Hi @hopeful33250 I have an existing electronic journal focused on adapting to the challenges of aging and create new journals when I want to focus on a specific topic. The journaling group looks interesting, thanks for sharing that.
My follow-up is in mid-July, to see the results of doubling my statin dose and getting a lipid panel and cardiac C-reactive protein and Lipoprotein(A) tests in advance of that visit. In the meantime, I'm monitoring my blood pressure at home, which at times has been quite high (~170/80). But, I had a BP check yesterday with my primary care provider and BP was fine. I'm going to continue monitoring my BP at home and report back. Based on that, my BP meds may need to be adjusted.
I've always thought of myself as very adaptable but I'm finding it hard to deal with the uncertainty. Is my aneurysm getting larger? Will it suddenly rupture without warning? No way to know.
My cardio mentioned in one of the visits that he may want to do an echocardiogram. But, I guess that depends on how he assesses my risk when I see him in July. Arghh, "watchful waiting" may be the recommended strategy for dealing with aneurysms, but oh my, it can be tough on patients who feel their lives are hanging in the balance!
I remain optimistic, but it's hard not to be be anxious about this.
-suz1950