Aortic Root Anuyrism

[Readie]

Hi there. I've just joined in finding out I have a 40mm aortic root anuyrism 51 years of age, I've been told being taller at 6"3 that I may need open heart surgery sooner than it reaching 50mm ???

[MountainGoat52]

Hi Readie,

I am really sorry to hear about your situation. Hopefully you will get the surgery that you need as soon as possible. Many of us here on this forum have been through open heart surgery so if you have concerns about that aspect do let us know.

From experience, it really does help to stay positive and to look forward to the time when the surgery will be behind you and you are on the road to recovery.

Best wishes,

Gerald

[Readie in reply to MountainGoat52]

Hi Gerald Many thanks for your reply. I dont know what to expect afterwards, quality of life ect. Am I right that it shortens your life after the operation? Along with Fatigue , tiredness. I've my own building company & still very hands on at times finding it stressful which I've always suffered with bit of anxiety. Do you think I have to reevaluate a career change. I keep going round in circles thinking.

[MountainGoat52 in reply to Readie]

Oh boy do I know about stress in the construction industry! I was a self-employed architect and as well as my own experience, had several contractor friends have work-related issues. One even gave up running his own business and went to work for another company where he had the all the benefits that salaried employment brings.

I know the predicament that you are in. Several times I considered packing it in and working for someone else, which probably would have been an improvement economically. However, I always tried to do my work by the book, putting clients' interests first and charging a fair fee and I'm afraid quite a few practices I worked in prior to me setting up my own practice did not have that ethos. I even considered a complete career change, but jumping ship mid-stream is a difficult thing to do.

As for surgery, surely it must improve the chance of a longer life otherwise they wouldn't attempt it. As far as your particular situation is concerned, I would try to speak to your consultant about what the outcome is likely to be. I've only had a bypass, but what I can say is that I am fitter and more able now than I was before my op. No-one in the family asks whether I'm up for helping shift stuff or going for a 15 mile ramble - they know I am more than capable even though I am knocking on the door with 70 on it. 😀 Incidentally, my surgeon told me that I would be okay for a minimum of 25 years post op and as I was 65 at the time, that was good enough for me. I just need to ensure I don't walk under a bus!

As I said in my first post, keeping positive is extremely important. I don't even think about what I have been through except to say thank you to God and to the team that carried out my op when I get to the top of a mountain and take in the views.

I really hope that you are able to resolve the issues that you are facing. Getting yourself "mended" must be a priority and if you have to tailor your work to suit for a while, then so be it.

With my best wishes,

Gerald

[JulianM]

Hi Readie -

I was diagnosed at 59 years old with an ascending aorta at 4.6cm by echo and CT scan; 2.5 years later it's stable at 4.7cm. I have signs of a connective tissue disorder and the team who are monitoring me recommend that if or when I reach 5.0cm I should be offered surgery.

4,0cm is not large in this context, especially if you are tall. Also, if you're newly diagnosed, the one thing you don't know is whether it's growing or stable. Average growth rates are less than 0.1cm/year, and scans are nowhere near that precise, so it will take time to find out. You also need to know if you have a bicuspid aortic valve: an echocardiogram should tell you. Or is the issue that the enlargement is already affecting the valve and it isn't closing properly?

You should be monitored: 4.0cm is not completely normal, but if it's stable there may be no need for any limitations at all, unless there's a family history which raises concerns of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (which is very rare) or strong signs of another connective tissue disorder such as Marfan syndrome. Also, if you have high blood pressure this should be a prompt to deal with it, but if you don't then there's no obvious risk at present.

What scans have you had? Have you been referred to a cardiologist specialising in aneurysmal disease? I'm with one who is in a regional Adult Congenital Heart Disease team, which includes cardiothoracic surgeons and genetics specialists; this may be the direction for you to go.

[cjbroon]

My Aneurysm was discovered in 2017 when I was 49 years old. It was 4.9mm then. I'm 6ft 2. Mine was at the root and Ascending Aorta. I was referred after my brother had died of similar. If there's any family history they'll certainly look at surgery sooner.

I had open heart surgery in April 2019 for repair. I was a rare case who had complications after surgery as I had pericardial bleeds so they had to operate again 11 days after. Then I took infections. I was a month in hospital in total initially. Was back in a short time later with pneumonia/ sepsis.

However I have made a full recovery and am back to living as near to normal life. No reduction in life expectancy.

My job has changed slightly. I was an operational Police Officer in the Traffic Dept. However since the initial diagnosis I've been made non operational. Initially that kind of upset me bit, but now I'm actually quite thankful I'm indoors and not dealing with a lot of the situations cops deal with now.

Only thing I would say is I thought I had fully recovered after after 3 to 4 months but in reality I hadn't really recovered till about 12 months later.

I've been told no contact sports. I'm 53 now anyway. I've always been a keen golfer and I'm back doing that 3 or 4 times a week.

Other than a few minor changes life is generally as it was before the surgery.

[Readie]

Many thanks for all your helpful comments