Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

Hi, i was in a car accident in april this year, they found a 4.5 thoracic aortic aneurysm during tests, i am female and 53 years young, im not happy with the cardiovascular doctor i have here, i ask questions but vague answers, just wanting to talk with others with this situation

Hello,
Sounds like the car accident may have saved your life indirectly. Ask more questions of your current Cardiologist. I'm going to guess they screened you in an ER and the Cardiologist is one that was there at the hospital, not one you selected. My Family Doctor referred me to my Cardiologist. He is great. And it took two of them to get one I am happy with. Talk to your Family Doctor and tell him of your diagnosis and ask for a referral. Maybe get a couple of referrals and select the one best for you. Nice thing is your the Cardiologist you select can copy your Family Doctor on test and visit results and have a better idea of your total health.

All the best.

Bruce
Texas

I went to a Surgeon today about my dilated aneurysm. He blew it off and said radiographer calls anything over 3cm a dilation and mine is 3.4.. my concern is it’s new. This was just check last month and it was in normal range. I was still hurting in they checked again in found it had dilated there.
He had no answer for why it had changed.

Usually, the surgery won’t be scheduled until aneurysm is 5. This is because of the surgical risks and I think Medicare and other insurance companies won’t pay until then. In the meantime, don’t worry about it but have it checked. Mayo checks on mine yearly with either a CT or an MRI. Best to you!

Hello everyone! As you can all guess, I just received a diagnosis of an ascending aortic aneurysm (5.3cm) this past Friday and have been feeling pretty discouraged ever since. I am 47y old and a busy mother of 4. No obvious symptoms until a fainting episode about a month ago prompted me to seek the consult with my GP.
EKG and nuclear stress tests did not show any abnormalities but the echocardiogram results came back with the news of the aneurysm of 5cm. I ended up st the ER yesterday as I was once again experiencing the same sensations that preceded my syncope. Had the CAT scan done and it showed the aneurysm at 5.3cm. My blood pressure was way higher than I ever had, in fact I used to be more if s low blood pressure person.
I am seeing thoracic surgeon at Regions in Saint Paul and hoping to find out more what’s the next step. Needless to say, I spent hours following the diagnosis trying to educate myself. Most of the available data and research relates to older age groups and so I am hoping to find some further information and feedback from the community
here and perhaps younger patients as well. It is a very scary feeling to know that at any time things might go wrong and I am terribly worried about my family. Thank you all for having this forum and for any advice you might offer. All and any will be greatly appreciated...

Hello,
You are relatively young which will help you recover quicker. This is really key. Had my Aortic Aneurysm repaired at age 39. I had no symptoms. They found it when doing a routine chest x-ray for an annual physical. Mine was about the same size as yours when I was operated on. It was growing at a rate of 2.0 cm per year. I had a prior heart surgery(at age 13) so there were some scar tissue complications but you won't have that if this is your first (Lets hope only) chest opening. When they read my x-rays I felt it was unusual they were sending me straight to a Surgeon instead of a Cardiologist(I didn't have a Cardiologist at the time). But there isn't much the Cardiologist could have done. I was really needing a Surgeon. I understand now why this was done. Get yourself a Cardiologist you will need them to check in on you after surgery. Otherwise the Hospital will probably assign one to you while you are in the hospital. Which is OK too. But you probably want to pick one yourself. Mine came a few times when I had Aortic Valve Surgery(Yup, my third surgery) this past January. Made the difference and I was out in 5 days. Hope some of this helps. You are fortunate to be in the younger age bracket as the surgery is very invasive and tough on the body(I know, I've had it twice). I'll be looking for your posts over time and would like to know how well you recover from the procedure. Keep your chin up.

All the best to you.

Bruce
Texas

Bruce,
I was about to log off and saw your kind message! I hope you can imagine how incredibly comforting it is to hear from someone and learn about their first hand experience rather than sifting through medical journals and research.
I thank you for taking the time to reply from the bottom of my heart!
I understand that one’s road to recovery and health might differ from person to person but it still feels good to know that you were able to endure the surgeries and it gives me hope for my own case.
Strangely enough, I am not very scared for myself, been always thinking better with a bang than...but it’s my family’s well-being that weights very heavily on me.. all I need is to a few more years for my kids to be emotionally able to face and recover from the trauma. Sounds very dramatic but it’s all I care about..
I will definitely post any further developments. I am so relieved to know there are people out there willing to support and share with one another as we navigate the scary unknown.
Again, many thanks for your response!
Ilona

Thanks Bruce, i am in the process of getting a referral to mayo clinic. Hoping to just find a good cardiac doctor there,and continue there.

Azzurro1999,
Hello! Just under 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm. I was 48 at the time. I was not aware that I had a problem until I just collapsed one day. I worked full time and was very active. I thought everything was fine! Little did I know....

This surgery is a very serious surgery. If you are happy with the surgeon at Regions, that’s great. I would highly recommend that anybody about to have surgery, especially such a complex surgery, should find the best doctor that their insurance will cover.

The surgery is definitely survivable, as per all the post surgery people conversing on this site. The recovery is painful but will gradually get better. You will be in ICU for several days before you are moved to another wing. The nurses will fuss over you (this is good). You’ll be turned from one side to another to prevent bed sores. Moving around in bed will really hurt. The doctor will want you up and sitting, then walking, within a couple days of surgery. You’ll be thinking “are they kidding me, I hurt” but you’ll do it anyway. While in ICU, you’ll be “eating” a lot of broth and drinking liquids. You will be amazed at the number of drainage tubes sticking out of your chest and abdomen post surgery. Dressing changes will be frequent. You’ll learn to love the catheter and bed pan ( ha ha). Sleeping may be a little challenging due to all people coming in and out, especially while in ICU: nurses, phlebotomists, doctors, janitors, nutritionist, heart monitor people, x ray technicians, physical therapists... to name a few.

You may want to consider bringing a few personal items for your comfort: ex. Phone, tablet, favorite toiletries, underwear, slippers.

Consider what type of help you will need at home as well as who will help you at home when you are finally released from the hospital. You won’t be doing a whole lot. Your sternum, heart, aorta and incisions need time to heal. No driving, no cleaning, no cooking, no lifting etc. You may need help showering. A shower stool was a big help.

It is a big surgery. I had two surgeries three months apart for this. Your situation sounds a little more straight forward than mine was. I had unforeseen complications. But here I am 6 years later.

I wish you all the best.

Natalie
So. California

Thank you Natalie for your detailed message! It sure helps to know what to expect once the fun begins... especially, the post op and the restrictions in the daily life. I am very very thankful for all of it. I woke up this morning to the notification that my appointment was changed to the morning. At least I will not wait and stress most of the day wondering what it will bring..
The surgeon has been assigned through the ER, seems like an experienced and well regarded specialist but I will know more once I meet him in person.
It all happened so fast, not enough time to gather one’s thoughts and meet and greet with various doctors...I will keep posted once I have a clearer picture after this morning!
Thank you again for your message! I am so happy I found this group!