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Exercise, Lifestyle and Life Experience with Dilated Aorta?
Hey all,
This seems like a wonderful community, much better than posting on Reddit or Doom Google Searching. I’m glad to have found this place.
I am a 44m, 6’4” and 230lbs. I have been very active my entire life, weight training, body building, tennis, hiking, and did CrossFit for a few years. It was in CrossFit that I developed some persistent PVC’s which faded when I left the sport.
I have had afib 4 times, all 4 times successfully cardioverted. It wasn’t until this most recent time that I was also placed on Flecanaide to control my rhythm and recommend for a consult for an ablation.
During this time and after a recent echo, I was informed that my Aorta and Aortic Root are both dilated to 4.3cm. My cardiologist joked that if I was her size it would be considered an aneurysm but given my height and size it’s only mild dilation.
I will be honest when I say that this diagnosis has sent me into a spiral. I have developed some depression and anxiety in just a few weeks since this diagnosis. I made the mistake of googling looking for reassurance and came across every worse case scenario. I’m a dad and am worried what this will mean for my daughter.
I’m reaching out to hear from individuals with similar experiences. How is your lifestyle?. What are do’s and donts you’ve come across? When I asked my cardio for recommendations on exercise she was pretty vague and made some generalizations - don’t life too heavy, don’t raise your blood pressure too much, etc. I am hoping some folks have some life experience and guidance they’re received to pass along.
I am glad to return the support if I can do anything at all for anyone here. ❤️
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Once you get over the initial shock just take a breath. There are lots of people walking around with aneurisms that don’t know it and will live normal lives. Be thankful yours was spotted. Mine was identified back in 2009 when I had a calcium scan done. It was 4.2cm. Considered small and depending on age, high normal in size but not an aneurism. It is now 4.8 after 16 years. I just continued to live my life over the years which included weight lifting, scuba diving etc. live healthy, listen to your doctor, take you meds, get your scans and don’t let it consume you. It may never grow at all. If they recommend yearly scans make sure to ask about echocardiograms in stead of CTs every year to minimize radiation exposure. echos are not as accurate but at your size it is probably accurate enough.
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5 ReactionsHi, here’s one of the videos I mentioned:
Hope you find it useful. At 4.3 and especially your body size, your aneurysm is fairly small. For comparison I’m 5’ 6”, about 165 lbs and my aneurysm was 5.2cm when found after an MTB accident, I fractured my tibia and fibula, I had my repair surgery 2 months after leg surgery.
Try to find a cardiologist who specializes in aortic diseases, not all of them do, it makes a big difference. The Dr in the video happens to be my attending cardiologist , I see him once a year, he answers all my questions, never vaguely, always with clear recommendations.
Anxiety after hearing the news and feedback on exercising are probably two of the most asked questions in this forum, do a search on the topics and you will find lots of information. You are in the right place, everyone here has gone through what you’re going through.
The right cardiologist will set a follow up protocol, he/she will determine the growth rate of your dilation and that will be key. Having the right care team (in my case it included the best surgeon I could find) with the right answers it’s huge to help with anxiety (at least for me). Stay active, exercise is the best medicine for anxiety, but be aware of the limitations. Have you tried yoga? . Lastly think of getting professional help, a good therapist can help
You will be ok
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