Should I go on cruise?..

Posted , 7 users are following.

I was diagnosed last month with a 5.4 cm ascending aortic aneurysm and I know that I will need surgery soon. The problem is that my family and I have been planning a 7day cruise in April. My surgeon says that I can wait until I get back from cruise to have surgery, but it’s scary now. He also said that on those islands the medical care is not the best, should something happen. We’ve been planning this for over a year now. I don’t know what I should do.

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  • Posted

    Hi Margaret, I'm in the same boat (no pun intended!) as you. I'm supposed to go on vaca in Ireland with my husband and kids on Apr 15th (my 1st trip to Europe).  I was just diagnosed (3/30) with an ascending TAA, and have my first visit with the cardiologist tomorrow. My primary dr. recommended a CT scan and stress echo because I've been having chest and upper back pain, and there it was. I'm 49, 5'6" 160 lbs and fairly active. There is a family history of high cholesterol and major cardiac events. My mom had a heart rupture 10 yrs ago. Anyway, it's all quite terrifying right now and I'm still in disbelief. I will wait to hear what the cardiologist says. 

    • Posted

      So sorry you’ve received the diagnosis. What size is the aneurysm, cskelly?
    • Posted

      Hi Sandy, I guess I'm lucky, at this point it's 4cm which is smaller than most of the other here. I guess it will be watch and wait for a while.

    • Posted

      That’s good. If you keep your blood pressure low, there’s a chance you may never need surgery. Glad it was found on the early side!

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