Ascending aneurysm how fast do they grow?

Agreed. The uncertainty is terrible. You keep asking yourself what should I do, what should I avoid, etc. Perhaps enjoy the jet skiing, however. I moved from the BMX to an old man E-Bike…lol. I will let you know what SJ does and says once I get there.

i have heard they wait until 5.5 before surgery. i don't like waiting.

It’s definitely stressful waiting !!

I think there is probably great variability in how fast they grow. There was a very well done Kaiser study that showed patients, who were well managed by competent specialists, were far less likely to have their aneurysms grow and to require surgery.
My husband's aneurysm has been stable at 4.8 cm since January 2021 when Mayo discovered it. He has to "behave" himself, which is terribly difficult for him but he does it. This means no lifting anything over 30 lbs and not lifting stuff over his head. Also, he has to keep his BP below 130/80. Despite stellar health habits and exceptionally optimal lipids for the last 30 years, he still has some blockage. This is because he has an elevated Lipoprotein (a). This deposits plaque on artery walls,. Most doctors do not test for this but Mayo does. (It is not covered by insurance but probably will be; there is no drug to treat it but knowing you have this means you should keep your LDL below 55. Very important!)

Mine is the same size. They have been watching it for going on a couple years. Sometimes a little bigger sometimes a little smaller. It might just be in differences between the different ways of imaging it. So mine has not grown. They want to look about every 6 months and they say it’s 50/50 if it will ever become a problem. Also depends on if you follow the rules: lose weight, control blood pressure targeting less than 80 diastolic, limit trying to lift heavy weights and never lift while holding your breath, control cholesterol, get daily cardio exercise of at least 30 minutes unless you have something else going on that prevents it, no smoking, no or very limited alcohol. It’s an issue but not something you have to worry about all of the time, so many things that could be so much worse!

Here is the link to the Kaiser study.
https://divisionofresearch.kaiserpermanente.org/taa-study-supports-guidelines/
I think it is very reassuring. Kaiser is a physician managed organization. Most sites are well managed. They are at financial risk for patients' medical costs and so they have a financial as well as a professional incentive to help patients manage their conditions. Kaiser tends to devote internal resources to help patients do just that; this is, unfortunately, unusual in today's crazy health care world.

Two of my husband's cousins (one maternal and the other paternal) have had mid level ascending aortic aneurysms. One dissected; he arrested several times; was resuscitated; was finally surgically repaired by an experienced fantastic surgeon. He had no idea before his dissection that he had an aneurysm; was very health conscious; walked daily; went to the gym daily and lifted weights. He was 78 years old. He now has an abdominal aneurysm (5.5 cm) and is resigned to die if this bursts - breaking his wife's heart.
The other cousin was in his late sixties and had prophylactic surgical repair of a midlevel ascending aortic aneurysm because he also had a faulty valve. This cousin is similarly very health conscious and owns several gyms. He lifted weights too on a regular basis.
Since my husband's Mayo cardiologist described the stress that lifting weights above your head puts on your heart and the ascending aortic, we are wondering since these two cousins shared this "hobby" that maybe lifting weights, particularly overhead, could be a major cause of dissection or rupture.

5.5 cm is definitely big enough to be fixed right now!!!! please don't wait!!!!

Hey was wondering if you’ve meet with a cardiologist in St. John yet?? I’ve been referred to a cardiologist here in Fredericton but was told it was a 6-9 month wait . They told me I would be around the fall. So now I call today and was told not till the new year! Like why such a long wait!!!! Was wondering where your in NB if you’ve run into this issue????

Hello fellow Atlantic Canadians. I am in Nova Scotia. I have an aorta and celiac artery aneurysm. I find the doctors in Halifax very easy going if it comes to following me. I have only talked on the phone with a vascular surgeon since my diagnosis in 2022. I have had 1 CT angiogram scan for it and one for the connective tissue clinic where they discovered I had an aorta aneurysm as well.
There hasn’t been any advice besides no heavy lifting. I keep an eye on my blood pressure, but for the rest….i don’t know.
I suspect I might have Ehlers Danlos syndrome (I have quit a few symptoms), but I can’t get a referral for genetic testing. I don’t have a family doctor. Mostly I learn about aneurysms is by Googling it and reading medical research papers.🙂