Marfan Syndrome Issues - Descending Dissection Issues

Rajablogg.COM - One of the reasons I started blogging about Aortic Dissections and Marfan Sydrome was to share what I've learned and experienced.  Today I wanted to mention about how my right foot is growing while my left foot is staying the same size it always has been.

There have been many times I never knew what was happening to me after the dissection and through out the healing phase.  Even today, I've barely the energy to get through the day, though I make myself by taking baby steps, literally, with each task I am confronted with.  With all my medications, my metabolism and heart rate are so slow most mornings it seems almost overwhelming to even get dressed for the day, much less figure out what new daily challenge was occurring with my body.

Not having answers was so frustrating at first.  Yet over time I came across resources and self-help groups.  So this blog hopefully can serve to help others facing an aortic dissection aftermath or living with Marfan Syndrome, either themselves or someone close, such as a child or loved one.  Both of our teens already have aortas showing signs of dilation.  So come back to the blog often and I'll try and  begin posting frequently about the many issues this connective tissue disorder presents.

But getting back to today's topic, I have come to learn I cannot be surprised too much at what happens to the body when dealing with Marfan Syndrome.  When my aorta dissected, the injury extended down through my abdomen into my renal arteries and down into my right iliac artery all the way to my foot.  Over half of the inside arterial diameter, or lumen diameter, is made up of a dead end false channel.

Theoretically, the blood flow down through my right leg into my foot should be accordingly decreased due to the reduced available flow space in the artery.   One would expect that with reduced blood flow the muscle tissue and foot size would shrink.  Interestingly, ankle blood pressure readings show that both right and left legs have approximately the same systolic and diastolic pressures.  However my right foot is growing in length.

Of course this doesn't make any sense.  But lots of things about Marfan Syndrome do not make sense.  Yet now I have to wear a size twelve sandal to accommodate my right foot while my left foot remains it's original size ten.

The only answer I can conceivably come up with is the right foot's connective tissue is breaking down causing my foot to elongate.  I have noticed a 'sprained' feeling in my foot and ankle area, one I've felt from time to time though all my life, and I have started wearing an ankle support recently.

So for now living with the mysteries of Marfan Syndrome continue.  I am glad to have the foot because walking helps keep my heart and cardiovascular system function from falling to too much of an insufficient level.

I will update what I find out about this curious result of my aortic dissection and Marfan Syndrome as I come across additional elongated foot information.