1. < Aortic Aneurysms

New diagnosis of ascending aortic aneurysm and I’m terrified

Posted by mjm3 @mjm3, Aug 16, 2024

I received the diagnosis of a 4.1 CM ascending aortic aneurysm as an incidental finding after an angiogram was ordered to make sure I had no blockages due to an unexpected spike and blood pressure at work. I normally have low blood pressure so I was surprised when it was 189/111 and they took me to the hospital. that seem to come from acute stress at work, but I had a complete cardiac workout after finding a very low amount of troponin in my bloodstream 0.03. Anyway, the aneurysm was a complete shock and now I’m terrified that it’s going to burst at any time despite my cardiologist rather nonchalant approach. I asked if there’s anything I should be doing or not doing and she said don’t lift anything over 40 pounds . But no other instructions other than they’ll keep an eye on things. How do you get past feeling like your life is almost over. I’m 67 years old and in good health otherwise. I eat healthy, not overweight and thought based on my family longevity that I would live into my late 80s early 90s. Now I’m afraid I won’t make it till the end of the year which is probably ridiculous but this aneurysm has me totally freaked out. How do you all cope? And how do you get the fear so you can just enjoy life?

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pamela78 | @pamela78 | Jan 2 11:27am
In reply to @sabrinaivey "@pamela78 I understand what you're saying and appreciate your concern, sincerely, but I just decided to..." + (show)
@sabrinaivey

@pamela78
I understand what you're saying and appreciate your concern, sincerely, but I just decided to carry on with my normal activities at this point as my risk of dissection is low. I want to see how my echo changes in February, compared to my baseline in August, if I continue doing what I have always done given that my stress test was normal, I have no other heart disease, and overall I am very healthy. I don't want to limit myself unnecessarily, especially since I love working out and if I ever do need surgery I want my heart as healthy as possible.
I have been active my entire life and it has helped with my stress and anxiety, so the thought of not having a good, hard workout is almost unthinkable to me. I'd rather work out and have surgery younger and healthier than be more sedentary and never have surgery or have it when I'm much older and possibly more frail. That may sound crazy to others but it's a risk I'm willing to take as I am only 57 and have, hopefully, many more trips around the sun.
I watch my BP, eat very healthfully, don't drink alcohol, limit sugar, no gluten (I'm sensitive), keep a good social circle, manage stress through exercise, meditation, and prayer, and have a great husband of 26 years, so I hope the mitigating factors will help. I will know more after my cardiologist appointment at the end of February. If the echo is unchanged then I will keep on doing my thing, if it shows growth, I will modify my workouts as necessary. This was the best way I could think of to assess how my lifestyle affects the growth of my TAA. Sorry for the lengthy post... it's a (very, lol) long explanation of my thought process on my particular situation and managing exercise with my TAA. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. I wish you and everyone on this thread peace, happiness, and good health! xoxo

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You have a great attitude and I'm sure you know your body and its capacities better than anyone else. I'm 78 and have a different set of options to consider, one of them being not having surgery at all. I'm at 4.2 and if I remain there for a while and/or increase slowly, I think surgery would be more trouble than it's worth, but we never know until we get there, do we? Good luck to you and keep doing all the healthy things you do. You're a good example to others.

REPLY
1 reply
houston13 | @houston13 | Jan 2 12:41pm
In reply to @sabrinaivey "@pamela78 I understand what you're saying and appreciate your concern, sincerely, but I just decided to..." + (show)
@sabrinaivey

@pamela78
I understand what you're saying and appreciate your concern, sincerely, but I just decided to carry on with my normal activities at this point as my risk of dissection is low. I want to see how my echo changes in February, compared to my baseline in August, if I continue doing what I have always done given that my stress test was normal, I have no other heart disease, and overall I am very healthy. I don't want to limit myself unnecessarily, especially since I love working out and if I ever do need surgery I want my heart as healthy as possible.
I have been active my entire life and it has helped with my stress and anxiety, so the thought of not having a good, hard workout is almost unthinkable to me. I'd rather work out and have surgery younger and healthier than be more sedentary and never have surgery or have it when I'm much older and possibly more frail. That may sound crazy to others but it's a risk I'm willing to take as I am only 57 and have, hopefully, many more trips around the sun.
I watch my BP, eat very healthfully, don't drink alcohol, limit sugar, no gluten (I'm sensitive), keep a good social circle, manage stress through exercise, meditation, and prayer, and have a great husband of 26 years, so I hope the mitigating factors will help. I will know more after my cardiologist appointment at the end of February. If the echo is unchanged then I will keep on doing my thing, if it shows growth, I will modify my workouts as necessary. This was the best way I could think of to assess how my lifestyle affects the growth of my TAA. Sorry for the lengthy post... it's a (very, lol) long explanation of my thought process on my particular situation and managing exercise with my TAA. I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. I wish you and everyone on this thread peace, happiness, and good health! xoxo

