I can relate to a lot of what you're feeling. I had a Type A aortic dissection in 2015 that came completely out of the blue and required emergency open-heart surgery and placement of a Dacron graft. Ever since then, I pay attention to every chest sensation, every ache, and every new symptom, so I understand how easy it is for anxiety to take over when you're living with an aneurysm. One thing that stands out from your story is that your aneurysm appears to have been remarkably stable. If it was approximately 4.6 cm in 2022 and is now being reported as 4.8 cm four years later, that may represent little or no true growth at all. Different CT scans, different readers, and even the way the measurement is taken can create small differences of a few millimeters. Your cardiologist will be the best person to interpret whether there has actually been meaningful enlargement.

As for the shortness of breath and chest discomfort, many of us naturally assume every symptom is coming from the aneurysm, but that's not always the case. Atrial fibrillation, medications, deconditioning, lung issues, coronary artery disease, anxiety, and many other factors can produce similar symptoms. The fact that your blood pressure and heart rate appear well controlled is encouraging. The fear is real. I think most aneurysm patients spend at least some nights lying awake wondering about worst-case scenarios. What helped me was focusing on the things I could control: keeping my blood pressure under control, taking my medications, getting my imaging when scheduled, walking regularly, and avoiding heavy straining and breath-holding. Beyond that, there isn't much benefit in trying to predict what might happen years from now. The good news in your post is that you've been followed, you're getting regular imaging, you're on appropriate medications, and the aneurysm appears to be changing very slowly, if at all. Those are all things that would make me feel cautiously encouraged while waiting to hear what the cardiologist says about the latest scan. Peace.