Thoracic aortic aneurysm: Anyone had surgery?

I'm interested in how you feel overall if some deficits have improved ie; lung, energy, cognitive,
weight ect. I am 72 and following ascending aortic aneurism some 15 yrs. Now Need valve with the repair @ 5.4 cm and cardiomegaly. I'm somewhat miffed that they didn't repair me earlier nor did they investigate cause ie infection genetics. My B/P was always good I'm on no meds other than what consider age related memory problems and shortness of breath on CPAP with some weakness I continue to work 3/5 d wk.

Sadly I don't understand it either. I pray it doesn't happen to them.

I am so perplexed why your siblings refused to get tested. My dad an aortic aneurysm in his abdomen. His eventually ruptured but he survived the surgery. I was getting regular sonograms for something else so the technician would check it for me. My two brother’s never bothered to get tested and one died on the operating table. He was 56 and left behind a wife and two children, his youngest was 14 at the time. We were and still are beyond devastated. The other sibling like yours has not gotten tested. I will never understand the reasoning behind this, you can survive this.
My mother in law had an ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm and had open heart surgery at 82, her aneurysm measured 7.2 and she survived and passed away at 91. My husband currently has the same his mom’s and it was 4.8 and now with medication his is 4.2 and he gets checked regularly. I have three grown children, I encourage them to get checked every couple of years to see if they have one.

I was at the Mayo Clinic in 2019 for a non related health issues however my primary case doctor advised that the ascending thoracic aorta aneurysm is genetic and it is important to tell my children and siblings so they could get a CT which my children did but my siblings chose not to.. I remember the actor John Ritter died from this. His brother was tested and had the same defect. In my case in 2011 I didn't want to live in fear of it rupturing.

Yes, I was very relieved. And I was told once the aneurysm reaches 6 cm they will do a CT every 6 months instead of every year to determine how fast it grows, then discuss my options for surgery, which again the doc expressed it is open heart surgery but not Bypass Surgery for the Ascending. The descending Anuerysm and the Iliac Aneurysms can be repaired by Angio Gram, not open surgery, but mine are so tiny in those places and have been there since 2015, it is doubtful they will grow big enough in the rest of my lifetime. I just lost a sister from the Ascending Aneurysm Rupture. She was 9 years younger then me, so 72 years old, but she refused the surgery when hers reached 7 cm, lasted another year, but what really caused hers to rupture was she moved 2 weeks before the rupture and helped move heavy furniture. It is important that you do not lift heavy items and very important to limit any stress in your life. Worrying about my Aneurysms caused me a lot of stress. Now I have put that stress away and will see how it goes. My next CT is in March. Last CT was Mar 2021. We will see if it has grown any. They found this Ascending Aneurysm also in 2015 and it has grown a lot faster then the others, so have faith that now it will not grow.

I was interested in the 7.0 limit they gave you for the Ascending Aorta If that is now the standard it gives me a bit more leeway. At a similar age to you I would prefer not to have to worry about it.

My aneurysm was 6mm and I was in the hospital for a week until they could get my blood stable with my blood thinners.

My aneurysm was 6mm. I was hospitalized for a week until they could stabilize my blood on the blood thinners.

Hello @purpleturtle and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see that this is just your second post since joining Connect and I'm pleased that you posted information about your experience with thoracic aortic aneurysm.

I'm sure you are glad that it was discovered before it ruptured. It is good to know that your recovery, while difficult at first, is coming along. It is especially helpful when members like you post about rare conditions because it gives other members hope about their journey. I would like to invite you to conversations with others who are facing this type of aneurysm. It would be helpful for them to be able to post with someone who has been through the surgery.

Do you recall the size of the aneurysm when it was discovered? How long were you hospitalized after the surgery?

I was diagnosed by accident with a thoracic aorta aneurysm in 2011. I had no symptoms but was sent to have an ultrasound because I was overweight and had high blood pressure. I had a St. Jude
mechanical heart valve and complete artery replacement. It was a difficult surgery and recovery but so far has been successful. The only downside is taking blood thinners for the rest of my life. I didn't realize that had it ruptured I would probably have died within 15 minutes. I believe they call it the widow maker.
I am now a member of the zipper club.
I still have frequent stress tests, ultrasounds ekg and blood tests.