For years, Rich Bugay struggled with a burning mouth pain that he thought was due to acid reflux.
But no matter how many times the Michigan father of three used cough drops, the symptom never seemed to go away.
Doctors failed to diagnose him for years: some thought he had chronic reflux, and he even underwent a colonoscopy that “ruled out a lot of things.”
But then her symptoms worsened and developed into extreme fatigue so severe that some days she could barely walk.
It was only when he was referred to the Mayo Clinic that doctors discovered he had a heart condition called a “ticking time bomb” that could kill him at any moment.
Rich Bugay of Escanaba, Michigan, drove nearly seven hours to see doctors for a mouth pain he had been suffering from for years.
After being diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, he underwent emergency open-heart surgery. Pictured above, he is seen before the procedure.
He was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, a swollen bulge in the main artery leading from the heart that measured 7 centimeters in diameter.
This increases the risk of rupture because as it swells, the artery wall becomes thinner and is subjected to greater stress.
Aortic aneurysms are fatal in 80 to 90 percent of cases when they rupture due to the severe internal bleeding they cause.
Revealing his diagnosis, Mr Bugay said: “(The doctor) encouraged me that it could be fixed, but he said, ‘You don’t have much choice in terms of waiting because you’re basically a ticking time bomb.'”
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, performed rapid open-heart surgery just four days after he was diagnosed.
He spent a few days in the hospital recovering and has now been discharged and gone home; doctors say he continues to recover well.
Doctors told her that her burning sensation in her mouth is because the aneurysm can suppress nearby nerves linked to the area, causing pain and discomfort.
It was not clear what caused Mr Bugay’s artery to swell, but in previous cases this has been linked to smoking, high blood pressure and infection.
Family history of the disease and genetic factors are also thought to increase the risk.
Doctors determined that her suspected acid reflux was not a stomach problem after detecting a heart murmur, or an unusual sound when listening to her heart.
Mr Bugay is pictured above before his surgery.
And this scan shows the swollen area that indicated he had an aortic aneurysm.
Scans also revealed that Mr Bugay was born with a congenital heart condition called bicuspid aortic valve syndrome.
This happens when a person has only two flaps of tissue like valves to ensure blood flows properly instead of the typical three.
Doctors told Bugay they also believed this had caused some of his blood to flow backwards every time his heart beat, causing him to become extremely tired.
Mr Bugay said: ‘I wasn’t feeling well, I had a lot of acid reflux, upset stomach, I was going to lots of different doctors’ visits, like my GP, and I wasn’t getting any answers.
‘So at some point I decided I wanted to go to the best place I could go.’
After receiving the heart disease diagnosis, he said: ‘I was a little bummed because, gosh, I wanted some relief from what I had and I didn’t think it was anything, you know, life-threatening.
For open-heart surgery, doctors first make a large incision in the chest and open the breastbone to access the heart.
They then clamped the aorta above and below the aneurysm and cut out the damaged section, before replacing it with a graft, or a tube made of durable material.
Clamps stop blood flow during surgery, and doctors rely on a heart-lung machine to keep blood flowing to the rest of the body. The heart does not stop.
Surgeons also treated her bicuspid aortic valve syndrome by removing her old heart valves and implanting a mechanical version that opens and closes more fully.
Mr Bugay is pleased with the surgery and says he now feels like he is close to 100 percent again.
Approximately 200,000 Americans have an aortic aneurysm, most of whom are men and over the age of 65.
But in many cases the disease has not been diagnosed because it has not caused any symptoms.
In cases where it produces symptoms, these include difficulty breathing, dizziness and difficulty swallowing.