Jump to this post

I agree with you and your approach, (except for the fact that I love a glass of red wine from time to time ;)). One of the most common threads in this site has to do with exercise, how much or how little, weights, exertion, etc

I do believe a healthy active lifestyle is the best practice. Keeping your body healthy will enhance the success probability of the surgery and will allow for a quicker recovery, also exercise is excellent for mental health, reduces stress and BP. I have already commented on the fact that I also lived a very active life before surgery, biking, yoga, strength training, and that made my surgery as easy as it could have been (it never is), it is hard and painful but again my recovery was very fast. I restarted my workouts as soon as I could after surgery and 4 years later during my annual check up my aortic valve (BAV which will need replacement at some point) is showing almost no signs of deterioration, my cardiologist told me keep doing what you have been doing!!

I am sure there is a limit and there are endless discussions as to how much is too much. I have my next checkup with my cardiologist in a couple of weeks (I shared a video of him someone had posted on this site, being intervied ) I will ask for the best guidance and resources on the subject.

Eat well, exercise (any amount is better than no amount), don't smoke, do things that bring you pleasure and peace

All the best and a happy and healthy 2025 to all

REPLY
1 reply
pamela78 | @pamela78 | Jan 3 7:20am
In reply to @annieboo "I am worried about lifting heavy items, but the cardiologist didn't give me any restrictions. I..." + (show)
@annieboo

I am worried about lifting heavy items, but the cardiologist didn't give me any restrictions. I think my biggest enemy is stress, because I get so stressed when I can't do something myself, and I get aggravated because I can't fix a problem ( just everyday things like when the grasscutter quits in the middle of mowing the lawn, and I can't get it started and I have to call and wait on someone to come fix it), and I know my BP goes thru the roof. So, I know I have to learn how to defuse, and I don't know how to do that.

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I just learned yesterday that my 19 yr. old grandson, who spent last summer in rehab, has relapsed and dropped out of college. I am so anxious about him I can't sleep well and I have pains that I hope are stress-related. I can feel the knots in my shoulders where the muscles are clenched. This raises my level of anxiety in a way that is scary to me. I sympathize with your struggle with stress. I've read that simply taking deep breaths can be very helpful. They say meditation helps but I'm not into that. Mindfulness? What's that? Sometimes life just sucks. Take care.

REPLY
sabrinaivey | @sabrinaivey | Jan 3 9:56am
In reply to @pamela78 "You have a great attitude and I'm sure you know your body and its capacities better..." + (show)
@pamela78

You have a great attitude and I'm sure you know your body and its capacities better than anyone else. I'm 78 and have a different set of options to consider, one of them being not having surgery at all. I'm at 4.2 and if I remain there for a while and/or increase slowly, I think surgery would be more trouble than it's worth, but we never know until we get there, do we? Good luck to you and keep doing all the healthy things you do. You're a good example to others.

Jump to this post

@pamela78
Hi Pamela, I understand your position. I would probably have a different attitude if I were 20 years older. Plus you probably will never have to have surgery, which is good. Also, in 20 years I probably won't be doing spin and intense yoga either. I do think attitude is everything. I'm really trying to be zen about it all because upsetting myself will do nothing good for me, but I know it's easier said than done. PS, I also live in Florida (I think I saw a previous post that you were somewhere on the West Coast). I am in St. Petersburg. Anyway, my prayers are with you and everyone in this crazy boat. Namaste

REPLY
1 reply
sabrinaivey | @sabrinaivey | Jan 3 10:00am
In reply to @houston13 "I agree with you and your approach, (except for the fact that I love a glass..." + (show)
@houston13

I agree with you and your approach, (except for the fact that I love a glass of red wine from time to time ;)). One of the most common threads in this site has to do with exercise, how much or how little, weights, exertion, etc

I do believe a healthy active lifestyle is the best practice. Keeping your body healthy will enhance the success probability of the surgery and will allow for a quicker recovery, also exercise is excellent for mental health, reduces stress and BP. I have already commented on the fact that I also lived a very active life before surgery, biking, yoga, strength training, and that made my surgery as easy as it could have been (it never is), it is hard and painful but again my recovery was very fast. I restarted my workouts as soon as I could after surgery and 4 years later during my annual check up my aortic valve (BAV which will need replacement at some point) is showing almost no signs of deterioration, my cardiologist told me keep doing what you have been doing!!

