am I exercising too much with a 4.3 ascending aortic aneurysm?

@dew88 unfortunately not all Drs are familiar with the latest in aortic research, you need a cardiologist who is an expert in aortic diseases and communicates with other researchers who study the effects of multiple factors on aneurysms ((like exercising) , hope you find one near you, it makes a difference

@dew88 see the below interview with Dr Prakash he talks about the issue and some of his efforts to share that knowledge

@kmailloux With my Ca score of 2814 and a 4.2cm aortic aneurism I was pleased to hear my cardiologist schedule me for a CT angiogram with dye to pinpoint the plaque on my first visit. We will go from there and I'm worried but satisfied for now.

@gamecock77 That is exactly what my Ca score is and my aneurism is. I am waiting for a CT angiogram to really pinpoint my plaque situation. LAD score was 2200 alone.

@lfaison definitely “Live life purposefully…to the “Very Fullest”
I was diagnosed about 2016 with an aortic aneurysm. My doctors have watched it closely for its growth. Happy to say things have been behaving. I have to be mindful when seeing other Drs for other reasons, to mention the aneurysm so that they too are made knowledgeable of my condition.

@andytheman absolutely get a second opinion. November 9, 2025 I was getting ready for church, my family had gone a head of me because I was running late. Shortly after they left I felt a stabbing pain that went in through my chest and came out my back. The pain was indescribable. I can’t imagine pain being any worse than losing a limb or a burn. Something kept telling me it was not a heart attack, we went to the ER and after a 3 hour wait I was finally taken back, asked a few questions I was taken to have a CT scan. The tech immediately told me I had an aortic tear. They rushed me back to the exam room and told me I was about to have emergency surgery. An hour and half later I was under the knife. They told my husband that patients with this type of tear don’t make it to the hospital but those that do have less than a 1% chance of survival. But guess what I made it. I am healing well physically but struggling emotionally. I am a firm believer that ever doctor cannot know everything and apparently this doctor did not. I am an advocate for Aortic Dissections because they are over looked more times than they are diagnosed. Find yourself a thoracic surgeon, get a CT San and there be no more guess work. Go with the working signs you body is giving you. Cardiologist don’t know what they need to know about Aortic Dissections.
Do not wait!

I can’t believe that they made you wait so long and also the fact that you made it after all that waiting. That intense tearing type pain is a burst aneurysm. I have no pain so I guess they are waiting for it to burst and possibly kill me! I have a feeling that due to the fact that it isn’t bleeding they figured they were waiting for the last minute before they repaired it . I’m not comfortable with that. The first hospital last year found it by a cat scan for something else and panicked and sent me directly to a bigger hospital better suited to repair the torn aneurysm but that hospital cardiologist said “ well it isn’t bleeding but you will need to come back but you don’t need surgery today !”
Why not fix it now? Why wait? I couldn’t understand it. Here we are almost 2 years later and I just had an echo and even though it was at 3.9 2 years ago instead of the 5cm criteria they are doing nothing!! It could have grown. I’m so upset. It’s not burst and it’s not bleeding but it’s a good time to repair the torn aneurysm before a major event occurs. May be because I’m on blood thinners they fear going in. I don’t know. They act like it’s their little secret ! I am getting what feels like “heavy arms” which is one of the symptoms of a torn aneurysm but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal to my cardiovascular surgeon. By the way, he does have a specialty as an aortic artery specialist so I’m assuming he knows what he’s doing but it’s the constant exams I’m having and they don’t call me back to the office until “ see you in 3 months “ for a follow up. It’s killing me to wait.

I hear how frightened and worn down you are, and I want you to know your reaction makes sense. Waiting while your body carries something this serious is brutal on the mind. I survived a Type A aortic dissection in 2015. Mine announced itself with sudden, tearing chest pain, and I was rushed into emergency open-heart surgery. My ascending aorta and arch were repaired with a Dacron graft. I’m here because the right team acted decisively, but I also learned something important afterward: when it comes to the aorta, you are allowed to question, push, and get more eyes on the problem.

I cannot believe they made you wait that long initially, and the fact that you made it through that period says a lot about how lucky you’ve been so far. That tearing pain you describe is not nothing. Even now, the emotional toll of being told to come back in three months, over and over, can be as damaging as the physical risk. Living in constant surveillance mode is exhausting.

Here’s my strongest advice, as a patient who’s been there. Get a second opinion at a major medical center that sees aortas all day, every day. Not just a good cardiologist or surgeon, but a high-volume thoracic aortic program. Make friends with the most experienced thoracic aortic surgeon you can find and put your case directly in their hands. Places like UCLA, UCSD, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and the University of Minnesota have teams whose entire focus is complex aortic disease. Those surgeons are used to gray-area cases, chronic dissections, borderline measurements, anticoagulation issues, and the question you’re asking: why wait.

Size thresholds are guidelines, not commandments. Symptoms matter. Growth rate matters. Anatomy matters. Your peace of mind matters. If something feels off to you, that deserves respect, not a calendar reminder. I was told after my surgery to avoid heavy straining, breath-holding, and anything that spikes pressure. Even now, years later, I’m careful. I’m not saying this to scare you, but to underline that you’re right to want clarity and a plan you can live with.

You’re not wrong for being uncomfortable. You’re not being difficult. You’re being alive and paying attention. Advocate for yourself hard, and do it at a place that has seen thousands of aortas like yours. I’m glad you’re still here. Don’t let anyone make you feel like your questions are an inconvenience. Peace.

Exercising hard causes your blood pressure/heart rate to rise and pulsate faster and harder through your blood vessel with a weakened wall that can rupture even at normal heart rate/blood pressure and your aneurysm increases faster! When an aneurysm ruptures, we get a brain hemorrhage and need to go to the emergency room quickly to survive and reduce brain damage!

@andytheman
I have an aneurysm in the ascending aorta that measures 4.4 cm. I am monitored yearly by CT scan with dye to check for changes, am also told that 5 cm is the time they would operate as the repair surgery is also pretty serious. I am 75 and told by my thoracic cardiologisr that it’s possible to live with this issue for years without it ever getting large enough to require surgery.