Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

Hi, just diagnosed in August and I completely get the feeling of walking around feeling like a ticking time bomb (I constantly hear the pop goes the weasel song in my head while going about my day-to-day life) 4.2 with BAV. My Dr also put me on Toprol which I was surprised by because I only had slightly high BP 124/76 (historically I have never had high BP, so I'm assuming stress) Do you mind me asking if you have historically had high BP

Thank you for your response and much success as you manage your TAA.

Mine was measured at 4.3 and told to have a have a CT Chest with Contrast again in two years. The two year point is in October and my doctor (not a cardiologist) has sent a request to the imaging center schedule this for me in October. At 73 I feel good and walk at 2.2 on the treadmill every other day. I admit I follow the directives given when this was discovered and felt better after speaking with my husband's Nurse Practitioner in his cardiologist surgery office. At first blush I was nervous and a "basket case" as I also had for the first time in my life high blood pressure (mine has always been low). I have taken my prescribed medicine, cut my all day caffeine coffee to 20oz a day (that liked to kill me as an old New Yorker I drank coffee all day and could still sleep peacefully) followed the rules (yes, I am a rule follower) and enjoyed a great two years which included both land and cruise vacations with quite a bit of walking. For me peace of mind is what comes into your choice, if you will feel better mentally to speak to a cardiologist than go see one. Each of us handles the news and either front or back of the mind thinking about it. I feel better about my TAA today than I did two years ago. So good I have two cruises booked one for 2025 and one for 2026. I pray you will remain with no growth and do what will give you have peace of mind.

Thank you. My aortic aneurysm was diagnosed in 2015 at 3.9 by my primary doctor who is an internist. Since then I have had regular scans (every 2 years). It has not grown, still at 3.9, however now I am concerned that maybe I should have a cardiologist review my condition. What do you think? I am 69, next May 2025 I'll be 70. I am interested in others who have this condition.

I agree with pamela78 send an email to your cardiologist. Sure it may be nothing and others may or may not have experienced similar concerns but it never hurts to send an email to the doctor.

Perhaps if you're not seeing your doctor for a couple of weeks, it might be prudent to send him a message describing your symptoms. They may be nothing but if I were you I'd rather know. Best of luck.

Hi Folks,

I am 6 months post ascending aneurysm surgery (they replaced one section with a dacron graft and spliced another) and have been recovering well from a strength and exercise perspective. That's the good part. I did get diagnosed with acute pericarditis a few months ago but with meds, that has dissipated although I still have some tenderness and pain in the lower part of my chest that seems 'stable'.

What's really bothersome are these irregular heartbeats that come and go... some are just a few fast beats but other times I get pounding for a few beats... nothing sustained like afib, but I have noted that I am more frequently out of breath these days (climbing stairs, hiking, etc). This is a little bit worse than it was a month ago and it is affecting my sleep, but doesn't (yet) seem to be affecting my ability to do other things.

My question for the group is whether this is common amongst those that have had surgeries of this type. I will mention all this to my cardiologist in a couple weeks but am trying to get some feedback beforehand.

Thanks

You are super lucky!!!!!

I am 78 years old. I had my stent put in over a month ago. I had a CT scan last week. Surgeon said stent is "Perfectly Placed, with No Leaks." That made me happy. But I have had an off and on pain in my back on the right since placement of the stent. The surgeon said, "Go exercise." I do and now the pain is gone. Good luck.

I did the same, my cardiologist is not only an expert in aneurysms and bicuspid valves but also works with a team of geneticists as he does research regarding those subjects. He actually suggested I got tested and asked me to participate in a research study to identify genetic markers for aneurysms (my siblings and mom participated too). He also got my children tested for bicuspid valve and MRIed for possible aneurysms (all clear). That’s why I think it is so important to have a cardiologist that specializes in the subject, I’m blessed to have one.