Managing Anxiety with an Aneurysm

I love the quote from : The Shawshank Redemption
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying"

@ewei6911 I have a left bundle branch block and cardiologist from Emory, Duke &UC Health never told me when I had my echocardiogram. I read reports and LBBB was listed but I didn’t look up the initials so I didn’t know until I had issues and needed a pacemaker. So frustrated. I should have been told. The doctors I saw were from Top cardiologist practice. I have had aorta valve replaced 2 times so that is all they talked about. I know have an aorta dissection from when I had my aorta replaced by TAVR valve. It is at the aorta arch. A top surgeon told me it was probably done when they took out the filter while doing the procedure. So frustrating. It is hard to trust Doctors anymore.

@jamiemj yes it is scary. The only think we can do is pray an be blessed that we know our condition and keep having our regular check ups and never give up.

I believe that having an aneurysm and not knowing about it is scary. Having one and knowing about it is a pain in the neck. Take your meds, don't lift heavy items, use common sense and it's manageable. My size is about the same as yours, I'm 4.7cm. Our risk is actually quite low, provided we do the right things.

@degroatam
What hospital did you have this procedure may I ask?

Has anyone gone to Mayo Clinic for testing to see where else in your body you can have plaque/calcifications?
I heard that The Mayo Clinic is a good place to have a thorough look over...and am considering doing that in the Jacksonville Mayo. Any help would be appreciated.

UC Health in Denver

@jefftalley
How heavy ?

@jefftalley
Hello....your "low risk" view of a 4.7cm aneurysm, may be OK in layman's terms, but it depends on who is evaluating this and what your age, condition and history is. Viewed as a single measurement that may be calming is one thing, but keeping close watch, having excellent BP control, and managing lifestyle are high priority to keep things "low risk".
My 2 cents.

@jamiemj I believe “heavy” is unique to each of us. We will universally be told to not lift anything that makes us grunt or strain. As an example, before all this I bench pressed 160 pounds. Now I won’t work with more than 95, and there is a school of thought that I should be limiting myself to 20 pound dumbbells with a bunch of reps. I kind of struggle figuring out what I can safely do because weight lifting is supposed to be good for us old guys, and not taking an unnecessary risk.