Aida Carrillo Aragón | Heart Warrior of the Week

My name is Aida, I am 23-years old-and I live in Barcelona. Almost one year ago I had open heart surgery after I had a fainting spell. After many tests they detected a 5 cm aneurysm in the ascending aorta. When they opened my chest they saw no underlying condition..

Name
Aida Carrillo Aragón
Heart Defect
Aortic Aneursym
Date of Birth
05/02/1997 (23-years-old)
Diagnosed in utero?
No, wasn’t diagnosed until October of last year, she was 22-years-old.
Describe yourself in 3-5 words
Strong. Loyal. Faithful.
Number of surgeries
One
Type(s) of surgery
Open-heart surgery, it was an 8-hour surgery and took many months to recover
Time spend in hospital
About 2-3 weeks
Medications
I am medication-free for my heart
Restrictions
No I’m very lucky in that I get to live a very normal life; I get much more tired than before, but it is a small price to pay for my health.
Restrictions
No I’m very lucky in that I get to live a very normal life; I get much more tired than before, but it is a small price to pay for my health.
Future Surgeries
None for right now, but in the future I may have to undergo another open-heart surgery in the distant future due to my heart failure.
Aida’s story, in her own words
My name is Aida, I am 23-years old-and I live in Barcelona. Almost one year ago I had open heart surgery after I had a fainting spell. After many tests they detected a 5 cm aneurysm in the ascending aorta. When they opened my chest they saw no underlying condition that would cause this aneurysm so they believe I’ve probably had it since birth.
This process has been very hard, but I have been very lucky that my condition was found in time and surgically repaired before it ruptured. I am very proud of myself, of everything I have overcome and of having made it through that terrible time in my life.
To me, my scar is the most special part of my body, it reminds me daily how lucky I am and I know that without it I would not be here today
Anatomy: An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in a section of the aorta, the tissues in the areas around the aneurysm become overstretched, thinned and weakened as a result.

Complications: Because the section with the aneurysm is overstretched and weak, it can burst. If it bursts, it can cause serious internal bleeding that can quickly lead to death.

Symptoms: Most aortic aneurysms don’t cause symptoms, usually a doctor finds them during exams or tests done for other reasons. In the rare cases where there are symptoms, they include belly, chest, or back pain and discomfort.

Treatment: Minor aortic aneurysms may need no treatment at all while more severe cases can be treated with medicines or repaired via surgery.

Prevalence: Aortic aneurysms are more common in adults 65+ but they do occur in infants and children as a congenital disease, but rates for these types of cases are unknown.

December 08, 2020 by Lani O’Gorman
TAGS: Aortic Aneurysm CHD CHD Awareness congenital heart disease heart warrior of the week

Congenital Aortic Aneurysm

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