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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
While it’s good you know about it, your situation does not sound that severe overall and should be manageable. I’m 57 and I was diagnosed earlier this year and mine is at 5.0. Given that my genetic testing came back negative I went through the same emotions since there is evidence that competitive marathoners and rowers (I was both) have an even higher incidence of the condition than former NFL players. Your risk of dissection should be very low (less than 1%) and based on average growth rates of 0.1 per year you likely won’t need surgery for a decade and a half. My doctor told me not to lift heavy (less than 50% of body weight) and focus on aerobic exercises that don’t exceed 70 to 75% max heart rate. I suspect if you do the same you’ll be fine
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This is all interesting info! I started serious rowing (indoor) and really pushed myself going almost every day for a year. Ans did weights but no more than 40 lbs. Now I wonder if that physical stress caused this?
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I have a 4.2 ascending aortic aneurysm and a bovine heart. ("Bovine heart" has such a ring to it.)
I'm 78, a non-smoker, not much overweight and am losing a few pounds to be on the safe side. My son is 54 and does what I consider extreme exercise: crossfit and long-distance running. I didn't know that extreme athletes were more prone to these heart conditions than others, so now I'm worried about my son doing too much. I'm having a genetic test in November. Perhaps that will tell me something useful. Heart disease runs in the family and my son is not the young sprout he was. I hope you don't need surgery for a long time, but if you do, at least you're still young enough to make a good recovery. If I get into my 80s, I'm not sure I'd do that, but ask me in a few years.