No, unfortunately they will not operate on aneurysms smaller than a certain size due to complications from surgery outweighing benefits. Many people supposedly live with aneurysms for up to 15 years because they stay small. I go in for 6 month evaluation in September to assess growth and size and we move from there. I just started weaning myself off of beta blockers this morning and already feel much better! My pharmacist told me to call my doctor who said my "side effects" Weren't related to meds. He did call back to say go ahead and stop taking meds but no suggestion on how to do that! 😕

I know from experience, NEVER get off beta blockers abruptly. You must taper off gradually.

That's what all the doctors say

I'm not addressing your situation, each person reacts differently to different things. I was on Acebutolol 200 mg three times a day. After my afib started, I was switched to 200 mg Metoprolol Succinate in the morning. I take 25 mg Metoprolol Tartrate at 2:00 PM, and I take 150 mg Metoprolol Succinate at night. For seizures, I take 200 mg Phenytoin in the morning, and 300 mg late in the day. I had chronic urticaria, I'm still on Xyzal and Ranitidine AM and PM, I'm on Singulair once a day. And I take Zocor and a small dose of Maxide with HCTZ. Technically, I shouldn't even be awake, LOL.

I feel fine. I might feel better without that stuff, but for now, my seizures and heart rate are controlled. My Urticaria is held at bay, and here I sit, writing this. For people reading the side effects, please don't think you'll experience them just because others did. You can give people a Placebo and they'll have symptoms of exposure to whatever they were directed to study.

Hello! I think I can help you get off TWO of your drugs. And that is for the chronic urticaria. I have suffered with hives for years off and on. At point they stopped 'off and on' and just remained. The itching, scratching, bleeding was terrible. I went to 2 dermatologists and 1 allergist and they all said the same thing; 'You may need to take your antihistamine and another drug for itching for the rest of your life. We don't know why people get this. Sometimes it spontaneously goes away which may happen and other times people have it for life.". The hives persisted for 8 months and the meds made me sleepy and lacking in energy. I decided to visit a naturopath who told me to cut out ALL carbs and drink plenty of water. Back then there were no protein, low carb keto or Dr. Atkins diets so this was novel. I was desperate and followed the diet to a T. I ate meat, fish, eggs, cheese and loads of vegetables as he recommended. Within 3 days the hives disappeared entirely and I was off the medication! For 3 weeks I kept up the diet (and lost lots of weight without trying!) and then I had a half a toast. Boom…hives! So I kept up the no carb diet for another few weeks and reintroduced a half a toast and I could tolerate it. Over the years when I eat too many carbs or if I have one big blast of sugar (birthday cake for example) I will start to itch at the ankles which is a warning.

At the moment I am on holiday in Europe and I have a major case of hives (a kind that 'travels' around my torso). It's next to impossible to restrict my diet. When I get back home, I am going on the protein with veggies diet with the aim of 10 servings per day. I can't wait to get rid of the chronic inflammation in my system and get healthy again…and off the antihistamines. Why not do the same, Soliloquized?

I had angioedema with the Urticaria. I was given Prednisone for non-Emergency swelling, but I discovered taking 15 mg daily every day held the worst at bay. One doctor wanted me off of it, but she was the one that made me so afraid of the angioedema. I found another doctor, he didn't think it was a problem, it was a low dose. Nearly 2 years later, my afib started, I was hospitalized, they took me off the Acebutolol I was taking, started me on Metoprolol. They weren't initially giving me the prednisone, but I talked to someone and it was added. But I stopped manifesting Urticaria while in the hospital. It was either a coincidence, or related to discontinuing the Acebutolol. Acebutolol has ISA properties, intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, (I couldn't spell the 2nd word, it's copy and pasted, but I can say it, LOL), I'm wondering if that wasn't triggering it the Urticaria. A big reduction came in my Urticaria when I was put on Singulair.

I missed taking the Singulair once the other day, just had a few red dots. I take 1 1/2 Xyzal per day in divided doses, tried dropping to one, but my eyebrows were burning, a sign from before that I was going to break out.

I took pictures of my breakouts over the duration of my problems, everything from covered in huge red splotches, to conventional hives as raised areas. A researcher would be welcome to them.

The part that saddens me, I read a study conducted by analysis of abundant data, not a study specific for the cause, but patients that take 7.5 mg or more of Prednisone daily long term have a statistically significant likelihood to devolop afib, which I did. Ugh. I hoped I'd spontaneously convert when off, and I've been off for months, but no luck.

I'm saving your post to study more, I think I'm borderline Urticaric, if that's a word, especially with the high pollen count of spring. I appreciate your post, and advice, and am interested in reducing the number of meds I'm on, but only with demonstrated efficacy and the Doctor's advice.

My aim as I age was to be on NO drugs at all. I envisioned myself healthy, strong, active with minimal health problems like maybe just arthritis. I am aiming in that direction but I am off the mark.
Thank God I was able to cure my severe 2 year bout with AFib with 35 minutes of treadmill 6 days out of 7 for 4 months (but off beta blockers and cured within a month)….and of course, cutting out all stimulants such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, alcohol etc.. I believe strongly in prevention and looking for the cause rather than treating symptoms with drugs….which is what doctors do.
I am dealing with thick hives all over my abdomen and hips since the start of April. When I get home next week I will start the NO carb diet (protein and veggies only) and I expect the hives to go away like they did before. Obviously my body is in acute inflammatory mode and I am treating my gut with probiotics since 80% of the immune system is in the gut. I don't want to rely on drugs if I can.
I am in Europe on holiday but look forward to buckling down to this healthy diet…and as a bonus losing some weight. I have been walking an average of 14.000 steps per day here in the Netherlands and will continue with about half that per day at home as well.

What probiotic do you take?

I take Garden of Life 50 billion probiotics.

Thanks. Just started a box of Align. Will keep yours on file.

Dr Weil: Evidence shows that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious diseases in the developed world, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and many cancers.

Align has about 1 billion beneficial bacteria versus 50 billion in the Garden of Life and other more complete (and expensive) probiotic formulas