Well this is a fine way to start Christmas Day...

Hope your friend is ok by now.

If it is a dissecting aorta, I had one last year. Yes, it is painful, and is not always diagnosed accurately.
When she comes out, she'll have to have someone with her, and make sure she doesn't strain at all, not carrying anything over 5 kg., Vampire.
I do not know if you want to look, Vampire, but they are quite rare so there is not much information from the NHS. We got most of our information from a website,
www.aorticdissection.co.uk

My sister works for a medical insurance company and she told me about not carrying heavy things. She got the information from one of their associate doctors.
If you want to know more, pm me, Vampire.
Wish your friend all the luck in the world.

I don't think anyone told her about not being alone. We let her go home earlier because she said she just wanted to go to bed. In fact she slept most of the time she was here.

I'll also tell her about not lifting anything.

They've told her that if she's still in pain in two weeks then she has to go to her gp.

My gp called me a ticking timebomb when he saw me after I came out of hospital. Have sent you a pm, vampire.

Thanks for the pm durhamjen.

I'm really worried about my friend. I've looked up a dissecting aorta and it seems that she should still be in hospital. I've sent her the website, durhamjen.

I've warned her not to do anything and she's going to see the GP on Monday or will go back to a and e if she begins to feel worse. She's still in a lot of pain and is exhausted. She's taking tramodol for the pain but it's not really touching it.

The hospital said the dissecting aorta had been caused by a peptic ulcer. She told them she didn't have a peptic ulcer but they insisted she did even they they'd not done any scans of her stomach and it didn't hurt when they pushed on it. She hasn't passed or vomited any blood or coffee grinds. They've given her an anti acid to take every morning.

Has she had any scans? The only way they discovered mine was because I had 2 ct scans, an MRI and an xray. That was when I was in A&E, between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. Even then, they did not realise what it was until someone came back from the Easter holidays who could read the scans properly.
Tramadol gave me hallucinations. I was on a morphine drip for the pain. That was the only thing that helped.
Does she have family who can stay with her? I was on my own when it happened, but I managed to ring 111, which was working in Durham as we had been trialling it for two years then. It must be frightening for her being on her own, even if she is doped up with Tramadol.
Another problem with Tramadol is that it can give you constipation, and that's not what she wants. They give you Sennacot in hospital along with the Tramadol.

They've only done an xray. I'm amazed she's out when she's in so much pain. She's arranged for a friend to stay with her for a couple of days so at least she won't be alone.

This doesnt sound right. A dissecting aortic aneurysm is a ticking time bomb! I worked on the ward that did the initial repairs to them in Birmingham in about 1965, you can't diagnose them by simple X-ray.

I've checked on the Hull Royal website, and they do not do dissections there, so there will probably not be anyone who knows how serious it is. Your nearest hospital could be Pinderfields or James Cook in Middlesborough.

That's what my GP said to me, Galen, what's it like being a ticking timebomb.
How can she go about getting another opinion, though, and getting into hospital again, Galen? You should not be sent home with an aortic dissection.

I asked her to tell me exactly what it says on her discharge form and it definitely says a dissecting aortic aneurysm.

Maybe they are wrong about that, tho, if they only did an x-ray?
She should definitely see her GP as soon as she can, I'd say, preferably pre-armed with info on that condition and how it should be diagnosed.

She's going to the gp on Monday even if she has to declare herself an emergency and sit and wait.

If she's at all worried before Monday she should ring 111. I don't know what things are like in your area but we seem to have a very good service - mainly retired GP's who are very thorough and don't hesitate to visit if they think it's necessary. The ones I have dealt with have all had wide experience and will get a hospital and ambulance organised very promptly.

This really does not sound at all right - if that is what is on her discharge letter she should be under medical supervision and on the list for further scans and for surgery. I do not think she should be at home on her own unsupervised. I am truly amazed that they have discharged her in that condition. If it were me I would be back up that hospital and asking some questions. There must also be an emergency GP on today whom she could consult.

Most people who die from a dissecting aorta do so because it has not been recognised. This has been. They should not have sent her home.
I was told to ring 999 after I was discharged if I got the pain again.

The problem is that they would only send her back to HRI who discharged her in the first place. But we've persuaded her that if it gets any worse she needs to call an ambulance without delay. They'll take her back to HRI but at least she'd be checked over again by another doctor who may have something about him.

At least if she's in HRI she will be sent to the nearest appropriate hospital as early as possible. If she is on the vascular ward she will be monitored by staff rather than by friends. They have given you a big responsibility.
She should also have a CT scan as early as possible to find out how big the dissection is.
They do perform AAAs at Hull Royal, but not dissections, which means there should be a surgeon who can recognise the seriousness of the situation. They will also be able to monitor her blood pressure.

It all sounds very strange as vomiting blood is, as I understand it, not the obvious symptom for an aortic aneurysm. She needs to be in hospital and being thoroughly investigated until her safety is ensured. All the possible diagnoses in this situation are not good and she needs to be under care at present.

Hope your friend is ok, it sounds very serious. I would have thought she needs to be in hospital. keeping fingers crossed.

Unfortunately it's not unusual for people to be discharged from HRI only to be readmitted as an emergency within a couple of days.

Although a and e and the acute wards are very busy you generally get good treatment there but once you're on the wards the care can be rather hit and miss.

In fact if we're ever given the choice we choose to go to Castle Hill hospital rather than HRI but Castle Hill doesn't have an a and e unit.

Vomiting blood can be a symptom of peptic ulcer which also gives pain I wonder if an aortic aneurysm was found on a plain X-ray as an incidental finding. Is she sure it said dissected and and not descending?

Dissecting not dissected

Yes definitely said dissecting. There was only a tiny amount of blood and she's not had any peptic ulcer symptoms.

This poor lady - and poor you feeling so responsible for her - I do hope she gets to see her GP tomorrow and the chance to express her concerns and get some action or reassurance.