OT: Grant Wahl cause of death determined
- Thread starter RU4Real
- Start date
Speaking from personal experience, a while back, my brother-in-law was experiencing an extended period of cold and flu-like symptoms so he went to the doctor. A chest X-ray showed an abnormality and I believe a cardiac MRI confirmed the aortic aneurysm, which was repaired by a cardiac surgeon.
You can screen for it if there is a possible genetic risk or other risk factors are present, but that's rarely done. Sometimes they are spotted while looking for something else, but sadly, it's often referred to as the silent killer because they are generally sudden and fatal.
And essentially an undiagnosed birth defect of the aorta. Sadly, it happens. Always has, always will.
+1
This issue and similar ones commonly kick up symptoms that most people don't think cardiovascular. It sounded like this reporter had several weeks of "textbook" symptoms, but never had the dots connected (by himself or a doc).
I believe so. And Kim Jones, the NFL Reporter and sometime WFAN host, actually survived it. Probably because she was covering the Redskins (now Commanders) at the time, there were medical teams present and she had access to advanced care at DC-area hospitals. Correction: Kim had an aortic dissection as well. Equally serious and life threatening though. Thanks to @RU4Real for pointing out the difference.
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Aortic dissection. They're not exactly the same thing, but a dissection (a tear in the inner lining of the aorta) can lead to an aneurysm.
I lost a neighbor to this, though she was 81 years old. Her husband (widower, now) was a very skilled surgeon, but when she was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm originally, they knew there was nothing they could do about it (any surgery had very low survival rates). When it ruptured, he rushed her to the hospital, but she died on the way there (bled out). Very sad.
This news hits close to home. I was one of the lucky ones.
I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm (bubble in the main blood vessel leading out of the heart due to weakness/damage in the wall of the vessel) in 2017 and had surgery to repair it. The surgeon cut out the damaged area of the aorta and replaced it with a dacron tube.
My only initial symptoms were occasional mild to moderate throbbing chest pain, usually on significant exertion, and premature ventricular contractions that sounded like skipped heart beats, both of which started about a week before I called a cardiologist. After explaining my family medical history which inceased my risks, and after several diagnostic tests to rule out other heart issues and after several imaging tests, I was diagnosed. I was put on blood pressure medication to keep the pressure in the aorta lower while I waited for surgery.
After healing from the surgery, I had no physical restrictions and could exercise and work out as always, and didn't require any medications. Things have been fine since then.
Early diagnosis is crucial when it comes to aortic aneurysms. If an aortic aneurysm gets to the point where it ruptures, a person will bleed out in a matter of minutes, and death is pretty much a certainty. It's a shame that Grant Wahl wasn't able to be diagnosed sooner. RIP
I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm (bubble in the main blood vessel leading out of the heart due to weakness/damage in the wall of the vessel) in 2017 and had surgery to repair it. The surgeon cut out the damaged area of the aorta and replaced it with a dacron tube.
My only initial symptoms were occasional mild to moderate throbbing chest pain, usually on significant exertion, and premature ventricular contractions that sounded like skipped heart beats, both of which started about a week before I called a cardiologist. After explaining my family medical history which inceased my risks, and after several diagnostic tests to rule out other heart issues and after several imaging tests, I was diagnosed. I was put on blood pressure medication to keep the pressure in the aorta lower while I waited for surgery.
After healing from the surgery, I had no physical restrictions and could exercise and work out as always, and didn't require any medications. Things have been fine since then.
Early diagnosis is crucial when it comes to aortic aneurysms. If an aortic aneurysm gets to the point where it ruptures, a person will bleed out in a matter of minutes, and death is pretty much a certainty. It's a shame that Grant Wahl wasn't able to be diagnosed sooner. RIP
He definitely reported not feeling well or himself. Got me thinking a little about the pneumonia-like symptoms Mike Leach was experiencing toward the end of the season.
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Found this from Cleveland Clinic. Didn't Wahl report he had been coughing for a while, but then again, weren't a lot of reporters? And with various viruses circulating now including the flu, RSV and the other one, a lot of people are coughing. Unless he had the other symptoms, probably not something that would have been detected if his only symptom was coughing?
Ascending Aortic Aneurysm: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
An ascending aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the first part of your body’s main artery, the aorta. A ruptured aneurysm can be fatal.
my.clevelandclinic.org
What are the symptoms of an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm?
Most people with ATAAs don’t experience any symptoms. But it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider right away if you have:
- Chest pain or pain high in your back.
- Coughing or wheezing.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Hoarseness.
- Shortness of breath.
Given these symptoms, it's probably not the first thing that a clinician is going to think about. And I think he sought treatment at a general medical clinic there, which is probably the equivalent of going to urgent care.Found this from Cleveland Clinic. Didn't Wahl report he had been coughing for a while, but then again, weren't a lot of reporters? And with various viruses circulating now including the flu, RSV and the other one, a lot of people are coughing. Unless he had the other symptoms, probably not something that would have been detected if his only symptom was coughing?
Ascending Aortic Aneurysm: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
An ascending aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the first part of your body’s main artery, the aorta. A ruptured aneurysm can be fatal.What are the symptoms of an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm?
Most people with ATAAs don’t experience any symptoms. But it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider right away if you have:
- Chest pain or pain high in your back.
- Coughing or wheezing.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Hoarseness.
- Shortness of breath.
Diagnosis via CT scan. They gave me a copy of the CT imaging DVD recording and report to take with me. It was really interesting to see the CT images and the 3D reconstruction of my actual aorta and aneurysm.
Right, and I can say if I were in his shoes and home, I don't think I would be up for an extensive battery of tests unless there was another symptom like chest pain, or my doctor told me I MUST get more tests because he was concerned it could be serious. Doctors are often forced to walk a tightrope between not doing enough, doing too much and then having to worry about haggling with insurance and have costs of procedures denied and having to listen to the complaints of their patients. I feel bad for what doctors have to deal with. It is a big reason why my youngest kid elected to be a PA and not purse being an MD.
I saw one in the ER as well. Dude never had a chance.
Yes it was.
Could have had covid which caused coughing fits, which in turn, increased systolic blood pressures resulting in full blown rupture of the AA. So it could have been partially attributed to covid.
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Yes, but he did have the chest pain episode which he shared. For me, given my family history, I would have pushed for more tests/answers. But I don't know what his family history was and he looked like he was in great shape. Plus, with the passion he had for soccer and his work, there is no way he wanted to be sidelined at the World Cup. Just a tragic, damn shame.
Thanks..I'm not even sure what I said that needed to be edited, but why I was told it needed to be edited did not make sense to me or apply to my response.
Hard to believe when conspiracy theories don’t come true eh?
Pretty sure the “wow” was about the editing.
I’m with @RUPete here and would like to know what was originally said.
Just to clear things up, a number of people posted political bullshit in this thread. I was trying to clean it up. The alternative was to delete the thread or move it to the CE Board.
What you quoted was what needed to be deleted - I automatically deleted your response as I thought it was to what you quoted. I have restored your comment as I see it wasn't political in nature.
I did.
I restored it.
What you quoted was what needed to be deleted - I automatically deleted your response as I thought it was to what you quoted. I have restored your comment as I see it wasn't political in nature.
I did.
I restored it.
