Aortic Aneurysms – Introduce yourself & meet others

I have been on the metoprolol for years and have not had any problems at all. My dose is 150. It took care of my tachycardia and irregular beats. If I miss it I remember because the beats change. It really made my life much better as I did not have my "funky beats" to worry about. I had heard negative remarks too but none of the side affects happened to me. Yeah! The cardiologist told me it was like a fortress built around my heart to protect it. Even when I do something that raises my heart rate it keeps it from going too high. I hope it works as well for you.

Hello again everyone!
here I am, 5 weeks after my AVR and the ascending aorta graft. I had it done at the Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, MN - very pleased with my surgeon and the overall care. The recovery was less traumatic than I expected, the first few days being the hardest due to limited range of movement caused by the incision in my sternum.

I was released from the hospital after 6 days. Since I opted for a mechanical valve I was put on warfarin, 2-3 INR level.
It is overwhelming to come home with a bunch of handouts and the loud heartbeat and think that everything will be just fine...
The INR levels took some time to stabilize, I am on my first week long span before another test and do hope that the results will be good. It's tricky with the diet, big learning curve, especially with the family and growing kids around.
I am on 5mg warfarin and 1 baby aspirin daily.

Started to walk outside after I came home, gradually increasing the distance and speed. Thinking of getting a treadmill as the weather is getting nasty here.
Overall I felt that the recovery was going well. I had my intake meeting for cardiac rehab and I am scheduled to start next Wednesday, 3x a week.
Having said that, there is a glitch in my recovery and I find it somewhat discouraging..... the narrative has been how everything will get fixed an ei will slowly return to my new "normal" but there are bumps ahead... I had a couple of episodes when my heartbeat became very rapid or felt very irregular... then I had an episode when my resting rate would feel very slow and I felt like some beats were skipping, every skipped beat made me feel slightly dizzy, they always occurred while I was seated.

So I called the Heart Center, was fitted with a monitor for 48h and was told that it registered some very high beats, in 200s...interestingly enough, I felt and still feel quite fine...

I am supposed to take 25mg of metoprolol, once daily and then we will see..... all stressed about it as the internet is full of negative feedback from patients how it affects the quality of life, energy levels, mood... I had no chance to talk to my cardiologist since she was not in and another doctor made a call based on the Holter's results.

I wish my update be more upbeat, I feel this is a setback in my recovery and another reason to worry....

Thank you for having this wonderful forum to share the ups and downs!

Ilona

Best of luck to you. We are routing for you!

Hello All,
Met with the surgeon today and and the result is the surgery scheduled for the next Wednesday.
Considering my age and the risk of rapture he feels the surgery is the way to go and I agree. Either way I am taking chances and I would rather go with the higher odds of survival.
The aneurysm encroached a bit on the arch and the first artery will need to be repaired as well. Valves look good and tight so hopefully no surprises there.
Going in for a CT tomorrow to check the entire vascular system, will see a cardiologist as well.
I hope to make it through and report once I am over the hurdle...
Thank you and good night to you all...

Thank you Natalie for your detailed message! It sure helps to know what to expect once the fun begins... especially, the post op and the restrictions in the daily life. I am very very thankful for all of it. I woke up this morning to the notification that my appointment was changed to the morning. At least I will not wait and stress most of the day wondering what it will bring..
The surgeon has been assigned through the ER, seems like an experienced and well regarded specialist but I will know more once I meet him in person.
It all happened so fast, not enough time to gather one’s thoughts and meet and greet with various doctors...I will keep posted once I have a clearer picture after this morning!
Thank you again for your message! I am so happy I found this group!

Azzurro1999,
Hello! Just under 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm. I was 48 at the time. I was not aware that I had a problem until I just collapsed one day. I worked full time and was very active. I thought everything was fine! Little did I know....

This surgery is a very serious surgery. If you are happy with the surgeon at Regions, that’s great. I would highly recommend that anybody about to have surgery, especially such a complex surgery, should find the best doctor that their insurance will cover.