I am sure there is a limit and there are endless discussions as to how much is too much. I have my next checkup with my cardiologist in a couple of weeks (I shared a video of him someone had posted on this site, being intervied ) I will ask for the best guidance and resources on the subject.

Eat well, exercise (any amount is better than no amount), don't smoke, do things that bring you pleasure and peace

All the best and a happy and healthy 2025 to all

Jump to this post

@houston13
I'm glad to hear from someone on the other side of things. It sounds like everything is smooth sailing for you now. I'm so happy to hear that. I appreciate hearing your story. I wish you continued good health and well-being. xoxo

REPLY
pamela78 | @pamela78 | Jan 3 10:04am
In reply to @sabrinaivey "@pamela78 Hi Pamela, I understand your position. I would probably have a different attitude if I..." + (show)
@sabrinaivey

@pamela78
Hi Pamela, I understand your position. I would probably have a different attitude if I were 20 years older. Plus you probably will never have to have surgery, which is good. Also, in 20 years I probably won't be doing spin and intense yoga either. I do think attitude is everything. I'm really trying to be zen about it all because upsetting myself will do nothing good for me, but I know it's easier said than done. PS, I also live in Florida (I think I saw a previous post that you were somewhere on the West Coast). I am in St. Petersburg. Anyway, my prayers are with you and everyone in this crazy boat. Namaste

Jump to this post

I'm going to try to follow your example and get Zen. It is easier said than done but I'm going to try. I'm in NC, not on the West Coast BTW. I understand there's a good Mayo Clinic in FL. Sending good vibes.

REPLY
ampm | @ampm | Jan 4 5:37pm
In reply to @degarden_girl "I was diagnosed many, many years ago (maybe 16 or 17 years ago) with an ascending..." + (show)
@degarden_girl

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

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My ascending aortic aneryusm is 4.9
My heart surgeon said I should have open heart surgery at 5.0 because I am 4'11. I am 79 years old and petrified of a rupture but open heart surgery is also.
very frightening

REPLY
1 reply
23997929 | @23997929 | Jan 4 6:10pm

Some feedback I got on exercise. Before I was diagnosed with the AAA 3-1/2 years ago (at 4.0 cm) I was road cycling a lot (over 5,000 miles/year) in high elevation and variation. After the diagnosis my local cardiologist told me I could continue, BUT the thoracic surgery specialist that I followed up with in Houston was very firm that exercise the increases my heart rate rate above 120 bpm it out the question, as is lifting or pushing heavy items that cause grunting. I have followed his advice since (no more road cycling) and have being walking for exercise. Last scan 4.5 cm.

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degarden_girl | @degarden_girl | Jan 4 7:05pm
In reply to @ampm "My ascending aortic aneryusm is 4.9 My heart surgeon said I should have open heart surgery..." + (show)
@ampm

My ascending aortic aneryusm is 4.9
My heart surgeon said I should have open heart surgery at 5.0 because I am 4'11. I am 79 years old and petrified of a rupture but open heart surgery is also.
very frightening

Jump to this post

Your doctor apparently believes you are in good physical shape and the open heart surgery is the best option for you. There is the TEVAR procedure done mostly for descending aortic aneurysms and not the best choice for an ascending aneurysm except when the patient is not able to tolerate the preferred surgery. If you are not convinced that such surgery is necessary, get a second opinion. Also worthwhile asking your cardio how many of these he has done.

I wish you good luck.

Donna

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1 reply
mjm3 | @mjm3 | Jan 4 10:42pm
In reply to @dustydawn1983 "My doctor told me I couldn't lift over 50 lbs no lifting or straining. Said walking..." + (show)
@dustydawn1983

My doctor told me I couldn't lift over 50 lbs no lifting or straining. Said walking is fine. Just not to over do it. My doctor told me that blood pressure has to be below 110-120 on top and 60-70 on the bottom. I'm fairly new to this is as well.

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It’s interesting how each doctor has their own definition of what the blood pressure range should be. Mine told me the top number has to be 130 or under and the bottom number should be 80 or under. That seems kind of high to me. I do monitor it most days, but sometimes I get nervous when I hear the machine that it’s going to be high and then it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most of the time my blood pressure is 117/72 or thereabouts but sometimes it’s closer to the 130 and 80 range. It depends on the time of day I take it. I guess our blood pressure can change throughout the day. It’s just nerve-racking. Thank you for sharing!

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