am I exercising too much with a 4.3 ascending aortic aneurysm?

Posted by kmailloux @kmailloux, Mar 15, 2023

I am a 60 year old female, who has been very active her whole life. I was a very competitive gymnast, then moved to triathlons, then to cycling and running, strength training has always supported these activities. I am a certified personal trainer, and the aneurysm is a new diagnosis as of Dec of 2022. it was shocking - I now have a heart condition. I ran a marathon 2 weeks after I turned 60. My Cradic surgeon has stated that I can train for a 50k (31 miles) race, as well as a 150 mile bike ride. I have a 50 lb lifting weight limit. My BP is low and I am on no medications. My questions are .. is the activity too much? I run 5-6 days a week plus strength training and biking. I have mild chest pain - all of this has been told to my doc. they keep telling me everything is ok - I am just so nervous about all of this - but want to keep doing what I love. Any input will be appreciated.

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deedth64 | @deedth64 | Jan 6 7:51am

In reply to @degarden_girl "I am sorry you have been diagnosed with this aneurysm. And you are right, you are..." + (show)

@degarden_girl

I am sorry you have been diagnosed with this aneurysm. And you are right, you are lucky to have had it discovered while it is still relatively small.

I have the same aneurysm at the same size and have been monitoring it for over 10 years; it is very, very slow growing and is considered "small" by the cardiologist.

I am a 78 YO female who was a gym rat when all this started. I still go to the gym but I do limit my activities. My cardio told me that I should not be lifting more than 25 lbs. The recommendation for a male might be different. I do planks and asked her if these were OK and she said anything that used only my own body weight was OK.

I know your feeling about just having this issue surgically repaired but the surgery itself has risks. There are two types of repair that I know of and one of them is a stent type repair that has an efficacy of about 10 years. If my aneurysm grows to the 5.0+ size, that is likely the repair that would be recommended for me because of my age. The other surgery is open chest surgery, very invasive and not something that anyone would want to have done unnecessarily.

Once you have discussed your exercise regimen with your cardio, I suspect you might find alternatives to some of the weight training you are currently doing and can carry on with your life. Hopefully your aneurysm will be static and you will never need surgery. At the slow rate that my aneurysm is growing, I suspect I will never need surgery and will die of something totally unrelated.

If you have both a CT scan and an echocardiogram for measuring the aneurysm, be aware that they are not measured in the same way. One measures straight across and the other measures on the bias so don't panic if you suddenly get a higher number from a new test. Also, it is helpful to remember that the 4.3 measurement is the actual size of the aorta, not how much bigger it is than the rest of the aorta. Your normal aorta might be 3.8 so 4.3 is a small bulge, not a balloon.

I wish you peace and good health. Your aneurysm is likely not as life threatening as you fear and is just something that needs to be managed -- like so much else as we age.

Donna

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Thank you Donna for this information. My doctors didn't make an issues out of mine 4.1 and I didn't know that the measurement is actually the size of the aorta not the bulge. So I can see where they are saying not very large but rather smaller.

sadshehu | @sadshehu | Mar 11 12:29pm

Hello my friend. I am 28 years old and i got diagnised with a 4.2 ascendes aorta. I got tested for no reason. My uncle is a heart doctor. When he diagnosed me i got really worried. He also told me that he has seen many weighr lifters and football players with a slightly dialated aorta. After a while i called him again and told him that i am having oanick attacks because of what he told me. Hw told me to keep calm and if i would like to take a CT scan with contrast to eliminate my fear. I did. My scan showed my aorta at 4.16 cm with no signs of rapturing. My aorta walls were really fine. Hw told me to keep living life and keep lifting but to be careful not to strain too much cause in general it's bad for you. I got an echo 6 months later. Still the same. The only thing now to do is to have an echo every 6 months and a scan once a year. How was your exoerience? What have you done? Is it still the same for you?

kmailloux | @kmailloux | Mar 11 4:01pm

Hi yes it’s basically the same. I am now on yearly ultrasound scans because I insisted on them. They are less stressful on the body. Still biking, running and strength training but yes, I do not strain. They are more worried about the bicuspid aortic valve getting thickened and not working properly, so I will have scans, yearly or every six months if it starts to thicken up. But yes, it was difficult for the first while but now I am living life to the fullest.

