1. < Aortic Aneurysms

Managing Anxiety with an Aneurysm

Posted by pearl1714 @pear1714, Jun 10 3:41pm

Hi,
Last year I found out I have a Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, I believe is a 4.5 so they just monitoring for now. I can said that’s so scary and I have a lot of questions but one is how you manage anxiety. I noticed I get a lot of anxiety and stress because I know so many things can happen. Can someone give me tips on how not to think on the Aneurysm and maybe try to live a normal life without being afraid all the time.

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davidtrey | @davidtrey | 3 days ago
In reply to @moonboy "Finding out about a thoracic aortic aneurysm can seriously shake you up. But honestly, at 4.5..." + (show)
@moonboy

Finding out about a thoracic aortic aneurysm can seriously shake you up. But honestly, at 4.5 cm and with good doctors keeping an eye on it, you're in a great place. Trust me—I had zero warning before mine dissected 10 years ago. You're already way ahead of the game Feeling anxious about this stuff is normal. Here’s the thing: you're doing exactly what you're supposed to. Monitoring is super effective, and your team knows exactly what they're looking for. Here's how I handle the anxiety—because believe me, I've been there:

Trust your docs: These folks literally spend their days watching aneurysms and keeping people safe. They've got you covered.

Step away from Dr. Google: Seriously, don't overdo it on the web searches. Stick to the basics and trust your professionals. Too much online can drive you nuts.

Breathe, chill, and relax: Simple mindfulness exercises or breathing techniques can really knock the edge off anxiety. A few minutes a day makes a huge difference.

Stay active in a safe way: Walking, light exercise, anything cleared by your doc is awesome for keeping anxiety down and spirits up.

Talk it out: Connecting here or in other groups with folks going through similar things can be really comforting. You're definitely not alone.

Bottom line—you got this. You're aware, you're being monitored, and your aneurysm is still safely in the watch-and-wait range. You're doing great.

I'm sitting here 10 years after my dissection, doing just fine, and I didn’t even get a heads-up. You’re already miles ahead of where I was. You're going to be okay. Take a deep breath and go enjoy your day. Peace.

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What a wonderful post and fantastic advice. I needed this advice myself - thank you for sharing.

REPLY
flaxxy703 | @flaxxy703 | 2 days ago

fearful anticipation could be worse than realizaion, every nervous fear is a unrealistic fear and neverous fear is the fear of discomfort, when an intruding thought enters into the brain we don't have to entertain it, we are a capable lot but we paralyze ourselves with needless fears, acccept or reject

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lori555 | @lori555 | 2 days ago

Have you seen a color photo of your aneurysm from a CT scan?
Seeing my aneurysm helped me not to worry because it didn’t look weak at all!! It looked every bit as strong as the rest of my aorta. I don’t worry about it! It is now at 4.9, but it continues to look strong!!
Try getting a 3d photo at your next CT scan!! 4.9 photo below..
REPLY
1 reply
jeshurun72 | @jeshurum72 | 2 days ago

I was given some anxiety meds for while. It helps but is short term. I know prayer works as well and breathjing exercises seem to help calm too.

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pearl1714 | @pear1714 | 1 day ago
In reply to @lori555 "Have you seen a color photo of your aneurysm from a CT scan? Seeing my aneurysm..." + (show)
@lori555

Have you seen a color photo of your aneurysm from a CT scan?
Seeing my aneurysm helped me not to worry because it didn’t look weak at all!! It looked every bit as strong as the rest of my aorta. I don’t worry about it! It is now at 4.9, but it continues to look strong!!
Try getting a 3d photo at your next CT scan!! 4.9 photo below..

Jump to this post

That’s a nice picture. I saw my new cardiologist and he did mentioned that the Echo I had done it was a 3D and the pictures were beautiful but I didn’t get to see them. I’m more calm know because my aneurysm didn’t grow from a year ago, so I’m still at 4.0 in the original post I had put 4.5 but it was not right. I guess we will have our good days and bad days but I’m praying for the good days. Next time I will ask to see the pictures. Thank you for your comment

REPLY
pearl1714 | @pear1714 | 1 day ago
In reply to @jeshurum72 "I was given some anxiety meds for while. It helps but is short term. I know..." + (show)
@jeshurum72

I was given some anxiety meds for while. It helps but is short term. I know prayer works as well and breathjing exercises seem to help calm too.

Jump to this post

Thank you 🙏 No anxiety meds yet but I’m learning how to control it by breathing and take time to myself. And after I saw the cardiologist and got my results I feel much better

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