4.79 cm - Female Age 59

Thank you for your very helpful reply! I'm curious, do you live near the Clevland Clinic? I wonder if I must journey to a heart center or use local physicians. I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, specifically, St. Petersburg. We have good hospitals here but there is an excellent facility in Miami, Mount Sinai that has an aortic center. Did you establish care close to home or do you travel to see your doctor(s). Sorry for all the basic questions, I am trying to navigate this as best I can. ~S

Thank you! Do most people travel to find a good specialist? I live in St. Pete, FL, and have been referred to a local cardiologist but there is an aortic center in Miami, a roughly five-hour drive, that I could travel to, if need be. The cardiologist I was referred to here specializes in heart failure, that's all I know. I haven't had my appointment with her yet.

There is Shands/UF in Gainesville and a branch of Cleveland Clinic in Ft. Lauderdale.

@rlhix Do people also have a local cardiologist? There is also an aorta center in Miami, a branch of Mount Sinai. I'm just wondering if I should always travel for care or just for the surgery, if necessary one day. Thanks for any help you can povide.

I have a local cardiologist, but I am going to Mayo in Jacksonville which is 160 miles from my house to see a cardiologist that specializes in thoracic aneurysms. The local cardiologist checked out my LAD and since it wasn't blocked basically didn't do much about the aortic root aneurysm. In fact, he didn't even do any specific tests for it. The echocardiograms on Oct 31 and May 10 were ordered by my primary care. The radiologist that evaluated them recommended a CT Aortography following the Oct 31st echo, but the cardiologist ignored it on Dec 12th and Jan 8th. I have a follow up with the local cardiologist, but he never did any tests and the Jan 5th follow-up would be 15 months after my first echo. He refused to look at the 2nd echo my primary doctor ordered even though the radiologist suggested the aortic valve leak was due to the dilation. My Primary Care doctor got me into Mayo as a result for a second opionion on July 22nd of this month.

Thank you! Do most people travel to find a good specialist? I live in St. Pete, FL, and have been referred to a local cardiologist but there is an aortic center in Miami, a roughly five-hour drive, that I could travel to, if need be. The cardiologist I was referred to here specializes in heart failure, that's all I know. I haven't had my appointment with her yet.

I live in The Villages, so just an hour or so northeast of you. I have a local cardiologist in case I have an emergency situation here, but I also see someone at Mayo Jacksonville. It's a 2.5 hour drive from here (so I suppose 3.5 hours for you) but it is well worth the drive. I really like my cardiologist (Dr. Jay Schneider) and in a couple of weeks I am going up there for a cardiac ablation to address an arrythmia and afib. One warning on Mayo...I have found their scheduling process is very cumbersome and I need to be persistent to schedule appointments. And doublecheck that it is in your insurance network as it is definitely on the expensive side.

I just saw your post. I completely understand. I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm May 2023. The diameter was 3.9 to 4.0 depending the test and the reader. It measured 4.1 last fall. Nobody was alarmed.

I lifted and trained pretty intensely prior to my diagnosis. Initially, I was told not to lift anything heavier than 50 pounds. Then I as told not to lift anything heavier than 20 pounds. Aerobic activity had no limits, but no contact sports or anything that involved a quick, forceful torsion motion of the chest - tennis, golf, racquet ball, etc.

After being told the 20 pound limit… and even the 50 pound limit, I wanted more clarification. I went to Cleveland Clinic and spoke with a cardiologist there about activity. We reviewed my normal activity. I told him 50 pounds on some lower body movements is nothing. Yet if I tried to do some upper body lifts with it, it would be very difficult or impossible.

For reference, I was squatting 200 pounds, deadlifting 270 pounds and benching 110 pounds prior to my diagnosis. Basically, doing a stress test on the aneurysm 3 times a week. I am 5’7 and 122 pounds. I do not have issues with hypertension. Resting BP is 100-110/50-60. HR 55-60.

We came to an agreement that using an exertion scale and leaving 2-3 reps in the tank, no breath holding, grunting or bearing down would be permissible. I have been following this now for one year. I see him again this week. My scans will be repeated as well.

I think one thing everyone needs to keep in mind is we are all unique as someone else pointed out. If I had been inactive, struggled to carry groceries and never went to the gym, more stringent lifting limits would apply. I feel comfortable now and can continue to work hard in the gym with limits, continue to see my friends there and maintain my sanity. Exercise is a big stress reliever for me.

Another thing I did unrelated to exercise is I purchased a medic alert bracelet that identifies me as having an ascending aortic aneurysm and a contact number. There are some cute ones out there now. I purchased my through Lauren’s Hope.

Keep your chin up. It takes awhile to wrap your head around this and then you learn to adapt.

So are you lifting the same weight. Up to 6 months ago I was diagnosed 4.1.
I'm male 6 foot 1 inch have been lifting many years bench press 200,dead lift 270 squat240 .