Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

Hello everyone , just this week I went in to have a calcium score test done per my cardiologist . I hesitated to have the test even canceled the first one almost cancelled the 2nd . I went on Wednesday only to find out they found an aortic aneurysm. Scared as could be ! Needless to say the calcium score was much lower than I expected , it was an 11 . My head is spinning ever since .

Hi dee. What was your aneurysms size did they give you a number? You have a lot of support here.
You are not alone. It’s good to share with family but like us we know the real anxiety it can cause.
Here for you. I had surgery for my thoracic aortic aneurysms June 1, 2023 I went back to work in three months. I still have some issues but you learn to deal with it.
All the luck to you. Keep in touch with the group.

Hello, Im so happy that your surgery went well. My thoracic aneurysm is holding stable, but is 4.9. So my anxiety level is very high. I have been consulting with my doctors every 6 months. Where did you have your surgery? Any recommendations?

Hi. I understand your anxiety. Mine reached 5.0 and that’s the cutoff for surgery by 2023 standards. My surgeon explained after a lot of studies the cutoff was lowered to 5.0.
I had my surgery at Ascension
Providence in Waco Texas. I have worked at this hospital for 42 years. We have 2 very excellent vascular surgeons along with 2 great PA’s that work with them.
I did extremely well and my care was excellent.
Try not to stress about it.
Find a surgeon you can put your trust in and above all be proactive. My surgeon gave me the choice to wait and watch it. CT angiogram every 6 months or surgery. I did not want to be worried and have the stress. When I told him my choice he said it was a good decision. He also put the atrial clip in my heart so in the future if I developed AFIB I would not have to take blood thinners.
Good luck. Keep the group updated. We are here for each other.

Hi there the calcium score test showed it to be a 4.1 cm . I spoke to my doctor (cardiologist ) yesterday he’s planning to have me do an MRI soon . I hope you’re still doing well after your surgery ! Wishing you well ! Keep us all posted as your recovery continues !

Hello everyone, got my calcium scoring back about two weeks ago. Score was 480 and they found a 4.2 cm ascending aortic aneurysm. Waiting on cardiologist to call. Stumbled across the group and thought I might reach out.

Welcome to our group.
I have found it very helpful before and after my aortic aneurysm surgery this last June 1
So much to share. Very comporting knowing others are out there with the same fears that will share how they handle it and their whole healing journey. Keep in touch and share. This is so different then talking to our family. Here we share
Something in common that only we know how it feels.

Good morning Kanaaz. Question: Is anyone in the aneurysm group using collagen supplements in response to their aneurysms? I just started using a type I and type III form. My cardiologist mentioned connective tissue issues related to aneurysm /aortic disease, so I went this direction. . What information have people been finding on this topic? Thanks!!!

Hello- during the process of testing of my severe aortic stenosis my Dr discovered I have a 4.1 ascending aortic aneurysm. I was told by the surgeon that it wasn’t big enough to repair at this time so they did a TAVR and I now have a bovine valve. My question is what tests are done regularly to determine the size of the aneurysm and how often? I saw my cardiologist 7 weeks post op and he just said he just told me to come back in 6 months.

I am guessing here...it may be up to the "doctor/hospital" guidelines and the overall health and age of the patient. (I am 72 - 4.1 ascending aortic aneurysm). Sometimes there are other health factors in regard to how often a patient should be tested. Since mine was found by accident when I had another unrelated ( not a heart health issue), the cardiologist decided to wait for two years before the repeat round of tests. I am comfortable with his decision since I have medication and I feel good. I adjusted exercise etc based on his recommendations and have no issues. Then again I never knew I had TAA until I had the chest muscle pull. Needless to say, it worried me in the beginning as well, and so many wonderful posters shared their experience on this thread. I am only sharing my health experience with my testing schedule going forward. I am not a doctor and everyone should refer to his/her doctor in regard to what is best for their own overall health plan.