1. < Aortic Aneurysms

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 | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @crhp194 "Your aneurysm usually needs to be repaired at that size. I would see if you can..." + (show)
@crhp194

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

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Mine was almost 6 so waiting was not an option. Mine seems to have been caused by aortic giant cell arteritis. That is controlled or fixed by medication.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @jimmorgan "Have one but no surgery yet. Watchfull waiting." + (show)
@jimmorgan

Have one but no surgery yet. Watchfull waiting.

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Welcome @jimmorgan. I can imagine that you're concerned. What questions would you like to ask other Connect members who have been there?

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JohnWBurns | @johnwburns | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

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Mayo's strength is in execution of processes and procedures at every level. They shoot for getting you out alive.

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JohnWBurns | @johnwburns | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

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Any family history?

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crhp194 | @crhp194 | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

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No known family history but my parents died at ages 72 and 74 so it is unknown. My grandfather had heart failure but probably before much was known about the heart then. Also no MRAs available or CT scans or echoes.

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JohnWBurns | @johnwburns | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

Jump to this post

Family history of dissection weighs heavily in favor of being pro-active so too bad you don't know. If you are on the high normal side blood pressure wise, tell them to get you down at least in conformance with the recent SPRINT study,

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srlove | @srlove | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

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Thanks to you all for sharing. I am at a 4.3 cm but also have an enlarged pulmonary artery (4.2 cm and should be a 2.5). Have decided to delay CT two weeks till my Medicare kicks in. Then will have CT and whatever tests cardiologist wants. No medical info from father side. Mom's side cancer, and some heart disease but not aneurism. I feel a little better knowing that you all are out there. Thanks so much!

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srlove | @srlove | Sep 13, 2016
In reply to @crhp194 "Your aneurysm usually needs to be repaired at that size. I would see if you can..." + (show)
@crhp194

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

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Thanks for the great info. Fingers crossed...

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 15, 2016
In reply to @srlove "Diagnosed with this 6 months ago. Just now starting to have minor chest pains. Have CT..." + (show)
@srlove

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.

Jump to this post

Let us know the results what you get them @srlove.

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shakuni11 | @shakuni11 | Oct 25, 2016
In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @michellr I'm so sorry to hear how stressful this is for you and hope you..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Hi @michellr
I'm so sorry to hear how stressful this is for you and hope you are taking measures to manage the stress.

As for getting treatment at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Pochettino, an aortic surgery expert at Mayo would be happy to review your records to understand your situation and determine what type of cardiac surgery needs to be performed. To begin this process, please call Dr. Pochettino's patient appointment secretary, Hope Nesbit at 507-255-2000. After determining what type of surgery is needed, Ms Nesbit will connect you to our business office to speak about insurance options.

Here's a video Dr. Pochettino made explaining what patients need to know about aortic surgery


Here's a quick read about the The 4 A's when you find yourself stressing - Avoid, Alter, Accept and Adapt - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044476?pg=1

I hope this helps. Keep talking with us. You're not alone.

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Glad to see your post. I am 67 yrs old and underwent a bypass surgery with Aortic Valve replacement 14 yrs ago. Now I have been recommended to have surgery for an enlarged Aortic Aneurysm (5.7CM) and replacement of Aortic Valve with a mechanical valve. They may also redo some bypasses. Have visited Dr. Nishimura and Dr Pochettino recently. Concerned about length of surgery and the post op care and the risk associated. I am generally in good health and have no other health issues. Any comments and opinions welcome.

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