am I exercising too much with a 4.3 ascending aortic aneurysm?

Husband has a 4.2 aneurysm, Dr told him not to lift over 50 lbs. No straining, I had to buy smaller luggage. He is going to be 80.

Well, I echo Houston13's comments.

When my aneurysm was at 4.3cm, I was blissfully ignorant doing anything I wanted including running, hiking high mountains and doing some crossfit exercises that, in retrospect, were probably not helping (Crossfit did significantly raise my BP). I finally was diagnosed with a 5.3-5.4cm ascending aneurysm a couple years ago and decided to get surgery before the damn thing burst. I am now 1.5 years post surgery and all is well again... back to hiking, occasional running and biking.

So my recommendation is to be mindful of your condition but don't let it overwhelm you. Most importantly... stay in great physical shape so when you do have surgery, you will bounce back quickly. Good luck!

The main issue with exercise is avoiding any exercise that leads you to hold your breath and/or grunt, that is common when trying to maintain back stability, sometimes while doing planks, crunches or lifting heavy weights. It is known that during those moments your BP rises significantly and high BP is the worst enemy of an aneurysm. That is why cardiologists normally tell patients to limit weight lifting to 30lbs. I have posted videos in this forum about exercising and aneurysms, look through my posts and you will find them. One of them is from a cardiologist who does research in the subject the other is by Dr Andy Galpin with Dr Huberman, it is not about aneurysms but how and why straining makes BP increase and by how much

On the other hand keeping your body healthy it’s paramount in case you ever need surgery to repair your aneurysm. I had mine repaired in 2020, I was 54 and my aneurysm was 5.2 cm. I was in very good physical shape and my surgeon gave me >99% of having no complications. I was out of the hospital in 5 days back to work in 3 weeks

This really resonates with me. I was diagnosed with a 4.3cm dilated Aorta and Aortic Root. I am 44, 6’4” and 230lbs. My cardio jokes that if I was her size this would be cause for concern but at my size it’s considered mild. She was not able to offer any specific exercise advice. Working out and weightlifting has been my primary life long hobby and now I just feel lost.

I am 71 years old and was diagnosed 8 years ago with a 4.4cm Upper Aortic Aneurysm. I have a CT Scan with contrast every 6 months to a year and it has not grown since. I exercise regularly and agree with all the discussion about recommendations being all over the place. I walk a lot at a pretty brisk pace, use exercise bands, as well as 10, 15 and 20 lb dumbells to do all sorts of exercises. I have used 25 and 30lb dumbells to do incline bench presses. I do pushups on an incline against the kitchen counter and squats with no extra weight using the counter to balance myself a little bit. I never do as many reps as I can possibly do, I just stop when my muscles start to feel tired. Before I knew I had an aneurysm I lifted regularly doing maximum reps to failure and straining a lot. Those days are long gone, and I mean, at 71, what's the point.

As far as lifting goes I think the most important thing is how you breathe. Personally I breathe in through my nose as I prepare to exert myself and out through my mouth as I push or pull of whatever. I think what can cause spikes in BP that doctors warn against has to do with lifting heavy weight and straining, meaning holding your breath as you push or pull. If that's what someone is doing, its probably, (in my opinion) too much weight or too many reps. Also agree with everyone who has said talk to your cardiologist because it varies so much between individuals.

All the best to all of you and God bless you!

Very good advice. Since arteries have no nerves associated with them it is doubtful that aneurysm could be the culprit, as long as it does not burst, there is no pain. Angina on the other hand is painful and therefore most likely Kmailloux must have other issues possibly with her heart. I was surprised that her doctors did not put her on a statin and blood pressure meds, since those drugs are indicated in lowering blood pressure, one of the problems that go undetected until stumbled on as in my case.

Even though your post is 2 years old I was taken by it. I also have a thoracic aortic aneurysm, in fact two. One 4.2 cm and one 4.5 cm with a valve prolapse. At 88 I am still going to the gym three times a week and am otherwise healthy. I also have been active most of my life in alpine skiing and other outdoor sports. I think your doctors have it correct: keep on with your sports because your strength will get you to 88 and beyond. I will not give up on my active life style because most of my peers are in heaven, those that did not exercise. So, don't worry, be happy and keep on with the things you love.

I was in a car accident in 2017 I broke some ribs and was a little bit banged up. That’s when I learned I had an upper thoracic aortic aneurysm that measured 4.4 cm. I could just say to your whole post ditto, ditto, ditto. All the same concerns and questions. Over the past eight years, I have gradually increased the exercise I do and sometimes it is strenuous and leaves me a little bit short of breath, but nothing intense. I do a lot of exercises with exercise bands and also light dumbbells meaning 10 pound, 15 pound, and 20 pound. I am 70 years old and a couple of different cardiologist have given me a bunch of different recommendations about how much weight to lift and how often to get a CAT scan. After my first CAT scan, six months after my diagnosis, the doctor told me not to come back for two years. I thought, “no way“, I don’t feel comfortable going that long. So I came back in a year and nothing had changed. I started exercising more and therefore became more concerned about possible growth so I started getting a CAT scan every six months and still nothing has changed. I continue to increase the amount of exercise. I do still staying within the same weight limits and I am now getting a CAT scan every four months. I am doing this because I keep increasing the intensity and I walk for 30 to 40 minutes every day. (and my insurance covers it. ) So far so good. Just wanted to let you know I struggle with all the same stuff. Keep on going!

Your comments are very encouraging. I am in a similar situation only I am 67 with an ascending aortic aneurysm at 4.3 cm. This morning I had a CT scan to compare with the my original diagnosis CT scan when my AAA was discovered about 5 months ago. I am hoping to hear back that my AAA has not grown and is stable. I am looking forward to participating in a local charity 5k. We will be walking the 5k. Hoping for good news on the CT scan results.

I think you are doing all of the right things. Keep it up! I too have occasional chest pain if I over do it. Not sure if it is from my back or that AAA. I have been seeing a chiropractor who has been a God send and so far seems to be addressing this pain. My primary care doctor does not think the pain is from the AAA. I have been told not to lift anything over 30 pounds and to keep my BP as low as possible. The 30 pound limitation has really put a big crimp on my beekeeping but I am finding ways to get things done without over doing it.

Are you checking your BP everyday, morning and evening? I have been doing this not only to keep an eye on my BP but to adjust my BP safely as low as I can stand it with Metropolol and very small doses of chlorthalidone. Morning BP is usually around 90/58 and evening is around 116/65. I seem to be able to function just fine with my BP at this level. Stress is yet another thing to minimize. It is amazing how much stress can affect BP.

Best of luck training and competing in the 50K!

Are you talking about the open heart method of repair?