Ascending Aortic Aneurysm and Anxiety

I had my surgery almost 5 years ago, they found my 5.2 ascending aortic aneurysm after an MTB accident and were prepping me for leg fracture surgery. Mine was large enough that they recommended to have the repair as soon as possible, I had to wait 3 months for my leg to heal some as they want you walking after open heart surgery, the longest 3 months of my life. I went into my OH surgery of course nervous but the fear of a rupture/disection was higher. Surgery is tough but beareable, and the relief of not having the aneurysm anymore got me through the recovery, my stress went to almost "0" almost immediately. 5 yeasr on, I am doing great, exercising almost daily, back on my bike.

My advice is to find the best team of Drs you can find, a great surgeon and cardiologist (this last one you will have to see pretty much for the rest of your life, so find a great one). In my case that made a huge difference, they gave me confidence, answered all my questions, made the whole process much easier to manage.

Also, take care of your body, being in the best shape you can be will make the surgery and recovery easier.

Best luck to you!!!!!

Thank you for the reply! I'm at 4.9 and I've now had 2 cardiologists tell me to wait for surgery until 5.5. The waiting game won't be helping my anxiety much. I'm hoping to be referred to Mayo shortly as that is where I'd like to have the surgery done.

I am 74 years old and discovered I have a 3.5 ascending aortic aneurysm. I am concerned how long will it take to become 5.5

Everything I've read and have been told is that these grow around .1cm per year. If yours is anything like the normal you have a couple decades before it'd get there. If I were in your shoes I wouldn't sweat it too much as long as you're seeing your doctor regularly. I'm praying every day that I get to make it to your age now!

Make sure you Find a cardiologist who specializes in aneurysms or is highly familiar with them, there are factors beyond the size of it, like your body size, family history, etc that I believe are taken into account, mine did not get to 5.5 and they told me to have surgery as soon as possible, I’m 5’ 6” so they considered 5.2 large for my size. There were also several cases of aneurysms in my family that influenced their decision. My cardiologist is an aneurysm nerd, a lot of his research is on the subject and the genetics behind them, the surgeon also highly suggested surgery, so not a real choice for me

Thanks for your reply. Can I ask how old you were when you had surgery and how was your recovery?

A 3.5 cm ascending aortic aneurysm is something to take seriously, but the good news is that at this size, it’s usually manageable with monitoring and the right lifestyle adjustments.

Aneurysms like this typically grow slowly—about 0.1 to 0.2 cm per year on average. So, if everything stays stable, it could take 10–20 years to reach 5.5 cm, which is when surgery is usually considered. That said, some things can make it grow faster, like high blood pressure, smoking, or certain genetic conditions. If any of those apply, it’s worth addressing them right away.

The key is regular check-ups. Most doctors recommend imaging (like a CT scan or echocardiogram) every 6–12 months to keep an eye on it. If it’s growing faster than 0.5 cm in a year, they may talk to you about earlier intervention.

In the meantime, there are things you can do to keep it stable:

1. Keep your blood pressure under control—medications like beta-blockers or ARBs (like losartan) are often helpful.
2. Avoid heavy lifting or intense physical strain, as those can put extra pressure on your aorta.
3. If you smoke, quitting will make a big difference.
4. Stay on top of your overall heart health—diet, exercise, and managing cholesterol all play a role.
If you haven’t already, it might be worth seeing a specialist who focuses on thoracic aneurysms. They can give you a clearer picture and talk about any next steps based on your specific situation.

I previously had a sudden complete Type A-1 aortic dissection. Mine has been stable after two emergency open heart surgeries 9.5 years ago. I'm at 4.1cm. I hauled 600 lbs of black dirt this weekend and worked HARD around the yard and garage. I am 60 years old, 6ft and 248lbs. You're going to be fine. You know you have a problem and you're doing something about. Peace.

Thank you for the reply. Prayers are so welcome.

Thank you so much for your information. You seem to know what you are
talking about. Looks like you are a doctor. Bless you and thank you

I was 54 and in good physical shape, I was out of the hospital in 5 days and back to work in 3 weeks, the first couple of weeks are the worst, it took me longer to recover from my broken leg than my chest surgery