Ascending Aortic Anneurysm

[Lois]

Hello. I am new to the group. I have 4.1 ascending aortic anneurysm along with significant and moderate alteriorsclerosis (significant in carotid artery, moderate in iliac arteries) along with COPD which is controlled. Anyone else in the group have this? I have another scan in 6 months. The entire thing terrifies me. I was laid off work on Feb. 7, 2013...no fault of my own...office closing...been on unemployment since. I have been feeling so run down and tired. Praying anneurysm doesn't grow. I'm not a good candidate for open heart, even now! Your support and comments are appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Lois]

I also am concerned about flying with aortic anneurysm...have any of you been told not to fly? I was told I can never have breathing test again (for COPD) because of anneurysm...they will have to do blood gases only to determine oxygen level in blood.

 

[escargome]

Welcome Lois, I unfortunately cannot comment on your present situation since I have neither an anneurysm nor COPD. I am sure someone in this forum will come along soon with some opinions and advice. However, what I can provide to you is prayers and support. I hope you find answers to your health problems quickly and they are what you need to ease your mind.

 

[escargome]

Lois, don't know if you noticed, but according to post from Scott Eitmann, there is going to be a meeting in Columbus regarding heart valves, etc. possibly you would like to attend and pose some of the questions you have. Good Luck to you.

 

[AZ Don]

Welcome to the group, I just joined myself. I don't know much about your other conditions but I know that people often live for years with aortic aneurysms. It is my understanding that the larger they are the faster they tend to grow, and 4.1 is not particularly large. I did some research when I was diagnosed and found that rupture or dissection frequently occur with physical or emotional stress:
http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?41543-Exercise-and-stress-with-Aortic-Aneurysm

... so in my mind this gives some level of control over one's health, as steps can be taken to reduce stress, though certainly having an aneurysm is stressful. With your other issues I would suggest talking to your Dr. re. flying, but apparently an aneurysm of your size is not by itself a reason not to fly:

choicewords77: Is there any added danger to one diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm measuring 4.2. traveling via airplane? Second (related) question: for same individual would flying or driving be preferred on a trip from Ohio to Florida. Thank you for doing these chats. We have so many questions regarding the diagnosis of the aneurysm.

Dr__Eagleton: An aneurysm of 4.2 cm would not be a contraindication to flying, and I certainly would consider doing that if traveling to Cleveland from Florida.

from Cleveland Clinic website (they have a lot of good info): http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/webchat/1276_aorta-disease-and-treatments.aspx

Don