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Heart aneurysm

Posted by AV1963 @azitavahid, Aug 22 4:14pm

Hello
I’m 61 years old female.
For years I’ve been monitoring my heart aneurysms and over 25 years it gradually expanded from 4.2 mm to 4.9 mm till last year
However to my surprise my latest MRA with contrast in June of 2024 shows that it reached to 5.0 mm
I’ve been advised that once my ascending aortic aneurysms reaches 5.0mm I must consider surgery. I understand that some cardiologist wait until it’s closer to 5.5mm

I have diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in year 2015 & since there is no cure to stop the progression of the disease; my surgeon recommended not to wait any longer & proceed with the surgery the sooner the better as my recovery might get more challenging in a few years due to Parkinson’s Disease
1-Would you go for surgery now or you would postpone it?!

2-Did any of you have the surgery and if so, what was your results and time of recovery?

3-Can a patient with aortic heart aneurysm travel long hours (about 16 hours) in the plane

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated

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wags199 | @wags199 | Aug 31 6:39pm
In reply to @pamela78 "I hesitate to be critical of your doctor, but telling you to worry about something else..." + (show)
@pamela78

I hesitate to be critical of your doctor, but telling you to worry about something else seems a bit offhand to me. Of course, you're anxious. All of us in this group are anxious. It's good for a doctor to be reassuring but I think he/she should also have an in-depth conversation with you about exactly what's going on and that means you have to ask lots of questions. I made a list of questions, wrote them down, and took the list to my cardiologist. He went down the list and answered every one.

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I wasn’t exactly happy with his comment either. I had already asked him a long list of questions previous to my contrast CT. He made me feel like I was being an alarmist. He said I most likely had this for years and never knew about it. It could grow slow, it could grow fast or it could stay the same the rest of my life. I guess after all the questions are answered, the restrictions of watching BP, only lifting less than 1/2 your body weight, and scheduling your next screening are laid out, they want you to get on with your life. There is nothing they will do until it’s at least 5cm, so I guess that was his way of shutting me down so I’d quit worrying. I still worry a bit but all I can do is live a healthy lifestyle, making me a good candidate for surgery if I ever need it. I’m thankful for this group! I was amazed to see some who have had other surgeries while having an aneurysm! I didn’t even think that possible.

REPLY
wayne3382 | @wayne3382 | Sep 2 10:56am
In reply to @martinkennot "1. Mine dissected at 6.5cm. The greatest pain I have ever had to endure. 2. Mine..." + (show)
@martinkennot

1. Mine dissected at 6.5cm. The greatest pain I have ever had to endure.
2. Mine the same - dissection to the L/R Iliac.
I am getting to 1 year since surgery. I would not recommend surgery at a later stage of aneurysm. Mine was immediate and emergent. No planning, no preparation. I didn't know what they were going to do. I was only asked what kind of valve.
3.
A) Personal stress was a factor.
B) I would agree. I called an ambulance that did not arrive. After we waited 30 minutes, my wife drove me to the hospital 11 minutes away - thus saving my life. I was immediately triaged and portably scanned and within 30 minutes they new what they were dealing with, but there was more to follow.
C) Not an issue for me at the time. But I have traveled before and I cannot do it now for fear of something happening on the journey. I have been to a hospital in a foreign country and I would not survive now, let alone if I had that same experience again.
D) I concur. My own country has good medical care, but if I had to go through that layer of difficulty to be treated then that would only add to the time to be treated, And recovery, let's not forget trying to recover away from home.
E) I only survived through a network of support from family. Check B) above.
F) If I had to check insurance to see if a situation is covered and by how much then to me that is a red flag in the first place.
I agree with moonboy's final comments here. I never knew I had anything until the night it happened. I did travel on a four hour road trip the weekend before and another a weekend before that. Our extended family has discussed how we would have dealt with that situation if it had happened when we were away.
We wouldn't have.
Right now I am mentally juggling how I am going to have INR tests if I do travel. And how I would take medication. If I had known of my condition I would not have done any travel.

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1-800-780-0675. Philips home INR test machine. Fits in your hand, test strip, drop of blood, results. (No this is not Theranos lol). Your Dr will have to prescribe but insurance covers it. It's a complete no brainer. I've had mine for years!

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