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4.0 Aeortic Root
Hi there,
I am almost 60 yrs old, 5'10 and saw cardiologist for PVCs. Went through all of the tests and they found a 4.0 aeortic root on echo. He does not seem to concerned and wants me to keep bp down, exercise and (yes I need to) lose 40 lbs. This 4.0 thing is freaking me out. I am afraid to work out now. I have terrible anxiety to begin with and this is not helping.
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Hey there. You’re gonna be OK. just relax. You know you have a problem and now you can deal with it. I dissected completely and without warning in 2015 at age 50. I promise you this. I wish I had known what I was at risk for it. Now that you know you have a problem you can: Reduce your blood pressure, reduce your stress, drop your weight, and get on heart rate and blood pressure meds that will greatly alleviate your risk. Trust me: you do not want to have a sudden dissection. They are generally not survival and they are extraordinarily painful in the short amount of time you have left. You cannot live your life in fear because it just makes matters worse. I have been hauling bags of sand for my wife’s garden moss and power washing my cedar fence all day yesterday. All with a completely artificial aorta. Life is good. There is life after dissection if you survive it.
In your case, you’re going to be just fine because you’ve got a good medical team that you’re going to listen to and you know exactly what your problem is. I didn’t have that benefit so just relax and listen to your medical team. Do what they say. Drop the weight. drop the blood pressure. Drop the stress. Peace.
OMG! Thank you for this. I have been in tears everyday. I also have benign PVCs and stressing about this does not help them. My BP dropped from 151/90 to 138/77 so we are getting there. Did alsonread 4.0 is the high end of normal so I guess I should stop worrying. I have dealt with health anxiety for years and it is worse now that I have grand kids.
I was raking leaves yesterday, rototilled the garden, trimmed trees and (except for some PVCs) all was good.
Thank you so much - I will try to relax.
It's a huge shock when you're first diagnosed. I've been there! But you can't live in terror all the time, and I've found that I'm getting used to this new stage of life. I'm glad I lost 40 lbs. in the last two years, before I knew I had this aneurysm. Good timing there. And it's good timing that you've discovered your condition. Now it can be monitored and you can strategize. This group has been incredibly helpful to me. I believe you will find understanding, comfort, and information here that you might not find elsewhere. All will be well.
Also my cardiologist keeps my cholesterol very low, (below100) to prevent any deposits in the aneurysm that may make the wall weaken. The same goes for blood pressure. So all these factors may be considered in the monitoring and follow up.
Dr Picardi
I just came from Dr appointment and was told you can't believe the ecocardiograms, my Aorta aneurysm was 5.1, now he says the CT shows 4.5 and not to worry, good bye! He doesn't do anything until 5.5, And no follow-up. I believe it has to do with my age 84. But I have dizziness, short of breath and fatigue low SpO2.Now what?!!!!
Thank you, I'm so worried and afraid to fly, because my diagnosis.
If you’re afraid to fly, then don’t. I honestly think that less flying is better since I was on airplane the day before I dissected. Three weeks later, I was back on a plane to go home after open heart surgery. You’ll be all right