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ASCENDING AORTA ANEURYSM.

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runner72
runner72

I'M 62 YEARS OLD AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH AN ASCENDING AORTA ANEURYSM OF 4.4 CM. HAD A CT ANGIO SCAM OF THE CROSS -SECTIONAL DIAMETER BEING 44X42 mm Nine months ago, now with anothe CT ANGIO Scam its 40.9 x 39.4 mm. Cardiologist told me it shrunk sum. Can this be possible ? I lost 28 pounds and my blood pressuer is 109/69 almost all the time. Can an Ascending Aneurysm Shrink ?

4 likes, 33 replies

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  • maximo_jr.21795
    maximo_jr.21795 runner72

    Edited

    Hi runner72

    I have ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm 4.8 cm and descending thoracic aneurysm 4.6 cm. I'm only 37 years old. I have a friend,she have TAA also and she told me her aeurysm shrunk. Even though my doctor told me that it's not possible, but I want to believe that it is possible after hearing your story and my friend's story.

    • runner72
      runner72 maximo_jr.21795

      Posted

      I AM GOING TO DO MORE RESEARCH ON THIS, ALL THE BEST HOSPITALS TOLD ME THE SAME THING, THAT AORTA ANEURYSMS DON'T SHRINK.ONE THING I DID DO IS DROP MY BLOOD PRESURE TO 109/69 & I LOST 29 POUNDS.
    • hijimhere
      hijimhere maximo_jr.21795

      Posted

      How frequently are you being measured  - I really would advise very frequent measuring - I survived because I was in hospital when mine ruptured - surgery has a high success rate but a rupture in the community has a very low rate of surviving.
    • maximo_jr.21795
      maximo_jr.21795 hijimhere

      Posted

      Hijimhere,

      I was measured only once last March this year. Due to financial issues I haven't meet my doctor again. Sad to say medical accessibility in my country is expensive.

    • hijimhere
      hijimhere maximo_jr.21795

      Posted

      here it is going that way as the health service is being starved of funding so hospitals are over spending by huge amounts.    I am sorry about your situation - is there not a way you can get a sponsor to help with monitoring costs - the company you work for???? Just a suggestion.
    • maximo_jr.21795
      maximo_jr.21795 hijimhere

      Posted

      When my company learned my condition they terminated me from my job. I've been searching in google and facebook to find someone with a kind heart to help me with my condition. My doctor won't perform the open heart surgery unless I will deposit the downpayment which is Php 500,000.00 (around $11400.00). But the total requirement for my operation is 1.5Million Philippine Peso.($34,000.00 more or less.)

      Less fortunate people are deprived of medical privilege due to expensive treatments. Take note, the hospital I checked at was a government hospital.

    • radman8
      radman8 runner72

      Posted

      An aneurysm does not have a constant cross section so depending on where they measure the size you'll get different dimensions.  Also a mm is the thickness of your fingernail; therefore two different measurements, say 4.5 vs 4.8cm is basically the same.  As a recent member of the "zipper club" denial is the first thought when told you need surgery.  Get it done and    after three months you're almost back to normal.

    • buckpie1978
      buckpie1978 radman8

      Edited

      Hi Radman8, 

      I'm terrified about open surgery, can you give me some information on how yours went. I'm fortunate enough to live in an area that has world class surgeons, I'm just petrified about the details of the surgery (stopping of the heart and lungs) and I truly can't get past the fear. I'm currently not at the size and praying that I won't reach it. But I don't know anyone who went through the surgery and provided details on how it went. Any information would be great.

      Thanks! 

    • ron38452
      ron38452 buckpie1978

      Posted

      I have not had surgery yet. 

      However, I have the same fears you have. Go to YouTube and search for aortic problems and you will find people who have gone thru the surgery. I am resolved to go thru it when needed. There really arent any choices at this point. I do not think the ascending aorta stents are perfected yet, but they might get there so a minimal invasive option might exist soon. At this point I am not a candidate for it, so I hope to not get worse for awhile. Stick to the meds, exercise and eat right -- it does help.

    • Curlicue58
      Curlicue58 ron38452

      Posted

      i saw no one answered you. I had an acute aortic dissection ascending. December 1, 2017. I didn't know I had a 5.2 cm aneurysm. I stepped out of my shower with very sharp pain in my jaw and being an ex smoker I had read that is a symptom for women having a heart attack men don't get. I was 59 , I went to Lenox Hill emergency in New York where I was operated on by Dr. Patel head of robotic thoracic surgery. I'm very lucky to be alive, it had already torn & I was bleeding into my chest. I was in the hospital for a week and barely remember it. I came home chest was sore, my upper arms hurt, shoulders and upper back. My cousin a PT brought me a gel by Plantlife called Arnica Relief Gel for my sore muscles that I just described. Anything Arnica will give relief, I recommend it. Had problems with sleeping position because of incision for a while, not terrible, just uncomfortable. You won't have an appetite for a little while, and will lose some weight, 10 lbs for me. Make sure they send u for rehab , they didn't send me & I've had shortness of breath issues. They told me to put vitamin E oil on the incision. My scar keloided . IT became raised after a few months, it usually happens with African American skin, my luck it happened to me. NOT as bad if u google but not pretty . I now go to a cardiologist at NYU who's amazing & in retrospect would have gone there for the surgery as well. They have rehab I was very unhappy with my aftercare and they didn't send me to a cardio Dr. for 3 months, she bailed in the middle as she was leaving to go work at LENOX which left me having to find the Dr. I have now. Blessing in disguise!

  • mary-rose15619
    mary-rose15619 runner72

    Edited

    Good to hear that your aneurysm has shown up as smaller in your second CT reading. Mine was measured at 4.3cm eighteen months ago and exactly the same 6 months later. My cardiologist told me that using the same CT machine and analysed by the same person can make a difference. It is like weighing yourself on different scales and getting slightly different results. I was also told that once an aeurysm develops it is like an inflated baloon which can never retract to original size. Still, you never know and good to hear a positive story so good luck.
    • runner72
      runner72 mary-rose15619

      Posted

      I agree with You, why do Cardiologist seem to think that they can tell me that it can Shrink. I'm just wondering how long before they decide to fix it or can i live a so-call normal life with this time

      bomb in me, lol but I am controlling my blood pressure and weight now.

  • hijimhere
    hijimhere runner72

    Edited

    Seems possible that the mass of the aneurysm might vary from time to time depending on heart rate/blood pressure/blood flow - as to permanent shrinking I can't see that happening - I had AAA - which was exasipated by Salmonella Sepsis (food poinsoning with blood poisoning) apparently Sepsis is known to have a negative effect of weaken arterier walls. I digress - Imagine an inflated balloon its size is relevent to the amount of air and air pressure.   Now release some of the air and the size deminishes but when you again blow into the balloon it once again gets bigger.   So my view is that shrinkage could happen but its to do with elasticty not a permanent or healing senario.  well thats what I think.

     

    • runner72
      runner72 hijimhere

      Posted

      Now this i do agree is correct. So now if I keep my blood pressuer low and my weight down will the Aneurysm still have to be fix with time ? I'm going on 11/2 with this in me.
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