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

Posted by kmailloux @kmailloux, Mar 15, 2023

I am a 60 year old female, who has been very active her whole life. I was a very competitive gymnast, then moved to triathlons, then to cycling and running, strength training has always supported these activities. I am a certified personal trainer, and the aneurysm is a new diagnosis as of Dec of 2022. it was shocking - I now have a heart condition. I ran a marathon 2 weeks after I turned 60. My Cradic surgeon has stated that I can train for a 50k (31 miles) race, as well as a 150 mile bike ride. I have a 50 lb lifting weight limit. My BP is low and I am on no medications. My questions are .. is the activity too much? I run 5-6 days a week plus strength training and biking. I have mild chest pain - all of this has been told to my doc. they keep telling me everything is ok - I am just so nervous about all of this - but want to keep doing what I love. Any input will be appreciated.

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dew88 | @dew88 | May 2 10:02pm

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.

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dew88 | @dew88 | May 3 2:56pm
In reply to @upartist "Hello kmailloux. First I congratulate you on an amazing healthy life style! Your mention of mild..." + (show)
@upartist

Hello kmailloux. First I congratulate you on an amazing healthy life style! Your mention of mild chest pain caught my attention. I have a 4.3 cm ascending aortic aneurysm diagnosed a few years ago. I reduced my exercise after reading through people's experiences on this blog, but I am still very regular. I never exercised to your degree. My chest pain brought me in to get studies, where the aneurysm was discovered. My aneurysm is not what is getting treated, but the chest pain is. My angina results from cardiac micro spasm (diagnosed through an ACTH challenge test during a cardiac cath) along with endothelial dysfunction. I have very opened large arteries. Stress , both physical and perceived emotional/cognitive, are the main triggers. Sometimes its spontaneous. I would recommend to you to look deeper. Your chest pain may not be aneurysm related. Mine is not but it can still be fatal.. I am treated with two forms of nitro.... one for exercise (nitrobid ointment ... which is an old resurrected medication and extremely effective to allow me to do my cardio) and the other are sublingual tabs for rescue pain. I did have to redo my life style, but I can still actively participate in numerous cool activities and sports, just scaled back. I also chose to have the gold standard cardiac cath back when I did not know what was going on. It was recommended, and I was scared. Information can reduce stress and guide our decision making. It should be empowering. I think you need more information. Clarify that chest pain. Good luck! And keep on trekking !!!
UPArtist

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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.

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