Connect
← Return to Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others
Discussion
Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: 6 hours ago | Replies (543)Comment receiving replies
I am a very active, falconry, cattle farm, hunting, fishing, gardening,73 year old male with a recently discovered 4.2 thoracic aortic aneurysm. For the past few months I have been considering requesting surgery. With the suggested limitations and stress with knowing this time bomb is ticking I believe this is the best decision. Your thoughts and professional guidance please. crb
Replies to "I am a very active, falconry, cattle farm, hunting, fishing, gardening,73 year old male with a..."
Hello Rick, I had to share with you. My mother at the age of 76 had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm a point away from a 5 cm. so she needed the surgery. Surgery was done in a Well Known Medical Center, Dr's who had done the surgery many times, with an expert team and she came through it with flying colors. Recuperation is up to the Patient. Just wanted to share a positive outcome.
Hello @rickbenson and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect!
I notice that you asked for thoughts and professional guidance. As you may know, Connect is a patient-to-patient support group where we offer our own experiences, but we do not offer "professional advice" because we are patients like you and not as a general rule, medical professionals.
After reading your post and seeing that you have been active I'm sure that the discovery of an aortic aneurysm must have been a surprise to you. If you care to share more: How was this aneurysm discovered? Were you having symptoms of some type? What type of test did the doctor request that made this diagnosis? Are you taking any medications now to help control this? Have you considered a second opinion from a well-known heart center regarding the best approach to this problem?
Connect
It is a shock to discover that you have an aneurysm. I was told I had a 3.8 cm infra renal aneurysm 13 years ago. It is now 5.0 cm and I am 80. I lead an active life with no limitations. With my complicated anatomy, the surgeon wants to wait until it reaches 6.0 cm before repair.
Sometimes they grow slow or not at all and sometimes they grow fast and need to be repaired. The repair has risks as well as benefits and most cardiologists say the the risks outweigh the benefits when the size is under 5.5 cm for men and 5.0 for women, It also depends on the particular anatomy as well as your family history and your life habits. I was a smoker and stopped when I learned I had the aneurysm. In the past 13 years, I have kept my blood pressure low with medications, exercised 5 days a week on a treadmill and monitored the growth yearly and now every 6 months sometimes with ultrasound and now with CT scans.
My advise is to find a cardiologist or cardiac surgeon you trust and discuss what is the best option for you. If you don't like the advise, get a second opinion. Good luck .