Activity level confusion

Posted by penaltybox24 @penaltybox24, Feb 11 8:32am

53 male. 6’2” 270 in shape active male non smoker light drinker, golfer…Recent TAA discovered fall 2024. Seeing two top medical groups who read the TAA at 4.5-5.1 depending on tests. Also in dispute is a faulty tricuspid valve vs “it’s a Bicuspid valve probably from family. “

Question is about activity level. Love working out and changing my routine to more cardio. One group says no weight lifting, the other …nothing over 100 lbs in any capacity. What’s the happy medium?

More scans coming spring 2025 and summer 2025. Travel for work full time as road warrior. Taking all the pills etc as prescribed.

How active are you and should I hit the brakes!!!

Cheers

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@houston13

I am trying to think about this logically, think about the heart like a pump and the aorta is the pipe the fluid flows through from the pump, a dialation of the pipe should not affect the function of the pump. Now changes in altitude in a flight may affect the levels of oxigen in your blood, if your body has a need for extra oxigen the heart does try to compensate by pumping harder (high altitude sickness is an extreme example of that) and cause distress in the heart, obstructions would also cause the heart to pump harder (but you are being seeing by s a Cardilogist, so I assume he/she has checked you for possible obstructions). Anxiety may also be a factor, are you stressed during flights? High level anxiety may feel like your heart may explode. Now stress and anxiety may raise your BP and that would have a negative effect on the aneurysm. I just can't think how it can be the other way around (an aneurysm affecting cardiac function during specific moments), but I am not a Dr (I am an engineer by training) maybe there are fisiological factors I am not considering, but your Cardiologist would know those

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Thanks for your reply Houston13. I can eliminate a few of the variables, as I have zero CAD score, low blood pressure, enjoy traveling and flying, zero alcohol when flying, and a normal tricuspid valve. But yet I may or may not, be able to make it up the jet bridge walking, due to the symptoms. Flights over 25000 feet seem to be a player, and possibly the speed of cabin decompression. I dont really know. I am hoping to find some way to prevent these symptoms from occurring, obviously, and hopefully not facilitate damage to my aneurysm area. Thank you for your analysis!!!

REPLY

@penaltybox24. just to add to the good comments made by others. I was diagnosed AAA in June of 2021 at 4cm. Now 4.5 cm, stable for the last 1-1/2 year. My suggestion is to get in touch and get evaluated by a cardio thoracic specialist/surgeon who deals with this condition a lot. They know how to read the scans and give good advice and also good to have them lined up if surgery is needed. In my case they told me not to bring my heart rate above 125 BPM and stop any strenuous exercise (I was road cycling in mountainous terrain and was told to stop). Lifting heavy items is also a no. In my case there is a lot of variance in readings depending on radiologist or cardiologist, so i rely on the readings done by the Thoracic Surgeon who does his own readings from the scan. He has told me that surgery is recommended at 5.0 or higher. I am still on annual scans.

REPLY
@23997929

@penaltybox24. just to add to the good comments made by others. I was diagnosed AAA in June of 2021 at 4cm. Now 4.5 cm, stable for the last 1-1/2 year. My suggestion is to get in touch and get evaluated by a cardio thoracic specialist/surgeon who deals with this condition a lot. They know how to read the scans and give good advice and also good to have them lined up if surgery is needed. In my case they told me not to bring my heart rate above 125 BPM and stop any strenuous exercise (I was road cycling in mountainous terrain and was told to stop). Lifting heavy items is also a no. In my case there is a lot of variance in readings depending on radiologist or cardiologist, so i rely on the readings done by the Thoracic Surgeon who does his own readings from the scan. He has told me that surgery is recommended at 5.0 or higher. I am still on annual scans.

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Thank you PenaltyBox24. Its good advice! I have my next scan and evaluation scheduled before I fly.
Cheers!!!!!

REPLY
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