Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Exercise

I am 69 years old and i have an aortic aneurysm. 2013 it 3.8 cm On Feb 2023 Ct scan showed it has increased to 4cm. I love to lift weights 180 to 200pound and cardio exercises. I feel great but iam getting concerned. I was told that i should not be lifting weights by my nurse friends. That is very depressing news. I exercise four times a week and jog 5 to 6 miles a week and i have a very active life style. I do not smoke but have a few drinks of alcohol in moderation with friends on the weekend. I have an appointment with my cardiologist to discuss resent results of Ct scan.
I have not been to the gym since my test results out concern for my health which is very depressing. Im just reaching out for some opinions about my situation.

Thanks for sharing. I am 69 in great shape but having anxiety lately over my aneurysm which is 4cm as of Feb 17 2023. Iam not having any symptoms, but I have stop working out in the gym all together since this last CT results. Waiting for visit with cardiologist. Your post has offered me a lot of comfort and a great deal of hope. Good luck with your recovery.

Peace be with you

Thank you. I really didn’t have symptoms from the aneurysm- it was discovered on accident really from a breast MRI, but thankfully it was. It grew from 4.8- 5.17 in just over a years time. I cut down on exercise- I did things like Piyo using my own body weigh and then resorted to 25 pounds weighted exercises at the gym which were hugely unsatisfying. But once surgery got close and I found out I had the blockage, I quit all exercise, way too nervous. I’m
Just now starting back slowly with cardiac rehab… it is long and slow but better than the alternative. Keep tabs on your sizes and just know that the guidelines have changed to 5.0 to consider surgery. I pushed to have mine done, I could not deal
With the daily anxiety. I wish you luck and good health.

I am 67 year old male who cycled 7000 miles a year at high aerobic rates. Almost 5 cm ascending aortic aneurysm was detected during echocardiogram for newly detected heart murmur. Cardiologist told me the two are not related, in fact an aneurysm will have no symptoms prior to dissection. Only restriction was to not lift any weights that would make me “strain” as this could spike blood pressure. I was also told to quit cycling at heart rates approaching my lactose threshold heart rate which was 145 bpm for me. Being nervous I checked my blood pressure on my exercise bike at heart rates up to 135 bpm. I found that after even one hour of riding the exercise bike at a heart rate between 125 and 135 bpm had no impact on my blood pressure.

Clearly you have excellent aerobic conditioning.
The way my Dr. explained it is using a water hose as an analogy. There is the control of the flow from the spigot with the valve, bpm, and there is the pressure that builds up in the hose when you put your thumb over half of the hose end constrict the blood flow, i.e., when you strain and/or hold your breath. With the aneurysm it is important to keep the flow moderate rather than full out AND also not to strain which puts more pressure on the walls.

My Dr. recommended that I limit my activity to a pace where I can still carry on a conversation and also to only lift or do activity where I do not have to strain. For example, I no longer haul all the groceries up 2 flights in one pass and instead carry multiple smaller loads and practice yoga breathing as I do that to avoid strain.

I know this is no fun. I had to completely change my cardio workouts and can no longer lift weights at 12 rep max capacity, but I don't want a blow-out because I refused to change my workouts.

Hello everyone....I am 69 years old, and I have recently been diagnosed with a 'mild aneurysmal dilation ascending thoracic aorta measuring 4.1 cm'. Since I haven't been in a hospital for over 30=years, and I have had quite good health, this has hit me with major anxiety. My mother had heart issues. I also have smoked the last ten years, and I smoked ten out the previous 17 years before that. I am 5'8", weighing around 194 lbs. I read through all of the comments, and I am greatly surprised and grateful with how many of you exercise regularly. My main question; will surgery be recommended? Or can I work on this with medications and exercise? I have (and still am) a registered licensed basketball official for the past 25+ years. I received this news a month after the lung scan that I took. Any and all input is desired and appreciated.

i was advised to keep up with the exercise and keep weights at 50 pounds and lower. 4.1 is good. 5.0 is bad. good luck.

Hi moose(my favorite animal!!)
From what my doctor told me and what I have researched on the Internet. Surgery will be recommended if the aneurysm reaches 5.0 cm or grows more than .5 cm in a years time. That is why they scan so often. And that is when the tables turn, to a rupture being more risky than the surgery. Hope that helps and just keep monitoring your blood pressure like the doctor says and try to stay healthy.

To kmailloux and others here; I went to the cardiovascular doctor today, and I got a very good report. First, the doc said that it was 3.9 cm and not 4.1 cm. Then, the doc went on to say that there was no need for surgery now, nor for the next decade at least. The doc said that my smoking did not affect my health very much at all (I am still quitting). The doc pulled up the scans, went over them in detail. I do have two very small calcium deposits in my heart, which was said to be of no issue. As for my meds, I don't take anything major. My blood pressure is great. What has been a major issue in my opinion, and the doctor concurred.......my anxiety was/ is in my chest. Having said that, I told the doc about when I heard about the moment when I called his office as to why they were calling me, and, of course, the person on the other end of the phone said 'we have been trying to schedule an appointment for your aneurysm.' THAT freaked me out. I was at the laundromat, and I kept on doing my laundry. The interesting thing was that after I had finished and put away my clothes, I felt fine. Since that moment (ten days ago), I have concentrated on 'what is it that I need to get done' and it really helped. It's like I was stopping procrastination in my life. Something like that. Thanks to all who encouraged me in this part of the journey.

It was explained to me that the exercising where you walk, run, bike, stair step, whatever, is slowly increased and therefore that is why after exercise your BP normally goes down. The lifting where you hold your breath, grunt or groan and have to exert, then you are done is what is not good. I was lifting a heavy item when my aorta dissected in three places. It was an emergency situation. I previously had been diagnosed with a 4cm anuerysim in the arch. It was 4.5 at the time of dissection and emergency surgery. I will be 70 this year.