When a triple-A blows, you can be open on the operating room table and still not make it. Depends on the aneurysm. And the initial symptoms can mimic everything from a heart attack to a slipped disk (acute low back pain.) That's what happened to my uncle - he suddenly complained of a sharp pain in his lower back, then collapsed on the factory floor. He was grey when they wheeled him past us from the ER to the OR; my aunt insisted on surgery but another doctor told us that even if my uncle survived the surgery he was likely brain dead.
The only other point to mention is that a tendency to develop AAA is familial, so 40+ year-old siblings or offspring should be checked via ultrasound. Better safe than sorry.
And one more thing - AAA or not, if something doesn't feel right with your body, don't put off checking it out. Better to feel a little foolish if there's nothing really wrong than end up in CCU/ICU - or worse. Your body talks to you; listen up.
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