Managing Anxiety with an Aneurysm

Finding out about a thoracic aortic aneurysm can seriously shake you up. But honestly, at 4.5 cm and with good doctors keeping an eye on it, you're in a great place. Trust me—I had zero warning before mine dissected 10 years ago. You're already way ahead of the game Feeling anxious about this stuff is normal. Here’s the thing: you're doing exactly what you're supposed to. Monitoring is super effective, and your team knows exactly what they're looking for. Here's how I handle the anxiety—because believe me, I've been there:

Trust your docs: These folks literally spend their days watching aneurysms and keeping people safe. They've got you covered.

Step away from Dr. Google: Seriously, don't overdo it on the web searches. Stick to the basics and trust your professionals. Too much online can drive you nuts.

Breathe, chill, and relax: Simple mindfulness exercises or breathing techniques can really knock the edge off anxiety. A few minutes a day makes a huge difference.

Stay active in a safe way: Walking, light exercise, anything cleared by your doc is awesome for keeping anxiety down and spirits up.

Talk it out: Connecting here or in other groups with folks going through similar things can be really comforting. You're definitely not alone.

Bottom line—you got this. You're aware, you're being monitored, and your aneurysm is still safely in the watch-and-wait range. You're doing great.

I'm sitting here 10 years after my dissection, doing just fine, and I didn’t even get a heads-up. You’re already miles ahead of where I was. You're going to be okay. Take a deep breath and go enjoy your day. Peace.

Thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad your doing great after
10yrs and that you had a good medical team by your side when it was needed it.
You did gave a lot of hope and you are right I need to chill out. I do go for walks and I think I need to start doing some yoga to help with the stress.
I live a small town my Cardiologist has about 35 yrs of experience but not sure how much experience he has with Aneurysm, good thing I have an appointment tomorrow and I can ask. I have also been thinking of going to an another city and see a Cardiologist that specializes in Aneurysm. Just to keep my options open.

Thank you once again.

Good idea. You need a thoracic surgeon in a high volume surgical center. Thank Cleveland clinic, Mayo Clinic, UCSD, University of Texas at Husten, Cedar Sinai, etc. This is not the kind of thing that a local small town cardiologist handles. Cardiologist do not do thoracic surgery. You need to meet a person who knows how to cut somebody open and fix them up. That’s not a cardiologist unfortunately that’s a thoracic surgeon. So you’re right on to think about finding a referral to a thoracic surgeon who specializes in aortic repair. Tell your cardiologist you want a referral right away and then go see them. You’re gonna be fine. Good luck. Peace.

As @moonboy said, find the best thoracic surgeon accesible to you in a major Medical Center, your idea of geting a cardiologist who specializes in aneuryms is right, it makes a huge differenece (not all cardiologists are aware of the latest and the specifics of aortic diseases) and if he/she happens to be in the same hospital/ group as the surgeon even better (not necessary though it just makes it convenient).

Moonboy gave you a great list, I would add, if you need it, find a good therapist, someone you can connect with, they can give you a lot of tools how to manage stress and anxiety. Your idea of yoga is great!!

I had my aneurysm repaired 5 years ago, had an awesome team of surgeon and cardiologist, I still see the latter every year.

All the best

I’m glad you are doing good after your aneurysm repair. I will start doing my homework and start looking for a Surgeon that specializes in TAA even though my cardiologist says I’m not there yet. I’m from Texas so the major center will be in Houston, San Antonio and Austin.

Well today I had my appointment with my Cardiologist and it turns out he is just a Cardiologist. He said he will referred me with the best surgeon in the valley if and when we get to that point. I’m from McAllen Tx they call it the valley. Im already looking for TAA surgeon in Houston Tx. I actually found one with a lot of experience of a cardiologist and 25 yrs experience on Teoaric Surgery but he is 80 yrs old and that’s worries me cause we don’t know in how long I might or might not need surgery. But for know I will keep looking and try to live the best life I can

Hi, well I happen to live in Houston, and my repair was done here, these are the two specialists that treated me:

Surgeon: Dr Anthony Estrera, probably the best in Houston and an absolute delight of a person

Cardiologist: Dr Siddharth Prakash, he is an aortic disease specialist, I call him an aneurysm nerd. There are videos of him in this forum talking about exercising and aneurysms, as he has done research in the subject. He is still my cardiologist, I see him every year.

They are both part of UT Health and communicate with each other.

Hope that helps

Here is a link to their bios:
https://www.utphysicians.com/provider/anthony-l-estrera/
https://www.utphysicians.com/provider/siddharth-k-prakash/

UT Houston, Texas Pearl!!! we’re all rooting for you.

Thank you for giving me the names of your Physicians. I will definitely start looking for them and set appointments. I really appreciate it!