New diagnosis today. Trying to figure what to do..

At 4.8 cm you're not quite a candidate for surgery but you're getting close. I would immediately request a referral to consulting thoracic aortic specialist in your area to look at your scans and give you an idea of the best way forward. You're gonna be fine because you now know you have a problem and you can address it. But you can't not ignore it and it sounds like you're on it so keep up the good work. Get in to see a thoracic aortic specialist. Not a cardiologist, but a surgeon. Also, reduce your stress, stop smoking, no drinking, and do whatever you can to lower your blood pressure. If you're big on exercise, google what exercises you can do that don't raise your blood pressure precipitously. No planking and no dead lifting. You're gonna be fine, but you need to get in to see a surgeon. Peace.

@houston13
Your post put me at ease today … so , thank you !!
May I ask who your surgeon was in Houston?
I was diagnosed with AAA at 4.4 cm and I would like to establish a relationship with a good surgeon for when ( or if ) the time comes for surgery.
I am 61yo. And very active.
I like to hike and bike and we have a holiday house in the German alps and we like to ski as well.
I got a little nervous when I first found out through a routine check.. but frankly, I do not lose any sleep over this. The one thing I did as a direct result of this diagnose is that I decided to retire a little earlier than I would have otherwise.
I would like to live my life every day to the fullest, and then the meantime, I try to be active. Have fun and allow myself to have a beautiful glass of wine with dinner.
Stress does not make the situation any better so you might as well not allow it into your thoughts!!

@joebronx
See a cardiologist

@bpetruccelli
Hi, first just to clarify, when you say AAA you mean Abdominal or your first A is for Ascending?

Assuming it is ascending, my surgeon was Dr Anthony Estrera from UT Health, https://www.utphysicians.com/provider/anthony-l-estrera/ absolutely wonderful, in my mind the best in Houston. And my Cardiologist is Dr Siddharth Prakash, https://www.utphysicians.com/provider/siddharth-k-prakash/
he specializes in aortic diseases has done a lot of research in the subject and is well known for his research in aneurysms and exercises. I always recommend people to of course find the best surgeon they can, but also remind them the surgeon will stop seeing you some time after surgery, your cardiologist will continue your follow up for life, so finding the best cardiologist you can find is also important.

I asked the question about the A because if yours is abdominal then you need a different type of surgeon. Dr Estrera is a cardiothoracic surgeon.

I understand, I also retired early and decided to spend quality time with my family, I try to enjoy every day.

Hope the information helps you!! Let me know if you need more info

@houston13 ....happy to hear you took care of your body and are now in good shape post surgery. Good for you. Can i ask roughly how old you are?

As an older women I am wondering how much age impacts the surgery outcome. Or is a healthy weight, diet, lifestyle and well exercised body more likely to do well despite being retirement age? Hoping so 🙂

@llindsay251 I am 60 years old, age doesn’t matter as much as how healthy your body is, of course the body deteriorates as you age but the rate depends on how well you have been taken care of yourself, I have read folks in this forum in their 80s and having been cleared for surgery by their surgeons. My surgeon told me diabetes, pulmonary issues, cardiac issues, etc can affect the probability of a positive outcome and those can happen at 40.

Hope this helps!! Keep taking care of yourself!! And stay positive

All the best

@houston13 ....thank you for taking the time to reply. And good to read what your wrote.

I have taken v good care of my health; actually since getting a diagnosis of pre-diabetes 25 years ago. It was a great motivator to lose weight, eat well and exercise regularly. Only thing not controlled well was stress which in retrospect was probably why recently I have tipped over into being diabetic and now taking a v low dose of metformin. I'm classed on regular HbA1c tests as 'well controlled'

Trying to keep my body as healthy as possible as i age, I am 72. Recently I decided to have a hernia repair performed rather than take indigestion meds ad infinitum. This is when the AA was sighted and photographed by the surgeon; and he recommended I see a specialist to be tested. So this was last week. Early stages for me on my journey into the AA world!!

As an aside....initially I was so pissed and a tad scared. Didn't want a new 'health issue' to deal with esp at my age! (Is there ever a good age to have this news)?! But now, having had a week to digest the info, I am feeling as I did with the pre-diabetes diagnosis soooo long ago. I am relieved. Feeling very lucky to get an early warning of a possible future, catastrophic issue. Information I can now use to pro-actively get the best outcome for me.

So love this board and grateful for you and others, sharing their experiences....really xxx