There’s going to be a lot to deal with in the coming months. We’ve just found out about a week ago that Dad’s going to need major invasive surgery done quite soon, or he runs the risk of serious internal hemorrhage, likely leading to death.
It’s happened before. He had a 20% chance of survival then – almost 10 years ago. This time, it’s further up the aorta. The inner wall of his aorta has torn and blood is leaking out to the space between the inner and outer walls, leading to massive swelling. Normal diameter is 35mm, Dad’s was 86mm 2 months ago, and probably past 90mm now. Add his high blood pressure to the equation and we’ve got a pretty bad problem here.
A: Original stent installed 10 years ago.
B: Now swollen to 3 times the normal diameter, the aorta will have a new plastic stent tailormade and fitted here to regulate bloodflow and ease the swelling.
C: These carotid arteries lead to the brain, and need to be bypassed during the op so my dad’s brain continues to be oxygenated. 10% risk of stroke.
D: The stent should end somewhere around here. Here, the aorta feeds into the spine, so there’s a risk of paralysis.
Tomorrow, I’ll go with Dad to NUH to check in for angiogram, where they’re going to get detailed specifications of the various arteries and tailor make a stent for him. Or, they might find the danger too high and rule out surgery altogether.
The head surgeon seems to be quite confident, so I got a good feeling. Nonetheless, it’s going to be a difficult time ahead for awhile.
I hope we’ll make it through this alright.
zerotwohero 
sorry to hear about your dad’s condition…send my regards to both your parents…take care of yourself too man…see ya soon!
hey so weird, I’m doing some major stent research for story and I can sorta understand every word, and risks involved. And if it’s not too much, I’ll be holding your family and you in prayer.