enlarged aorta vs aneurysm?

Awesome stuff! I joined the Aortic Athletes group as well. The guy who just posted about his cyclocross race indicated he has a 5.0 cm aortic root TAA. He runs and bikes like a demon! I will wait until my consult in November to push anything. Right now I am dealing with the anxiety of the new info. I have PTSD, a benign pituitary tumor that doubled in size in 7 months and possibly prostate cancer. It is a lot and exercise and is the only thing keeping me sane!

I had the exact diagnosis in May 2016. Six weeks later the aneurysm ruptured. Get tested for soft tissue disorder as you might be at risk. I was also very active and fit

At 4.3 cm you're not a candidate for surgery yet, but you will be once you get to 5.0 cm. I join Mike50Robinson as a member of the ascending aortic aneurysm dissection club. It's a very small group of us and I'm glad to know that MIke is in it. In your case, you need to find a good thoracic surgeon who specializes in aortic repair in a major metropolitan area and consult with him or her about your prognosis. If you think of an aneurysm like a bulging tire, there is no repairing it without major work. It doesn't heal itself and there's no amount of vitamins or exercise or hocus-pocus that will fix it.

Any Doctor who tells you that you have an enlarged aorta and you shouldn't modify your exercise routine is not giving you good advice. That's a Doctor who is apparently unaware of the danger to you and others. Whatever your exercise routine is, it should not include anything related to of a valsalva maneuver (grunting with weights), planking, etc. Both of those things spike your blood pressure which put additional strain on the aortic arch and increases the laminar flow within the aorta, causing it to stretch even further. If you have an enlarged aorta, you absolutely must modify your exercise routine. No heavy weights with breath-holding, no prolonged planking, no extreme isometrics. Safe exercise usually means light to moderate aerobic activity—walking, swimming, cycling—while carefully controlling blood pressure. A doctor who tells you otherwise may not be keeping current with aortic management guidelines, and that is dangerous advice. There is nothing that will going to make that aneurysm shrink.

So get in to see a good thoracic surgeon. If your cardiologist won't give you referral find a new cardiologist. Just remember the person that's gonna cut you open and repair that aorta is a thoracic surgeon – – not a cardiologist. In a perfect world, you'd find a thoracic surgeon who they themselves had had an aortic dissection so they could relate to just how dangerous a condition it is. But, now that you know, you have a problem you could do something about it. You're in the right place and you're doing the right things. You're going to be alright. Peace.

Was yours the result of genetics? was it ascending or the root? I am waiting for my follow up and exercising carefully. I found the results from an echo I had years ago for an entirely different reason. It stated my root was borderline at 4.0cm. my ascending was 3.3cm. They are now 4.3cm and 3.8cm seven years later. So, not the result of my weightlifting and HIIT plus all the cardio I do. My parents aortas are slightly enlarged but they are 87 and 83 and their cardiologist says that is expected. With no appointment at the moment and waiting for the VA to call I’ve tried to manage the stress.

In my case mine has a genetic component, 11 years before they found it I had an echo but no reports of an aneurysm, my brother has 3 brain aneurysms, one ruptured, I also had a brain aneurysm and was repaired, I know from history at least 2 members of my family died of ruptured aneurysms, all on the same side of the family. My cardiologist (Dr Prakash) who also does genetic studies could not find one of the know markers so his suspicion is that we have one yet to be identified and he enrolled my family in a study.

HIIT and heavy weights in my case may not have been a cause but a contributor, it is known that certain exercises can lead to punctual extreme rises in BP that although last just a few seconds are detrimental if you have any propensity. I have exercised all my life, and some of those exercises combined with my family propensity could have caused my large aortic aneurysm and my brain aneurysm. I also have a bicuspid aortic valve and those also can contribute.

There’s a video of Dr Huberman and Dr Andy Galpin that explain the rise of BP while exerting it is in YouTube in his channel, I have posted it before

Cheers

@houston13

Wow! I feel blessed as no aneurysms in my family anywhere. I know there could still be a genetic component, but given what I’ve read in journals and testimony from people like you I might get to elective surgery vs emergency. If I had known it was 4 seven years ago I would have toned it down.