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Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Exercise
Aortic Aneurysms | Last Active: Nov 8, 2023 | Replies (107)Comment receiving replies
Interested in any responses to your question, as I have the very same questions and finding very little guidance , even from dr and surgeon. Working out is what helps me physically and mentally and in one years time since my AAA was discovered quite by accident, it has grown from 4.8 to 5.17. I am a nervous wreck and feel so very limited by what I can no longer do ( push-ups pull ups sit-ups ) and 30 lbs is the limit I’m told. I’d like to know if there is a certain heart rate that I should not go over? My BP has been good, I’m on Cardizem, and surgery is probably in my near future. I see cardio thoracic surgeon next week… my anxiety over this is crippling. Oh, and I’m 54 yo female.
Replies to "Interested in any responses to your question, as I have the very same questions and finding..."
Since a chest xray nearly 15 years ago that found my AAA I've really watched my blood pressure and things that impact that.. my exercise is limited to walking and maintaining my acreage... scans and sonograms have been quite stable.. now 85 years old..
The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association have come out with new recommendations. Recommendations from 2010 were that repair surgery should be done with the aneurysm reaches 5.5 cm. The new guidelines state 5.0 cm. Apparently, they lost patients by stretching to 5.5 cm. You might, therefore, be careful until you see your surgeon next week in light of these new recommendations.
Best wishes,
Joanne
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I have grilled my surgeon on this several times and he keeps telling me I can workout and lift weight as long as I am not straining (holding my breathe or huffing and puffing so much that my heart is not pumping steadily. Now that I'm on a beta blocker I can't get my heart rate up to 80% of max, so I've stopped worrying about heart rate. It's been a year of 65-70% max heart rate and steady yoga breathing anytime I lift anything and my AAA has not increased or shown any indication of dissection. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it is better for my health to exercise moderately than not at all.