Question: My 89 year old Godmother had repair of an AAA two years ago. She has oxygen dependent COPD, lives independently now but realizes this is not safe and is considering moving into a facility. I am a nurse. Her doctors nurse makes home visits due to her home bound status. She has high anxiety for which she takes Xanax 1mg. Daily in 2divided doses. She is having a debiliting pain in the xiphoid area that occasionally is aided by Xanax or the placebo effect. She is unsure. Her medical records from 2hospitalizations indicate a “large hiatal hernia” that mysteriously did not show on the portable X-ray she recently had at home. It is not gallbladder according to my aunt and her visiting nurse and there are no stones present. Auntie XXXXXXX stated that after the AAA repair, the surgeon told her “things may not be exactly in the same place as preoperatively because if was difficult closing and placing organs back under the emergency circumstances. So my question is where do we go from here and what test do we ask the doctor to perform at this point? The sensation doubles her over until it passes. No N/V. Could she have another AAA brewing. Pain is always in the front.

Thank you for your thoughts. Signed, bewildered