Ascending Aorta Size vs Descending Aorta Size Cause for Surgery

I would listen to your surgeon. While in there they can do any repairs that are needed. I had a dissection at 4.5 in an emergency situation. I was repaired in 3 places. Places we had no idea that were bad. At that time I was 68 (female). I am 71 now.

I dissected at age 50. I’m 60 now. It was an absolute nightmare and I barely survived. You do not want this to happen. The mortality rate skyrockets as you get older. At 63, you’ve got lots of time and if you have a surgeon who’s telling you to get surgery listen to them. This is no joke. A sudden aortic dissection is about as lethal as anything that can happen to you. If I knew then, what I know now, I would’ve had surgery 100 times out of 100. Peace and write back if you have any other questions. You're going to be fine but you need to listen to your surgeon: they know and so do I.

Thanks. I’ve appreciated your posts.

Thanks for input and sharing your experience

If it saves one person from going through what I went through, it's all worth it.

I guess we are around the same age, but then there are a lot of factors I can't possibly know.
I dissected at age 58/59 and now I am 60. Ascending aortic aneurysm a at 6.5cm. Dissected at the ascending back into the heart/valve/cardiac artery, and down into the iliacs (legs). Post surgery my descending is at 3.x, I can't remember. Now medicinally managed. I have echo and CT scans in two weeks.
From @moonboy : "At 63, you’ve got lots of time and if you have a surgeon who’s telling you to get surgery listen to them. This is no joke. A sudden aortic dissection is about as lethal as anything that can happen to you."
I cannot underscore these words enough.
I had my first conversation with a cardiac surgeon in the ER that night while I was in extreme pain of the dissection and I did not know that surgery was imminent. And he didn't give me an option, because the other option was non-living. My risk was 30/30/30. People tell me I am a walking miracle.
It seems to me, a surgeon is telling you to have surgery that could save your life.
In my view, he is giving you the option of time, but like three of us in this thread, dissection is also on the clock.
I was almost too late to have a choice.

Everything Martin says is true

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you’re still with us!

I also have a TAA 5.4 I’m wondering if you would explain what kind of stress caused your emergency?
How are you feeling now about it?
Ty
Diane

I did not know I had anything this serious. I was told I had an aneurysm just a year earlier. At the time of my accidental discovery, they told me you don't do anything for them, just watch and if it starts getting larger, they would consider surgery. The morning of my dissection my husband and I had coffee outside. I went to the barn. I lifted a bookcase that was in two pieces up the stairs in my barn. Shortly afterwards, when I reached the top of the stairs, I felt short winded, sweaty at the base of my neck, and my eyes felt funny. They tingled and I had flashers. So I walked down the steps and got my husband. He said I didn't look good and took me to the ER. They spent the day doing tests and ruling out a heart attack and stroke. I didn't have many signs that anything that serious was going on. They decided not to release me. Eventually one doctor came in that had seen something like this previously. I Wass sent to Rochester for surgery.
I hope this helps.