
We are hopeful that with some further genetic testing the gene will be found and we can know what to look for so that our family can have some peace of mind.
Out of this story I would like the focus to be that this condition can mask itself as many other things such as anxiety like my sister thought she was experiencing. I can’t help but think that if her doctor that week before her death had done some testing instead of throwing pills at her they would have seen she was about to dissect and she could have been fixed and would still be here with us.
Always advocate for yourself!!
Keep the faith warriors.