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New diagnosis of ascending aortic aneurysm and I’m terrified
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (120)Comment receiving replies
I was diagnosed many, many years ago (maybe 16 or 17 years ago) with an ascending aortic aneurysm of 3.8 cm. It is now 4.1, so very slow growing. I am told to not lift more than 25 lbs and my blood pressure is well controlled with medication. I am now 79 and expect something else will take me away when my time is up.
But I remember my horror when I was first diagnosed. We think we are moving along with life, eating a healthy diet, exercising, seeing our docs as necessary and then, out of the blue comes a terrible diagnosis. As time has gone on, I have become much less worried about this diagnosis. The repair of this aneurysm is far less invasive than it used to be, often done through an artery rather than through open chest surgery. I also have a floppy aortic valve, near the aneurysm and both can be repaired through the artery.
Something will eventually "get me" but I don't think it will be the aneurysm.
Donna
Replies to "I was diagnosed many, many years ago (maybe 16 or 17 years ago) with an ascending..."
Interesting, I had my ascending aortic aneurysm repaired by open heart 4 years ago, the surgeon told me it was the only option, they have to replace that section of the aorta with a graft, which means stopping the heart, etc maybe it depends on other factors, my aortic valve will have to be replaced in the future and that can be done with a catheter,(but only after the aneurysm has been repaired)
Hi Donna, happy to hear yours has been very slow growing and it’s possible yours is closer to upper limits of normal for your age.. I saw a formula that calculates the upper limits of normal by age D = age x .16 + 31
If it’s true then the upper limit of normal at 79 is 4.36 cm. Do you mind sharing what BP medication you take? Have you been on it since you found out about the aneurysm? I’ve heard that BP medication can help slow progression in some cases. Thinking about asking my dr. I found out about mine on a CT scan a couple weeks ago at 3.9 cm. I’m 52, female. Had an echocardiogram 2 years ago that mentioned my ascending aorta at 3.74 cm. I’m wondering if I’ve had growth or could it be just a difference between types of scans and methods of measuring. Thank you and wishing you good health!
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Thank you so much for your reply. This is so reassuring. I also have some floppy valves which I never really worried about too much as I knew surgery could be easily done on those. This aneurysm has taken me for a loop but I appreciate the positive response from you and wish you continued good health! I’m glad to know these are slow growing. At first, I thought it was like a water balloon and it was going to blow anytime.