1. < Aortic Aneurysms

How do you address the uncertainty?

Posted by malcorozan @malcorozan, Nov 9, 2023

Hello, so glad to find this group! I am a 45yo male, just diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm at 45mm. I also have a bicuspod aortic valve. I am struggling with how to cope with the uncertainty of this diagnosis. I have always been a planner and I have lots of irons in the fire usually. I guess I'm wondering how you decided what to start or continue doing and what to stop or put off? I get a very frustrating response of wait and see from my doctors about when to expect surgery or a rupture. I don't know how to plan my future if I have a big surgery and recovery coming at basically any time?

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jsolem | @jsolem | 2 days ago
In reply to @schega "Mindfulness is a practice we all need to have in this situation and with all things..." + (show)
@schega

Mindfulness is a practice we all need to have in this situation and with all things in this life.

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Thanks for your sharing. Good work! And it is work. Finding a balance between acceptance and taking action in whatever ways you can is helpful. Yes, when our physical focus widens into the spiritual dimension of our being, there is a release that surrender gives to keep opening to life as it unfolds.

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liveoak | @liveoak | 1 day ago

Rather than leave a big cut and paste, below in are my thoughts on this very topic in another thread. Hope this helps? God bless.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-diagnosis-of-ascending-aortic-aneurysm-and-im-terrified/?pg=14#comment-1195298

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ladyrose | @ladyrose | 23 hours ago

My kids have been quite nervous about my AAA. ITS 4.1 or 3.9 depending which md reads the scan. I’ve told my kids, it’s a blessing. If it blows, it’ll be. POP DEAD HEAVEN. I will admit I still get scanxiety when I have to go for cut scans, but there isn’t a lot we can do with this diagnosis. I’ve already had a lung removed from cancer (no never smoked yet I got it) and don’t want to go through such a brutal surgery.

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charlanepj | @charlanepj | 23 hours ago
In reply to @ladyrose "My kids have been quite nervous about my AAA. ITS 4.1 or 3.9 depending which md..." + (show)
@ladyrose

My kids have been quite nervous about my AAA. ITS 4.1 or 3.9 depending which md reads the scan. I’ve told my kids, it’s a blessing. If it blows, it’ll be. POP DEAD HEAVEN. I will admit I still get scanxiety when I have to go for cut scans, but there isn’t a lot we can do with this diagnosis. I’ve already had a lung removed from cancer (no never smoked yet I got it) and don’t want to go through such a brutal surgery.

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I don't mean to sound inconsiderate, but after retirement I had the most health issues I have ever experienced in my life. I had never been hospitalized, never had a surgery, nothing. I retired at 58. At 66 I had three surgeries. My aneurysm dissected at 4.5 and I had emergency surgery at Mayo. I live 2 hours away. It will be three years this June. It took me a few months but I have finally have the mind set, that I lived day to day BEFORE finding this problem. I continue to do the same thing today. I have to admit it can be scary but it was before. I always said I began to die the day I was born - nothing is different. Find whatever it takes to re-direct your new life. Be you!
Best wishes!
cpj

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wiggy3 | @wiggy3 | 15 hours ago

I am a 70 yr old female and have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. It was measured at 6.7 x6.2. My surgeon said definite surgery, but called a few days later saying he is looking into a possible method for stents. I’m in limbo for awhile not knowing. I would love to adjust to the fact that I could die, but so far I haven’t really accepted this fact. I had a bad experience with open heart surgery 4 years ago. I spent a month in a coma following surg. I am very scared of having another major surgery but I am more afraid of this time bomb exploding before they get it repaired. I hope I can learn to come to terms with it .

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drmpicardi | @drmpicardi | 4 hours ago
In reply to @jsolem "I learned about having an aortic aneurysm about 3 yrs ago. Actually, at first it wasn’t..." + (show)
@jsolem

I learned about having an aortic aneurysm about 3 yrs ago. Actually, at first it wasn’t a concern as I believed I was doing all that my health-conscious self knew to do and was advised to just live my life fully and trust where life would take me. My last echo revealed that I was 5.5 so I knew that the best option was to just let go and let God. Truly, my sense of gratitude has expanded to the degree that my letting go has been practiced. I’ve come to an almost minute by minute awareness of the gifts of my life, despite a lot of very intense physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological challenges which continue. As I have been having a lot of breathlessness, I began to explore more of what a rupture would look like. In doing so, my awareness began to focus more on what could be going wrong in the present. My anxiety and focus on death increased and I am now in the process of accepting both aspects of the living/dying reality. I am so curious and joyous with the possibility of a new life which I can hardly imagine, that my faith in God-in-me had given me peace, even as world events threaten with chaotic reactivity. I do hope you can trust life at its core within you and respond with gratitude and love in whatever stages you pass through. Many blessings❣️

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what a beautiful attitude. I should learn from you.

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