Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

@caroline58
Thanks very much for your reply. I will be talking to my GP and others about appropriate exercise, but the message certainly seems clear to reduce straining, weights, running, and anything else that spikes blood pressure. I am hoping that swimming (freestyle) will also be OK, as I live near the sea.

@davidneal
I have fibromuscular dysplasia in the cerebral artery and carotid arteries and some in the spine, we get aneurysms and dissections. I work as a nurse.
We should not lift weights at all and not run because it increases blood flow in the arteries, from the heart to the femoral arteries it is not a long way. So I do nothing like that, long walks are my exercise.

Hi everyone,
I am a retired science/health teacher, age 69, female, 5'11, 225#.

I was diagnosed with a 4.6cm ascending aortic aneurysm in 2016 and have been monitoring it yearly since then. (It is interesting how the measurement can vary by facility/equipment/radiologist. I have been measured as low as 4.3 and as high as 5.3.) I went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in October and met with a cardiologist in their Aortic Clinic. After all the tests, the latest measurement is 5.3 at the root and 4.2 ascending. My aortic valve has moderate regurgitation, most likely from the dilated aortic root pulling on it. This alone is probably not enough for surgery. But, I also have 8 points on the Ghent scale for Marfan Syndrome, even though I don't have a known genetic mutation for Marfan. There is a familial link as my brother had a similar aortic graft, then TAVR in TAVR, and pacemaker. All these things together make me a candidate for surgery at this time.

My surgery is scheduled for April at the Mayo Clinic. The plan is to replace the aortic valve with a tissue valve and a Dacron graft from the root up to the arch. I am comfortable with the idea of surgery, especially when the alternative might be a possible dissection. I know it is better to do this at age 69 rather than 5 or 10 years from now. I am somewhat concerned about the recovery: cardiopulmonary bypass dementia, sternotomy pain, movement in daily life with a sternotomy, recovery time, etc. (I'm one of those people who needs to be prepared for anything, and if it doesn't happen, great.)

My local cardiologists added Amlodipine and increased my Metoprolol prior to the upcoming surgery.
So, for the next 75 days, I will be learning as much as I can, losing weight, walking, and managing stress. The stress part is hard as I am also helping to care for my Mom (91) and Dad (96) who have health issues.

Five generations of my family have been Mayo patients. I know the expertise and care there are world-class.

Any information and advice are welcome. Thank you.

Hi everyone,
My name is David and I am 70 years old and was diagnosed in mid 2024 with aneurysms in both my left and right Common Iliac Arteries. It seems that these sort of aneurysms are less common and most discussion is around aortic aneurysms (understandable, as that's the name of the group!). My left CIA aneurysm seems to be expanding quite rapidly which is concerning:

Right CIA Left CIA

mid 2024 16mm 17mm
Jan 2026. 17.3mm 23mm

My wife and I have looked at our lifestyle changes during the specific period when the most rapid growth occurred and feel that some of the exercises and other things I do may have been contributing factors:
- body pump classes (not heavy weights, only up to 12 kg total weights - especially squats, weighted hip raises, overhead weight moves)
- mat pilates - Russian twists with weight, planks, pushups etc
- some heavy gardening - removing tree stumps etc
- not controlling my breathing when doing the above, and sometimes probably unwittingly holding my breath during the lifting/straining move
- saunas
- we drink about 10 units of alcohol per week.

I will be making some changes/reductions in the above areas, but would also welcome any other thoughts on lifestyle changes and other measures (apart from surgery!) that may assist in slowing the growth rate of the aneurysms. Also is there anyone else on this chat with common iliac artery aneurysms. Thanks.

Hi Sara,
I was told my ascending aorta is at 4.1 cm.
I'm 5'10". Never a smoker, 180 lbs.

Hi Teddy;
You have already made a good move from the Doc who said noooo to the stent grafts. Except that 4.2 cm is not near the 5.5 cm that is generally accepted as the dia. at which to consider surgery. For example I have double aorta ascending aneurysms (4.2 & 4.5 cm) and at the accepted growth rate of 1/3rd cm per year, I have 3 years before I need to consider surgery. Now, I would trade my situation for yours any day for the following reason: Ascending aneurysms require OPEN HEART SURGERY with all of its attending problems, ie recovery etc. But Descending aneurysms can be repaired via minimally invasive incision in the groin where a tiny tube is inserted through blood vessels to reach the aneurysm where a stent is placed. Never gets too close to the heart itself. So, find a specialist to explain the procedure which should make your anxiety much more tolerable.
Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and others have been doing this procedure with much success,. So go out and enjoy your RV journey.

Well, I’m actually an RN and I’ve had to take continuing education courses for my license. I recently attended a course on ascending aorta aneurysm and, no kidding, that’s what I learned. Since I am only 5 foot, this is disappointing information for me, but I’m happy for your tall genes! I also learned that having two aneurysms is common. Not comforting, but common. Your post made me smile. I love your sense of humor.

I'm not sure if I should laugh at the ""tall people can wait till 6.0cm"" or be happy that I am 6'3"" tall. I just have not heard nor read any such thing and am not sure I would be willing to take a chance on that just yet. Maybe @sarastewart would be kind enough to elaborate on the source of that statement. Particularly, for short people who might think that they have been ""short changed"" in the aneurysm department. Be kind to yourself and try to see some humor in every day life. It makes the medicine go down a lot easier. Full discloser: I have a double aneurysm in ascending aorta with a valve prolapse. (4.2 & 4.5cm).

Hi Steve,

First, you want to find out how many centimeters your aneurysm is. Short people can’t wait as long as tall people. Tall people can wait sometimes all the way to 6.0. From reading everyone’s input in this support group it seems like 5.5 is about the average time we have until we need to undergo surgical intervention. For ascending aortic aneurysms, you need to know where exactly the aneurysm is located - an MRI or CT scan will tell your surgical cardiologists the answer. From what I’ve read, if it’s too close to the aortic root, you may not be a candidate for surgery. We’re talking open heart surgery at this point as the only option; however, they just did what I think was the first endovascular surgery on an ascending aortic aneurysm over in California at Stanford. The medical community is becoming more and more creative so we have lots of hope. Just get as thin as possible to make it easier for the medical community to help you. Stop smoking and start an exercise program under your cardiologist watchful eye. Many of us have lived for years, knowing we have an aneurysm. This is not fun but reality. God is in control. Sara💐

Who is the cardiovascular surgeon at Mayo in Jacksonville that specializes in Ascending Aortic Aneurysms?
I also still have no answers on what happens if you have a heart attack and they give you chest compressions or not because of the AAA?