Thoracic aortic aneurysm: Anyone had surgery?

If you can get to a Mayo Cline, please go. I had an aneurysm that was over 5 in 2016 and still had no symptoms. I did have surgery at Mayo and all went well. If you cannot get to Mayo, go to your cardiologist and insist that he or she see you. It's your life, not theirs and you only have one life. I would not worry what a doctor thinks about you. They are there to help so please go asap.

Demand you be seen for a cta or 2d echo. They work for you & it's your body & life! Like you said, you know your body. Don't be afraid to demand an appt. I'm a nurse & people demand we get them all kinds of things. Lol. Your concerns are legit. Don't take no for an answer. My aneurysm grew from 4.3 to 4.8 in 6 mos. my Dr said I could wait. NOPE. I had surgery 2 wks later. I couldn't live with the bomb in my chest

Hello: I just saw your message. I totally agree with crhp194. I had surgery for aortic aneurism as well as replacing my aortic valve. My aneurism was well over 5 and I had NO symptom. My cardiologist in Chicago referred me to Dr. Nishimora at Mayo who advised me to have the surgery done by Dr. Pochetino at Mayo. Surgery was done in early Feb of this year and I am absolutely fine. It is a major surgery but Mayo does a fabulous job and Dr. Pochetino is great. I hope this helps.

based on this diagnosis am I at risk of doing more damage, if I take a testosterone supplement?

Hello @redskin39,

I apologize for not responding earlier, but somehow I missed getting a notification about your post! I'm quite sure it's a tech glitch because I see that Connect Mentors, whose fluency in responding to new members is beyond helpful, probably did not get notified either.
Thanks for the followup, @colleenyoung.

You may also notice that I moved your discussion and combined it with this existing discussion on thoracic aortic aneurysm, because I thought it might be beneficial for you to be introduced to the many members who have discussed the same.
If you are replying by email, you could click on VIEW & REPLY so that you can read through some of the earlier messages and meet some of our other members talking about their or their or their loved ones' experiences.

Here’s a great article from Mayo Clinic that might help your search for answers:
– What are the heart risks associated with testosterone therapy? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/expert-answers/testosterone-therapy-side-effects/faq-20090015

I also encourage you to view these discussions on Connect:
– https://connect.mayoclinic.org/webinar/facebook-live-the-truth-about-testosterone-and-mens-health-with-dr/
– https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-testosterone/ (although this is an older discussion, @roush writes about Androgen and heart issues, and I'm hoping he will return with more insight).

While we wait for others to join in, I'd like to invite Mentors @predictable and @hopeful33250 to see if they have any thoughts or suggestions as well.

@redskin39, we look forward to getting to know you; may I ask if you could share a few more details? When were you diagnosed with thoracic aortic aneurysm? Have you asked your doctor about taking testosterone supplements?

interesting. I also was born with intraventricular hole in my heart and just had tricuspid valve surgery Dec. 2016. Had open heart surgery when I was 10 and now again at 65. How did you do with the valve surgery?

Have not had surgery. My aneurysm is only 4.7 cm my cardiologist operates at 5.5 cm.Just doing a CT every 2 months.

Thank you Kanaaz. I did as my doctor about the supplement he said it could cause more damage, but made light of it. I am 73 years old, that may be the reason. I was diagnosed on November 17, 2017. I am borderline diabetic, never smoked, never drank, so other than discovering the aneurism I am in fairly good health. I have taken Norvasc 5mg for more than 20 years, and Pravastatin for about 15 years. These are the only 2 prescription drugs I have taken on a regular basis up till now. The testosterone supplements made me more energetic, seemed to be more mentally alert. New medication seems to make me weak, can't sleep, depressed, lack of motivation.

I had surgery for aortic aneurysm 7/29/16 and am a very senior citizen (old) and it went very well and recovery also went smoothly. Had a great surgeon at Mayo, Dr. Pochettino. This was done at the Rochester Clinic, cannot find enough praise for the doc and all his assistants and all the nursing staff.

I second morningglory’s post. I had the same surgery with the same doctor on 5/10/2016. I had zero problems after the surgery. Mayo is a great clinic for heart problems. Recovery was swift and no particular problem in the hospital. Cannot say enough good about the hospital. The hospital has plenty of help and on the open heart floor, there is 1 very competent nurse for every two patients. Every nurse I had was extremely competent and kind.