Try and calm down KY_girl. At 4.3 cm it is very unlikely he will want to do surgery yet. You are very young, do you have any other abnormalities? I was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, that makes...
Welcome Giddyup. I certainly understand your frustration at being the one that caught the report on your aneurysm. I had an ascending aortic aneurysm repair a little over a year ago. My aneurysm was...
rnc76, Sounds like you have a good doctor in your corner, which is a tremendous help. Dr. Svensson is probably the best in the country, no doubt. I hear you about the traveling. I couldn't imagine a...
rnc76 Wow, what a lot to have to deal with! I totally understand what your going through. Please let us know how it goes with the surgeon on Wednesday. It's a process, but you will make it through...
My thoughts will be with you, please let us know how things go!...
Timely, 8 grandchildren, you really are blessed! I have 2, and they are my heart! Keep thinking positive! Nightingale...
Timely, Sounds like you have a good grip on the situation. I am so sorry you have this now to deal with while you are still trying to recover from your heart attack. Believe me, I understand the...
Timely, My aneurysm was 4.5 cm, but I am a small person, which comes into play. My surgeon measured the healthy part of my aorta which was 2.2 cm, so the aneurysmal part of my aorta was more than 2...
Dear timely, Welcome to the forum! I had an ascending aortic aneurysm repair and graft on 9/13/14, so I certainly understand how you feel. I recommend doing your research and looking for a surgeon...
Hang in there LastBanana, the bad nights get fewer and fewer. I hope your A fib converted, I know how tiring that is. Don't let it go on too long before you call the doctor. Sneezing is the worst, no...
Welcome to the other side LastBanana! So glad to hear you're through the worst of it. The A fib is quite common, I also had a little bout of it post op. You can imagine our poor little hearts are a...
LastBanana, Just wanted to say I'm thinking of you. By my calculations you should be well on your way to coming home and getting on with life. Please let us know how everything went. All the best to...
LastBanana, thanks so much for the kind words! December 10 will be here before you know it, and I will be sending you positive thoughts on that day. You have a great attitude, and believe me, that is...
Dear akamom, the aneurysm we all have is in our chest, originating off the heart. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is in the part of the aorta that is in the abdomen after the aorta descends from the...
Ralele, good to hear from you again, sorry to hear you were so sick, hope you are feeling better. I feel for you and ZDAD, I know how hard the waiting and watching period is. ZDAD, getting a second...
LastBanana, I feel your pain. Horrible to get delayed at the last moment. They delayed me by only a day to do someone that was dissecting, and even that was torture. It made my surgery day turn out...
Sorry they're not being more compassionate with you ZDAD. I wish sometimes they would try and put themselves in our shoes and think what it would be like to be waiting for something like that....
RSCAC, so sorry I just saw this, as your original post was written 2 days after I had my surgery for my ascending aortic aneurysm. I also was born with a bicuspid aortic valve, and had surgery on it...
Hi Judy NM, welcome! You had your surgery 5 days after me. Can't help you with the question about medicare as I am not eligible yet. I would definitely take ZDAD's advice and appeal. No one even...
Hi ZDAD, good to hear from you! So glad your MRI finally got approved, please let us know the results. Special shout out to LastBanana, I believe his surgery was also on Tuesday, hope all is going...
Very well, thank you. Walking 2 miles a day!...
That's crazy! Aortic aneurysms are silent killers, no symptoms, that's the whole problem!...
Have you asked for a gated CT angiogram? I am told it is just as diagnostic as an MRI, but doctors prefer the MRI because there is no radiation involved. Its true, no one understands the shadow we...
ZDAD, I can't believe you didn't win your appeal. MRI or CT angiogram are definitely the gold standard. So sorry to hear of your struggles. Keep us informed, keep fighting!...
Ralele, Good to hear from you. I know how much anxiety you must be having right now. Interesting that they feel you may have Marfans. The defect in the aortic wall is similar for both of us. As far...
ZDAD, I know exactly what you mean, the hypothermic circulatory arrest seemed really scary. I couldn't believe I had to go through something like that. Once you get to the hospital and meet the team...
LastBanana - I definitely have some feelings of weakness, but feel stronger every day. My first walks were quite a slow pace and peppered with some intervals of sitting to catch my breath. I do feel...
Hello everyone! Well, I'm almost 2 weeks post-op. I've been home since Sunday. Would have been home sooner, but they had trouble with my blood work for my Coumadin dosage which most of you won't have...
I just noticed the article I cited in one of my previous posts, I gave the wrong address. It should be www.uptodate.com/contents/management-and-outcone-of-thoracic-aortic-aneursym. Very good...
Ralele, thank you for thinking of me. ZDAD, nice to meet you, sorry for the circumstances. To answer your question, there are several reasons they chose to do my surgery now. I have a history of a...
I know what you mean. I haven't told my 89 year old mother yet, I'm waiting until a week before my surgery. She'll tie herself in a knot if she has too long to worry about it. I'm not looking forward...
LastBanana, I am sorry to hear your news, and I certainly understand the exhausting part! My surgery to repair my ascending aortic aneurysm is scheduled for 09/12/13. I did get a second opinion. I...
You are definitely not alone! I am having surgery on my ascending aortic aneurysm on 09/12/13. My surgeon told me to take a step back from my usual intensity of running, but not to stop. It sounds...
I had my AVR almost 7 years ago, and I went with a mecanical valve. While you will hear some ticking, but it should last a lifetime. A tissue valve will last 15 years tops, then you will need more...
Ralele, Thank-you for your excellent referral of the article from the jacc. I've spent the afternoon looking for current information and found another article that you and anyone else reading this...
Ralele, Thank- you so much for your post. I am going to read that article as soon as I'm done here. Your right about family helping you to forget, my beautiful little 19 month old granddaughter was...
Dear Kitt, Thank you for your kind words. I have a lot to digest, I'm trying to just let it sit for now. I obviously have sime big decisions to make, but this weekend I am just going to enjoy my...
I don't know if anyone is still reading this thread, but I needed to vent, so here goes. I saw a surgeon yesterday that specializes in adults with anomalies of the aortic valve and ascending aorta....
Ralele, I definitely understand your anxiety, I'm sure we all do. I believe the question to ask about your CTsacn is if they did a cardiac gated study. If I understand it properly that means they...
Dear TrishD, I have the same thing your husband has, an ascending aortic aneurym. It is sort of a watch and wait situation, but I do recommend getting the CTscan or MRI to get a more exact...
LastBanana, Thank you for your kind words. Enjoy your vacation!...
LastBanana, I also thank you for starting this thread. I had an aortic valve replacement 6 years ago. I chose to have a St. Jude's valve so I would never have to go through that kind of trauma again....