Exercise, Lifestyle and Life Experience with Dilated Aorta?

@patti14

Glad you are here! I am relatively new as well. I have three docs. A electrophysio cardiologist for my afib, an exercise cardiologist to guide me generally and help me continue to exercise safely as I do a lot of sports. I just saw a thoracic surgeon last week. Gated CT with contrast (they take pictures based on your ekg to get accurate measurements) showed a 4.4cm root. I am monitored annually for now and I have no family history of dissection or genetic disorder (that’s apparent). From what I’ve read you should be monitored annually. Glad you are getting the right info. Good luck!

@patti14 three years is a long time. I would get another internist. I would also see a cardiologist at an academic center.

@sherr0 Isn't it too early to see a thoracic surgeon?

@patti14 Because I have already had 3 disections and have Marfan Syndrome, doctors know problems develope quickly

Hello, I am recently diagnosed with Aortic Root at 4.1cm and Ascending Aorta of 4.1cm as well as enlarged left atrial. I am 47yo, male, 6ft, 185lbs with tricuspid valves, etc. I have been active all of my life including vigorous cycling, running, and weight lifting at a minimum of 4-5 hours per week for 20 years. I also have use of nicotine and nicotine gum years ago.

I have done a tremendous amount of research and trying to untangle the ambiguity of exercise, how much, and what type. This is very difficult in the waiting period between diagnosis and monitoring. I vasillate between this is a huge deal, this is a new normal, this is an "incidental" finding that I should not have researched so deeply.

I appreciate this groups openness and the stories about navigating what to do. What is most helpful is hearing the longitudinal stories of what has worked and has not worked.

@fastinghrt Hello.....you're fortunate to have been given this news early and can get educated on the new lifestyle you'll adopt as you age with your aneurysm. You'll find many stories of success and how to cope, but you'll end up with your own formula. Take what you read as strictly informational, and use that knowledge to assist your cardiologist in dealing with your health situation. The main goal is BP control and avoiding any "stresses" of your aneurysm and associated systems. It may require you to slow down from your previous regimen and make lifestyle changes, but the size you reference is well below the threshold for surgery. Of main importance is finding a cardiologist with a strong working knowledge of aneurysms, and consistent, regular monitoring of you aneurysm, while adopting lifestyle techniques that will be beneficial for the long term. Best wishes in your quest for continued good health!

Thank you for your message.

How have others been able to accept the "new normal"? I feel so confused and go from disbelief and paralysis to hope that a clinical trial or other treatment will allow a return to how things used to be. Rarely do I feel normal.

I am lucky that I have people that need me and that I am responsible to be here for them. It's that last part scares me the most. I found myself crying for the first time in over 3 full decades.

For me information has been a source of hope until it is not. Has anyone, other analytical, found a way to speed the acceptance process?

@fastinghrt Hello......if possible, please take to heart the stories of others who post here. Many, the vast majority, have found ways of coping and putting this condition into a manageable place in their lives. It does take time. Be patient with yourself, and realize this is a treatable and manageable circumstance. It isn’t a death sentence, because in your case it's been "discovered", and now can be dealt with. With the support from your care team, and understanding what changes can be made, you'll succeed at finding a workable perspective for this health change. You're very fortunate to have this new knowledge which can protect you and give you the insight on finding a new way to live an excellent life!! Peace and strength to you going forward!!

I think the speed is dependent on the person and there isn't any way to speed up acceptance of this condition.

I was diagnosed with an aortic root aneurysm (defined by my thoracic surgeon) in September of 2025. I am 6' 220lb and was very fit. Biking, running, hiking, weightlifting serious weight. I liked to push myself hard and I may have pushed myself too hard, but I'll never know because it isn't that type of definitive cause.

I'm 58, don't smoke, never have, drink very little and have a pretty healthy diet. This was a blow!! For the six months before meeting the surgeon I fell apart. I exercised a little, to include weights, and remained very anxious, to the point of needing medication. I read voraciously, to include journal articles, and watched numerous videos by dissection survivors. I joined aortic athletes on FB (had to get off as it could be challenging sometimes to take in others stories) and aortic hope.

After my surgical visit, I had a relapse of anxiety. It was initially diagnosed at 4.3cm and the gated CT angiography indicated 4.4cm. The surgeon didn't sugar coat it: aortic roots are more difficult and can have more issues; there is a 1% per year risk of dissection. He then went on to say that I'd be screened annually with a CT initially and then on to echocardiograms to spare the radiation exposure. He, and my exercise cardiologist, encouraged me to get out and run, bike, hike, even lift weights, but to seriously moderate the last one. No hill climbs on the bike, no high altitudes while doing any activities.

The biggest takeaway I gained was that had I not had atrial fibrillation, I wouldn't have learned about the aortic issue and I would have carried on as normal. The surgeon could not state whether I would have dissected eventually, but he stated that I could have and it would have made survival more challenging, as several on this forum can attest.

I know about it. I can make informed decisions about what I do. Is it in the back of my mind? On some days, but not nearly as many as it had been for the past six months. As others have said, I am now under the watchful eye of a major surgery center, high volume repairs. I know if I have any symptoms relating to this condition it is likely not a heart attack or some other ailment, but a possible dissection, which increases my chances of survival and low complications if I get into surgery quick.

I'm armed with knowledge and I feel supported on this forum and others. I am grateful I don't have a genetic condition or familial history of dissections or sudden death. I count myself lucky. I've lived a full life and done many things that others couldn't. I can still exercise and I can live each day to its fullest, just as I did before this diagnosis. It isn't easy sometimes, but I read others posts and I gain strength knowing that I have a better chance knowing than not knowing.

You can message any one of us whenever you like. I know I'll answer. People were there for me, complete strangers, when I was most vulnerable. I can't convey how much that helped me through the first part.