Aa
Thoracic Aortic Ascending Aneurysm
I've just been diagnose. I'm 63 year old woman with diabetes. How does one live with an aneurysm? Can its growth be adequately predicted in time? Are we safe to drive our grandchildren around?
Post back anytime. I know how you feel. If you want more information about the medical facts and decision-making, look up the Bicuspid Aortic Foundation's website. They have helped me. They have a FB page also. And I'll do anything I can.
Thank you for your words of explanation. I'm just new and scared. I'm sure as I learn more the angst will ease. The doctor told me not to stress out too much, and that's exactly what I've been doing.
I guess I'm lucky that I'm almost 64 and may never have to have surgery. That's about the only thing positive about it!
Again, thank you.
dinycat
I guess I'm lucky that I'm almost 64 and may never have to have surgery. That's about the only thing positive about it!
Again, thank you.
dinycat
The way you live with a thoracic aneurysm is to control your blood pressure, keep your doctor's appointments, report any new symptoms promptly to your doctor, and in your case, control your diabetes. Except for doing those things, try to forget that you have it.
The growth rate of a thoracic aortic aneurysm can't be "predicted," but it can be monitored. The reason you have to monitor it is because you can't predict it -- see what I mean? You just have to check on it every so often, to see what it's doing. You'll probably be having an annual CT scan from now on. The doctor may even have told you to come back for your next CT scan in six months, depending on the current size of the aneurysm and whether this scan (that I assume you just had) was your first one.
Most of these things grow at a rate of about one or two millimeters per year. If yours grows faster than that, the doctor will want to either monitor it more often or go ahead and operate to repair it. If it gets to a certain size (and surgeons differ on the exact size, but usually anywhere from 4.5 cm in diameter to 5.5 cm), the size alone is an indication for surgery. If you start having chest pains that aren't explained by anything else, that can also be an indication for surgery.
Yes, you can drive your grandchildren around. It's not like you have a ticking time bomb in your chest that's going to go off any minute. Having had this, I know you probably feel that way, but that's not how it is. The CT scans will tell you if it ever gets big enough to worry about. Unless you have some other reason not to be able to drive your grandchildren around (such as symptoms that interfere with driving), just having a pre-surgical aneurysm in your chest does not need to interfere with either driving a car or spending time with your grandchildren.
You've probably had this aneurysm for a long time. The only thing that's different now is that you know about it. It might not grow any more, and you might not ever need to have anything done about it. If you do have to have it repaired, the outcomes are very good with a skilled surgeon and a skilled team. I had a thoracic aortic aneurysm repaired in 2004 and am doing fine.
The growth rate of a thoracic aortic aneurysm can't be "predicted," but it can be monitored. The reason you have to monitor it is because you can't predict it -- see what I mean? You just have to check on it every so often, to see what it's doing. You'll probably be having an annual CT scan from now on. The doctor may even have told you to come back for your next CT scan in six months, depending on the current size of the aneurysm and whether this scan (that I assume you just had) was your first one.
Most of these things grow at a rate of about one or two millimeters per year. If yours grows faster than that, the doctor will want to either monitor it more often or go ahead and operate to repair it. If it gets to a certain size (and surgeons differ on the exact size, but usually anywhere from 4.5 cm in diameter to 5.5 cm), the size alone is an indication for surgery. If you start having chest pains that aren't explained by anything else, that can also be an indication for surgery.
Yes, you can drive your grandchildren around. It's not like you have a ticking time bomb in your chest that's going to go off any minute. Having had this, I know you probably feel that way, but that's not how it is. The CT scans will tell you if it ever gets big enough to worry about. Unless you have some other reason not to be able to drive your grandchildren around (such as symptoms that interfere with driving), just having a pre-surgical aneurysm in your chest does not need to interfere with either driving a car or spending time with your grandchildren.
You've probably had this aneurysm for a long time. The only thing that's different now is that you know about it. It might not grow any more, and you might not ever need to have anything done about it. If you do have to have it repaired, the outcomes are very good with a skilled surgeon and a skilled team. I had a thoracic aortic aneurysm repaired in 2004 and am doing fine.
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