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Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: 7 hours ago | Replies (543)
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@twojunes2

Hi Donna, I appreciated your reply - especially the calming words that the aneurysm is measured differently by the CT vs. ECHO, as well as by the technician who is attending the event! My cardio said after November they would measure this every year. I'm going to refer to what you said about having it done every six months. That, to me, sounds more diligent than a year's testing in between. I read from a post I received this morning that someones aneurysm shrank in size. I believe it and think anything is possible! And, yes, we are very lucky that medical science has made the advances it has....the surgery, if necessary, will be another one of life's experiences. I believe we are spiritual beings having a human experience and that sort of sums it up on that level, for me. Thanks again for your kind, reassuring words and answering my email. I felt acknowledged and "heard". Thank you!!!

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Replies to "Hi Donna, I appreciated your reply - especially the calming words that the aneurysm is measured..."
degarden_girl | @degarden_girl | Jun 13, 2019

@abster93 @twojunes2 It is my understanding that an aneurysm will not shrink or disappear. All we can do is follow a healthy lifestyle to do all we can to keep it from growing. An ECHO every 6 months might reassure us that the aneurysm is stable but a CT should be limited to perhaps every three years unless your cardio determines there is reason for it to be done more often. A CT carries a lot of radiation. An ECHO carries no radiation.

BTW, in addition to the open chest repair of an aneurysm there is also a less invasive procedure to install a stent should the aneurysm grow large and the patient is not thought to be a good candidate for the open chest surgery.

We all need to remember that in most cases, the aneurysm is a slowly growing issue. It will likely be years before surgery is needed or considered. In the meantime we need to keep our blood pressure low, our lifting limited to low weights, include lots of fiber in our diets for the obvious reason, exercise with your cardio's OK and keep saturated fats low. It's all we can do and there is just no sense worrying about something we can't change.

Have a great day ladies.

Donna

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