Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

@jimboesq
You're welcome! FYI....there are many cases where growth doesnt occur for many years....staying stable though at an enlarged size. That may happen in your case too. Very important is BP control, as others have stated here, and lifestyle modifications, that may include some light exercise, and dietary changes.

Hi. I am 69 yr old female. I have Sinus of Valsalva 4.6 cm aneurysm. Found this out in Jan 26 after an ECHO. I have paroxdymal afib 2024 and a 3.6cm taa 2026.. The SOV was a new discovery. I have some minor leakage from aortuc valvem Been on B.P. meds since 2010. Using flecainide, diltiazem, and Eliquis for afib and b.p. . From my research it looks like I will eventually need surgery for the 4.6 SOV, taa, and aortic valve. Does anyone on here have SOV aneurysm now or had it repaired? I live in Florida in a smaller city area with one surgeon who could do one of the surgeries. The closest big medical centers with lots of staff and experience are Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, U of Alabsma Birmingham, and U of Florida. Any suggestions or stories ofcwhat to exoect would be appreciated. This is a pretty scary surgery to face by myself.

@mistyk4400
Hello.....Regarding your circumstances, you should certainly reach out to Mayo Jacksonville to get the ball rolling. Once you have information from them, it may help to clarify what you're facing and the timeline involved. All the best for improving your health!!

How can some aortic aneurysms be harmless?

Hi
How can some aortic aneurysms be harmless?
I’m 63 going on 64.
Had a CT scan heart without contrast for calcium scoring. It was zero -0- great news!
but then I saw that there’s a fusiform ascending aortic dilation 4.1 cm so my primary when I brought it up to him a year later when if I should get another one, finally referred me to a heart doctor and then he said they just monitor it and maybe I should take the propanolol even though I don’t have high blood pressure I don’t smoke anymore and my weight is pretty low average.

@beasnest7 Hello
I have a 4.2 that I have known about for two years
It has not grown
I would not take meds at this point and just monitor it
Not worth the side effects!

Hi @beasnest7. I have a 4.7 cm aneurysm discovered a few years ago. I'm not a doctor, but I'd guess that your doctor isn't saying that it's nothing, but that it's not a cause for huge concern. The rate of problems at 4.1cm is pretty small I think (even for people with genetics that can predispose one to aneurysms as I understand it). Yet it should absolutely be monitored. Someone should discuss taking the aneurysm into account in your level of exertion/exercise. Someone should also have asked you about your family history. It's great that you have normal BP. Keeping blood pressure low can help keep it from growing. I'm not on propranolol and I am being monitored by someone I have confidence in. I am on BP medication, though, because I have high BP when unmedicated. I think those beta-blockers are hard on some people, but I have no personal experience.

Congratulations on that zero CAC score! I imagine the heart doctor will have more detailed information for you. Good luck!

Hello. I'm a 48-year-old man with an aortic aneurysm. I'm not yet to the point of surgical size, but this news/diagnosis is stressful and I'm not taking it very well. I'm very anxious and concerned about this. I am so grateful for this group. Thank you for creating it.

55M high school teacher (so there goes the "try to lessen your stress"...), 188cm & 105kg. I live in Western Australia. My BP has long been slightly elevated, 130s over 80s and I have quite a low resting HR, around 42bpm. It can drop down to low 30s when I sleep.

Last November my GP sent me for a CT scan where it was discovered that I have a dilated ascending aorta of 5.5cm: at the size surgery is considered necessary. I have had zero symptoms and would never have known I had this condition. Except for one peculiar thing: after a lifetime of being into heavy weightlifting - specifically powerlifting (where I did compete in my 30s) - about 3 years ago I suddenly lost all interest in doing any weights. Whenever I went to the gym it was a real mission to force myself to do weights whereas previously, I would need to force myself to stop & go home. Over the past 3 years I have mostly done cardio, wondering all the time why I no longer want to lift weights. Maybe this has nothing to do with my bulgy aorta, but I do wonder if my body was trying to tell me something.

Since the diagnosis I am still doing a fair bit of cardio, nearly every day. Yesterday for example I went for an hour's bike ride through a nearby forest. I'm not someone who sits on an exercycle paddling away slowly while doomscrolling. My HR is usually around ~140bpm when I exercise. Neither my GP nor the surgeon has told me not to exercise so I figure I'm all good.

Things have been very hectic since the diagnosis. I was living & teaching rural which, for WA, is remote. WA is approximately half the size of mainland USA with 2.5 million population (2m of whom live in Perth). The Department of Education has been very supportive and arranged a compassionate transfer to Perth so I am near facilities in case of an aneurysm and, of course, for surgery and post-care. My health insurance doesn't fully cover the operation so I'm on the wait-list for an operation. I met with the heart surgeon yesterday (who did not fill me with much confidence) and he said the operation will likely be within the next 2 months. I'm finding it very difficult to process everything I need to sort out before and after the surgery. The surgery itself doesn't worry me nearly as much as the convalescence and whether I'll get back to full fitness and strength. I live alone btw, except for a fat lump of a cat.

@smoog You'll find lots of support here as you process things. I am three years older than you, and was a competitive marathoner and rower but similarly had slightly elevated BP and a low resting heart rate. You'll want to find a doctor you trust, and discuss things with him/her, but the guidance from my doctor suggests that you may be exercising a bit harder than is recommended. The guideline my doctor gave me was 80% heart rate reserve, which equates to around 120 bpm average, and he told me to keep my max heartrate to 130 or below. Typically, they want you in the light to moderate range of effort. Given your low heart rate, I suspect they will not put you on beta blockers, which is good because those drugs can make people feel sluggish. There is an Aortic Athletes group on Facebook that you might check out. It has a number of good video presentations by leading doctors on the subject, and will give you some reassurance that you will come back fine. For example, one guy around your age ran the Boston Marathon about six months after his surgery (albeit very slowly).