sadshehu | @sadshehu | Mar 12 5:04am

In reply to @kmailloux "Hi yes it’s basically the same. I am now on yearly ultrasound scans because I insisted..." + (show)

I am really glad for you. I hope you can keep thriving!!!

mplopez5 | @mplopez5 | Mar 16 8:59pm

What size aneurysm?

will3886 | @will3886 | Apr 21 10:21pm

71 yr old Male 185 #
Just discovered a 4.5 acceding aneurysm
No issue … had a check up due to my brother’s heart issue with one.
Been tri runner and hiker all my life
Planned on 100 miler on AT
Doc said should ( should!!) be ok but know where nearest ER is if needed !
What to di … or what to not do !!!!
100 miler canceled …. No ER’s on remote trails !
Confused with all the dos and don't !!!!
Thats for all the comments ….
Still trying to figure out and modify hiking or walking distance
I now walk about 6-6 mikes a day …. Before Doctor visit !!

moonboy | @moonboy | Apr 21 10:54pm

In reply to @will3886 "71 yr old Male 185 # Just discovered a 4.5 acceding aneurysm No issue … had..." + (show)

It’s a tough question to answer because it’s all about whether or not you want to risk being out in the middle of nowhere when you’re Aorta dissects. if it were me, I would stop running and get the earliest surgical appointment to have open-heart surgery to get it repaired. Given the fact that you are 71, you are in great shape, I think that the surgery is worth it. It is much easier to deal with in a non-emergent situation Like you have right now. If your aorta blows, you’re not likely to survive it if you are not in an emergency room or very very very close to one. If you are in Rochester across the street from Mayo, you’ve got a chance. If you are in the suburbs and an hour from the nearest High-end cardiac center. Well, I think your chances are pretty low. I have had an emergency full dissection in San Diego California in 2015. I was 50 years old and overweight and hypertensive. It was an absolute personal and professional disaster. Most people who survive a complete dissection , which is a very small percentage, never go back to work. I can tell you that almost 9 years out I think about it every day and I make an effort to be extra kind to my wife and kids who suffered terribly in that experience. If you are a single person and you’ve got all of your will, power of attorney and healthcare directives put together than I guess you should do whatever makes you happiest. But, if you are married and have a family, which you love, I think it would be Whoo you to think seriously about having corrective surgery at if you’re re a candidate. I am very glad that I survived, but never a day passes where I don’t think about the fact that I am incredibly lucky to have made it. I was in a major metropolitan area on a quiet evening, where the on-call surgeon had 40 years of experience. You might not be that lucky so I really, encourage you to think about what’s important to you. If running is the only thing that matters, then I guess you run. But if you have other things that takes precedent in your life it may be time to slow down. I’d be happy to talk with you directly if you want to email me your contact information. Pete pbarry@lawpoint.com

degarden_girl | @degarden_girl | Apr 22 7:30am

In reply to @will3886 "71 yr old Male 185 # Just discovered a 4.5 acceding aneurysm No issue … had..." + (show)

I am Female, age 79. I have an ascending aortic aneurysm, diagnosed in 2007 at 3.8. It is now 4.2. These things are often slow growing. My only exercise limitation has been to lift no more than 25 lbs.

I believe the aneurysm is considered for surgery when it is in the 5 to 6 cm range. This surgery is huge and the surgery itself has risks. I would not consider pushing for surgery before the aneurysm has become life threatening.

I personally think being near an ER is wishful thinking. I understand if the aneurysm is going to burst, that is the end. But the likelihood of it bursting before it gets in the 5 to 6 cm range is rare.

I suggest doing some on-line research at NIH, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Cornell Weill websites and then making another appointment with your cardio to discuss your questions and personal situation.

will3886 | @will3886 | Apr 22 8:10am

In reply to @moonboy "It’s a tough question to answer because it’s all about whether or not you want to..." + (show)

@moonboy

Jump to this post

Thanks
No plans to do anything but walk
Doc wants to wait till measure 5+ to talk repair

will3886 | @will3886 | Apr 22 8:12am

In reply to @degarden_girl "I am Female, age 79. I have an ascending aortic aneurysm, diagnosed in 2007 at 3.8...." + (show)

Good info
Thank you
Glad your doing ok

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