The surgery is definitely survivable, as per all the post surgery people conversing on this site. The recovery is painful but will gradually get better. You will be in ICU for several days before you are moved to another wing. The nurses will fuss over you (this is good). You’ll be turned from one side to another to prevent bed sores. Moving around in bed will really hurt. The doctor will want you up and sitting, then walking, within a couple days of surgery. You’ll be thinking “are they kidding me, I hurt” but you’ll do it anyway. While in ICU, you’ll be “eating” a lot of broth and drinking liquids. You will be amazed at the number of drainage tubes sticking out of your chest and abdomen post surgery. Dressing changes will be frequent. You’ll learn to love the catheter and bed pan ( ha ha). Sleeping may be a little challenging due to all people coming in and out, especially while in ICU: nurses, phlebotomists, doctors, janitors, nutritionist, heart monitor people, x ray technicians, physical therapists... to name a few.

You may want to consider bringing a few personal items for your comfort: ex. Phone, tablet, favorite toiletries, underwear, slippers.

Consider what type of help you will need at home as well as who will help you at home when you are finally released from the hospital. You won’t be doing a whole lot. Your sternum, heart, aorta and incisions need time to heal. No driving, no cleaning, no cooking, no lifting etc. You may need help showering. A shower stool was a big help.

It is a big surgery. I had two surgeries three months apart for this. Your situation sounds a little more straight forward than mine was. I had unforeseen complications. But here I am 6 years later.

I wish you all the best.

Natalie
So. California

Thanks Bruce, i am in the process of getting a referral to mayo clinic. Hoping to just find a good cardiac doctor there,and continue there.

Bruce,
I was about to log off and saw your kind message! I hope you can imagine how incredibly comforting it is to hear from someone and learn about their first hand experience rather than sifting through medical journals and research.
I thank you for taking the time to reply from the bottom of my heart!
I understand that one’s road to recovery and health might differ from person to person but it still feels good to know that you were able to endure the surgeries and it gives me hope for my own case.
Strangely enough, I am not very scared for myself, been always thinking better with a bang than...but it’s my family’s well-being that weights very heavily on me.. all I need is to a few more years for my kids to be emotionally able to face and recover from the trauma. Sounds very dramatic but it’s all I care about..
I will definitely post any further developments. I am so relieved to know there are people out there willing to support and share with one another as we navigate the scary unknown.
Again, many thanks for your response!
Ilona

Hello,
You are relatively young which will help you recover quicker. This is really key. Had my Aortic Aneurysm repaired at age 39. I had no symptoms. They found it when doing a routine chest x-ray for an annual physical. Mine was about the same size as yours when I was operated on. It was growing at a rate of 2.0 cm per year. I had a prior heart surgery(at age 13) so there were some scar tissue complications but you won't have that if this is your first (Lets hope only) chest opening. When they read my x-rays I felt it was unusual they were sending me straight to a Surgeon instead of a Cardiologist(I didn't have a Cardiologist at the time). But there isn't much the Cardiologist could have done. I was really needing a Surgeon. I understand now why this was done. Get yourself a Cardiologist you will need them to check in on you after surgery. Otherwise the Hospital will probably assign one to you while you are in the hospital. Which is OK too. But you probably want to pick one yourself. Mine came a few times when I had Aortic Valve Surgery(Yup, my third surgery) this past January. Made the difference and I was out in 5 days. Hope some of this helps. You are fortunate to be in the younger age bracket as the surgery is very invasive and tough on the body(I know, I've had it twice). I'll be looking for your posts over time and would like to know how well you recover from the procedure. Keep your chin up.

All the best to you.

Bruce
Texas

Hello everyone! As you can all guess, I just received a diagnosis of an ascending aortic aneurysm (5.3cm) this past Friday and have been feeling pretty discouraged ever since. I am 47y old and a busy mother of 4. No obvious symptoms until a fainting episode about a month ago prompted me to seek the consult with my GP.
EKG and nuclear stress tests did not show any abnormalities but the echocardiogram results came back with the news of the aneurysm of 5cm. I ended up st the ER yesterday as I was once again experiencing the same sensations that preceded my syncope. Had the CAT scan done and it showed the aneurysm at 5.3cm. My blood pressure was way higher than I ever had, in fact I used to be more if s low blood pressure person.
I am seeing thoracic surgeon at Regions in Saint Paul and hoping to find out more what’s the next step. Needless to say, I spent hours following the diagnosis trying to educate myself. Most of the available data and research relates to older age groups and so I am hoping to find some further information and feedback from the community
here and perhaps younger patients as well. It is a very scary feeling to know that at any time things might go wrong and I am terribly worried about my family. Thank you all for having this forum and for any advice you might offer. All and any will be greatly appreciated...