I am a 5'10", 165# female with a 4.0 ascending aortic anuerysm. I have normal blood pressure, have never smoked and am very active. I saw a thoracic sugeon a few weeks ago, and he has referred me to Johns Hopkins for genetic testing--mainly for Marfan Syndrom. I had never been seriously ill until 2002 when I started getting all these tick-borne diseases, including Alpha-gal (can't eat any meat from any animal with hooves), Babesia,
Bell's Palsey, Erlichosis, and Lyme to name a few. In 2015, I had open-heart surgery to remove a Myxoma (calcified tumor) from inside my heart. There was no anuerysm then, SO, did surgery cause it? I forgot to ask that question. Anyway, if I don't have Marfan, doc said no operation til it's somewhere beyond a 5. However, he said I shouldn't worry, because once you have open-heart surgery, scar tissue forms around the aorta and that scar tissue will protect the aorta from disection. Anyone else heard that? I am still worried, because as folks have said here, it's like having a time-bomb inside your chest. I have prayed so much I'm sure God is sick of me, as there are so many folks in the world who are in much worse shape.😏