Dealing with 3 aorta aneurysms

Your ascending aneurysm is getting close to critical size and you should be being monitored by a specialist cardiologist (aortic disease specialist, especially in your case due to the multiple aneurysms) and an experienced cardiothoracic surgeon. In my case I had an ascending aneurysm but also a brain aneurysm and my cardiologist (who is also a geneticist) believes there is a genetic propensity (also several cases in my family) so besides genetic testing he monitors me every year even though all my aneurysms are repaired.

The weight limit is really related to exertion while holding your breath, you should stay active and exercise but need to avoid any exertion that leads you to hold your breath/grunt, lifting heavy weights usually leads people to hold their breath to get spinal stability, but that can happen also through non weight lifting or body weight lifting exercises like crunches. It is known during those seconds your BP rises significantly and high BP is the worst enemy of aneurysms. You should only lift any weight you can comfortably can while breathing normally through the whole process, keep the weight low to ensure that happens.

A qualified cardiologist (not all of them specialize in aneurysms and aortic diseases) should be able to help you with exercise/activities recommendations based on your overall health profile and get you in a proper BP control regiment, he/she also would set up a follow up protocol.

The most important thing is to be monitored by the most qualified team you can find, Drs (surgeon and cardiologist) that deal with 100s of these cases. Control your BP, treat your body well, you want your body in the best shape possible for when and if you need your ascending aneurysm repaired, they can only be effectively repaired through open heart surgery and being in good health will improve drastically the outcome.

Mine was repaired 5 years ago at 5.2 cm, I was in very good physical health and the procedure and recovery went very smooth. I also found the best surgeon in my city (Houston) and probably one of the best aortic specialists (cardiologist). Remember the surgeon will see you before and probably one time after surgery, the cardiologist is for life, so you want to find the best.

The are videos in this forum regarding exercise and aneurysms, they have been posted several times, so you can search, if you don't find them let us know and we will repost it.

All the best to you!!!

Thank you for your feedback it’s greatly appreciated. I have seen a specialist, like I mentioned earlier, he was very vague on what to do and what not to do. I spent 2 months after finding out from my family doctor doing absolutely nothing he has me terrified to do anything gave me 2 months at that time, since the specialist I’ve been given 6 months without surgery. I guess monitoring is good news I honestly don’t know or maybe don’t realize if this is a serious life threatening condition??? I need help understanding it I guess and the web tells me a million different things. Like I said early I haven’t any real direction, your feedback is the most I’ve had and I truly appreciate your feedback
Thank you

I’m in my 61 and living with the aftermath of a major sudden aortic dissection event. In 2015 I survived a Type A dissection that required emergency open-heart surgery and a Dacron graft to repair my ascending aorta. So I’ve had to learn the hard way what “living with an aorta problem” really means. The first thing I’d say is that it’s good you already know the measurements. Numbers matter—they tell your doctors when to act. But day-to-day life isn’t just about the centimeters; it’s about keeping blood pressure and stress under control so the aorta isn’t constantly pushed to its limits.

Being a firefighter makes that tricky. The sudden heavy lifting, adrenaline surges, and breath-holding that come with the job are all things that can spike pressure inside the chest. That’s exactly what you want to avoid. Even swinging an axe or wrestling equipment overhead can drive your pressure higher than you think, especially if you grunt or hold your breath doing it. Most of us with aneurysms end up adjusting rather than stopping everything. Hiking, fishing, and easy outdoor work are fine for many people—as long as the effort is steady and you can breathe normally while you do it. Avoid deep twists, straining, or any movement that makes your head pound or your chest feel tight. If your blood pressure is controlled and your cardiologist clears you, you can still have a good, active life. Just not the kind that tests the limits of your aorta.

Don’t take advice from anyone who isn’t either a thoracic surgeon or someone who has personally survived an aortic dissection. There’s a tremendous amount of misinformation and, frankly, medical ignorance about aortic disease—even within the medical community. You need to see a good thoracic surgeon in a major metropolitan center who has real experience repairing aortic dissections. At around 5.0 cm, you’re getting close to the size where surgery is seriously considered. If that hasn’t been made clear to you yet, you need to have a direct, honest conversation with that surgeon. The sooner you meet that person, the better. Surgeons who already know their patients before surgery tend to have better outcomes. Peace.

@moonboy wow thank you for the feedback. I just found out through all of this that I have high blood pressure, I’m on pills to monitor that. I guess if this makes sense I don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with me, it’s hard to adjust I was an active outdoors person, I still hunt , quad and regular activities . I guess I don’t know the seriousness of it all. I’ve quite my beers all together and try to drink 3 litres of tea a day I’m watching my salt intake as well. It’s not like having a broken arm where you know you’re injured, I feel normal and it doesn’t seem to bother me doing my regular routine because I don’t feel anything….. if that makes sense? I do appreciate your thoughts thank you very much

@moonboy oh and I do have a….. kinda regular check up, right now I’m listed every 6 months to see the cardiologist, I go again I believe in January.
Once again thank you

@brentshine
So everything that moonboy and Houston said. Imho, you are, like me, a vasculopath. No worries, it just means probably susceptible blood vessels. Could be good- very slowly progressing aneurysms- or not good- rapidly developing and changing aneurysms.
The point is- you need care from true experts, at centers dedicated to aneurysm treatment. The better the center, the better the outcome. If you’re not sure who is excellent near you, just say where you are and ask on the board.
I’m an aata at 4.6 and à dissected celiac aneurysm too small to worry about. Will get my 6 month check (CTa and cardiac ultrasound on Dec 8) at MGH. My excellent cardiologist said no valsalva maneuvers ever. Exercise is probably okay if you can breathe and sing(!) while doing it.

@ppiper good day, thank you
Well,,, I live in Canada I was afraid to say where I live because of what’s going on
I do appreciate every bit of information that I’ve received today thank you all so much
I guess the only thing to do is be cautious very cautious until my next appointment and take a list of questions and have them answered so I’m greatly aware of what I can and can’t do
Thank you all again

So I was working down in San Diego and 1600 miles from home when my aorta dissected. Prior to that I had absolutely no clue but I had any issues. It was as sudden as a lightning strike. I had never had a CT scan of my heart or my thoracic region so I had absolutely no idea I had an issue. You on the other hand have magic in a bottle because you know that you've got a problem. I want you to think of an aneurysm just like a huge bulge in the sidewall of your front left tire. You're lucky enough to notice it when you walk out in the parking lot. You would never get in that car and drive 75 miles an hour up to the lake, right? Similarly, you are not going to do anything to exacerbate the aneurysms that are along your aorta. An aneurysm is a big bulge in a huge blood vessel inside your chest. The aorta in a typical man is normally about 2.8 cm. That's the size of Plastic screw cap on a Coke Bottle. If your aorta is 4.7 cm then its enlarged to the size of a WD-40 cap along the length of the aorta. See the demonstrative picture below. You would immediately take this firehose seriously and you would not ignore it. Peace.

@brentshine it is good news that you are being seen with some regularity, you should ask your cardiologist to give you a referral to see a cardiothoracic surgeon, he/she will start evaluating all factors that may affect your surgery, including potential timing. They will also evaluate your other thoracic aneurysm (you don't say how big it is or where in the thorax is located)

Now that you know you have high BP, stay on top of it. Monitor it regularly, it is very important that you keep good track so that medications are adjusted if needed.

@brentshine
So sorry about our recent disruption of good relations with your country. Don’t take responsibility, haha.
À quick search showed fine centers in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. There’s good advice here about managing your BP and not overdoing it. If you’re have a good cardiologist, great! If not, get one. Take good care and live well.