New diagnosis of ascending aortic aneurysm and I’m terrified

I relate to what you say here. I freaked out too, just went a bit crazy. I was diagnosed about a month or so ago (I forget exactly. I should have made a note.) and was in shock. Actually, I went sort of numb but scared numb. My blood pressure zoomed up from where it had been at a nice safe level and I was sure I was about to blow a gasket. I messaged my cardiologist many times, reporting my b.p. and my fears. His very nice nurse got back to me quickly and was very reassuring. Eventually, I calmed down. My b.p. returned to normal (I'm on nedication for that), I try to walk most days, and am losing some weight. I'm still cautious--no heavy lifting--but I've had a recalibration of my mental state. I now know I have a dangerous, potentially life-threatening condition. I'm more aware than ever of the preciousness of life, grateful for the life I have, and determined to make the best of things for as long as I can. I've seen what extreme old age is like. Unless you're one in a million (a thousand?), your last years will be unpleasant, to say the least. I don't want to be a living ghost in a bed, eating jello and chicken soup. I don't want my children to look at me and have to respress a gasp at how I look. I cherish my family and my best friends, which is all I really want after all.

As to mjm's concerns about imminent risk of a rupture/dissection, there are published risk statistics on this sort of condition that ought to ease your concerns. The risk for someone in the 4.1 to 5.0 cm range is very low, around 1% or less, unless there other risk factors, like Marfan's syndrome or some identified genetic marker. Given the fact that these things grow on average at the rate of 0.1 cm per year, it's likely to be a decade or more before your situation would warrant any kind of surgery. That's probably why the doctor did not seem overly concerned. It's obviously a shock to learn the information, but it does not sound like an imminent problem.

Relax. You’re gonna be fine. You’re better than 99% of the aortic patients out there because now you know you have a problem and you’re going to address it. Keep getting your regular CT scans and listen to your doctors. If they tell you that you need to have surgery then have it. I survived a type one aortic dissection emergently in 2015 at age 50. And I’m here to tell you nine years later that I’m living my best life. I’m healthy and happy and you should be too. Just be thankful that you know about it so that you don’t suffer the fate that I did and have happened to you suddenly without warning. You’re gonna be just fine. No powerlifting, no planking, keep your blood pressure down, and keep your spirits up. Listen to what your doctor tell you and take your blood pressure meds. Peace.

Thank you for being so active on this forum. It’s extremely helpful to have someone with experience share their knowledge. This isn’t necessarily a death sentence, I hope people hear you. There is hope!

Mine was a 4.8 cm aortic root aneurysm and it was "watched" for over a fourteen years. In the meantime, no one told me to avoid heavy lifting, grunting, and all that jazz. I went about my regular life. I was treated with beta blockers for over a decade for A-fib, so my BP remained in a good range. Imaging showed very slow progression of the size of the aneurysm. My cardiology team remained unconcerned. It was only after the valve began to fail that anyone mentioned surgery and the size of the aneurysm had crept to 5 . The surgery was not as bad as I had expected. The sternal wires are not that painful. One of the risks of both the aortic valve and graph is that you will need a pacemaker afterwards. I had the surgery in 2022 and the pacemaker in 23. I am 79 and doing well. My advice-- don't let it keep you up at night. Get a good team, trust them, and follow their advice. We live in America and have wonderful medical care available to us all!

I agree 100%!!!

Can anyone share more info about the recommendations on limiting the amount of weight one can lift with an aneurysm? I was diagnosed with one in the 4.2 range about 4 years ago and I am tested annually for changes. My cardiologist says the main thing is to keep my blood pressure under control. Never mentioned anything about lifting weights. First time I became aware of that issue was from research about it here. Thanks

You are what you focus on.if you to focus on te worst in life that's what you will see.But you miss all the things important in your life. I have 4.1 accending aorta.its not a death sentence its warning for you thats all.
Just do the year checks and enjoy your life. Good luck

I was diagnosed a little less than a year ago with an ascending aneurysm of 5.4cm and the doc recommended surgery. Yeah, it kind of freaked me out but the option of dropping dead due to a dissection freaked me out worse. I stayed in shape, limited heavy lifting, walked a lot and then had the surgery.

They found two aneurysms and fixed both. I felt pretty good post surgery except for the intense itching at the incision which I know means things are healing. It is now 6 months post surgery and I am back to walking, biking, hiking at altitude (12k'+) and basically doing whatever I did before the diagnosis. So don't freak out, take all this in stride, follow doctors' orders and get to the other side of this. There is plenty of life left to live and not a lot of jello in your future!

Thank you so much for this encouragement. We're so lucky to have found out about our aneurysms early-ish. I get lots of help and information from this group.