Thoracic aortic aneurysm: Anyone had surgery?

Posted by jbsb93 @jbsb93, Jul 28, 2011

I was born with a hole in my heart and have had 2 surgeries. One to fix hole and the other a valve replacement. I've been recently told the I have a thoracic aneurysm and possibly will need more surgery.. Anyone gone th ru this before??

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crhp194 | @crhp194 | Jul 18, 2016

Your aneurysm usually needs to be repaired at that size. I would see if you can get to Mayo's or somewhere that does lots of these surgeries. Many tests are done before surgery so you should know beforehand the operating plan before you have the surgery. If you are worried about afterward, Mayo's has excellent pain control and excellent nurses who are readily available. In particular, nurses Emily, Callie, Amy, aKevin, Dot, Patti-these are very caring and knowledgable. My surgery was May 10, 2016 and all is well. @smithjss

michellr | @michellr | Jul 24, 2016

I had surgery 2/15. The pain was no.big deal. I was kayaking 8 wks after. I am still.having opthalmic migraines, something new since surgery. Besides that , feel great

srlove | @srlove | Sep 12, 2016

Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT scan with contrast on Thursday ...anyone else have this. What comes next? A little concerned. Thanks.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 12, 2016

In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)

Hi @srlove, I moved your message to this existing discussion about Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm so you can meet other members who have "been there" and can help answer your questions about what comes next. I encourage you to read the messages in this discussion forum to see the experiences and tips @michellr @johnwburns @crhp194 @ch246cf10 @jimmorris900 and others have shared.
What concerns you the most? What questions do you have?

crhp194 | @crhp194 | Sep 12, 2016

In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)

What comes next depends on the size of the aneurysm. Above 5 cm doctored seem to,want to operate to avoid rupture. Having gone through open chest surgery in May, I am amazed at how great I feel. Was sore (incision soreness) for about four weeks but could do rehab walk and live a normal life. After 6 weeks I was quite well. If you work, doctors say you can go back after about 6 weeks as long as you don't lift much for 3 months. I had no complications or infections so I felt very lucky. Mayo Clinic seems to do everything possible to,avoid infections. The staff was so kind, knowledgeable, and careful that rather than the horror the surgery could be, it was not bad at all. The first two days are spent in ICU and then to intermediate care. I must admit I really don't remember the day of surgery or much on the second day. The pain control at Mayo was excellent. If you have more specific questions, please ask. Good luck!