symptoms of aorta dilation

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michael A

Does anyone know the symptoms of aorta dilation?

I know chest pain would be one.

I have a 4.8 dilation and am a little concerned.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Hi Michael,
Some people don't have any symptoms of an aortic aneurysm. Mine is 4.7 and I had no symptoms. The Dr was doing tests to check my aortic valve and found it during my TEE. Nancy has posted some good replies to the thread in Heart Talk-the thread Aortic valve regurg ascending Aortic aneursym 1. It has links to alot of good information on it. I don't know how to put the links in for you.
It is pretty scarey to find out you have some like that wrong with you. I sometimes get all nerved up about it. There are alot of members on this site that are really smart about it. I try to read all the information I get. I am going to print a few things up so at my next cardio visit I will be able to ask some questions. Good Luck.
 
I had no symptoms at all other then a nagging cough, that was all. This is a silent time bomb waiting for an opportune time to either give you a very unsettling wake up call or take your life in an instant.
 
Aneurysm

Aneurysm

Hi Michael,
I am now recovering from ascending aortic aneurysm, had surgery on august 20. In march my aneurysm was 5.6, and at surgery it was a 7. I believe somewhere I read that 5. cm was the time for surgery.
I am so fortunate because when echo was done in March, i did not learn results until the week end of July 4th. As soon as I saw the report I KNEW what need to be done.
found a surgeon I trusted and had a cat scan, Doc went on vacation, by then I wanted to wait for him. Well known, Dr. Vaughn Starnes of USC.
I am absolutely amazed at how well I feel and have felt all along, even from day One. Some pain, but the morphine takes care of the first few days. The biggest problem was having a BM, take the Milk of Mag from the beginning as soon as you can have liquids.
9 and 1/2 weeks post op I just started my 4th week of cardiac rehab. Feeling good, However you must know I can not shovel snow or vacuum for 12 years, he he
Time to get moving.............I was at the gym 4 times a week getting the pulse up to 130 for 60 minutes, I did however, stop that as soon as I got the report.
Take care, and Blessings
Corky
 
aneurysm #2

aneurysm #2

Michael,
Forgot to answer your question...............I had no symptoms, NONE Zilch, NADA! Don't let this go, this is what John Ritter had.
Corky
 
Michael

Michael

I agree with Corky and Ross. Was a perfect healthy age 61 year old when Card. found mine looking for a minor problem I was having. 5.0..Said..operate now. did in 3 days. now 18 months post-op..Doing great. Not so for my wonderful brother-in-law that was reading in bed at age 50 and his burst. Left my sister to raise 2 boys alone..He never had any symptoms either.:mad: Bonnie
 
Ross, if you don't mind sharing, could you descibe your experience when your aorta disected?

Rick
 
Thanks for the reply everyone,

I am beginning to take this thing more seriously than before.

I guess you just don't want to believe that you have a problem when you don't feel sick.

I am going to get another consultation from a different cardio. I guess that can't hurt?

I'm so glad I found this site. I don't really think anyone else thinks I have a problem. And it will be good for me to begin accepting this as reality.

Is 4.8 to early for surgury? or should I wait. My doctor thinks wait till 5.0 or more.
 
Cleveland Clinic says 5 puts you in immediate need for surgery and mine went from where your at now to rupturing within 4 months time, so only use that number as a guide, don't set it in stone.
 
michael A, I also have an aortic dilalation that was first discoved at 4.8cm. It has since grown to 5.0cm. My doc has said we will wait until 5.5cm before we repair it but am have very serious reservations about this and have moved my December appt. up until Friday to discuss my concerns. I know what you are going through and know how much you want to worry.The people at this site have all been through this sort of thing and are great sources of information. I think the most important thing you can do is to question everything that is going on. Learn as much as you can about your condition and be proactive in your treatment. Remember it is YOUR life and you have to do whatever you need to do to insure that the treatment you choose is the best for your situation. Best of luck to you! Take comfort in in the fact that you have found your problem! That fact alone means that you have are gonig to beat this thing!

Rick
 
Michael,

My wife suffered an dissecting aortic aneurysm and had to have surgery to have a mechanical aortic valve and a dacron arch and branches. At the time the dissection occurred, her symptoms were a sharp pain that shot up her neck and some nausea and exhaustion, eventually difficult respiration.

For around a year before the dissection she had some nagging problems that she visited the doctor for, but was pretty much blown off (grrr). She had a problem with episodes of sudden choking for no apparent reason, she was exhausted and her color was very poor. Now we know these were all signs of the expanding aneurysm.

Good luck, Michael.
 
Hearty one

Hearty one

Do you know the size of your wife's cm of her aneurysm..at her surgery? Could help these other people..Bonnie
 
Bonnie,

Haven't been by in a few days, sorry I didn't answer quickly.

The aneurysm was smack dab on the aortic root and had expanded to 5.6 cm when the dissection took place.

Hope this info helps someone else with their health.
 
Symptoms......

Symptoms......

What Heartyone described regarding his wife's symptoms is very sadly often the case.....the symptoms are often typical of other things, and the aorta is just not thought about..... People are treated with inhalers for asthma, x-rayed for pneumonia or other lung problems, their chronic shoulder or back pain is assumed to be from their back, etc. but the aorta is overlooked! I am so sorry that Heartyone's wife had a dissection....however, she is among the very fortunate that was correctly diagnosed in the ER and was saved by surgery.....
But very often there are not any symptoms at all.....and aortic tissue can be very unstable.....today medicine such as ACE inhibitors and other blood pressure medications can be used to increase the safety margin for those with aortic disease until they have surgery, but it takes expertise to medically manage this!

For those who are coping with an enlarged aorta, there are some FAQs at http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/aorta that may help....

Arlyss
 
Alyssa,

You are absolutely right about how lucky my wife and I are, especially when I tell you she wasn't diagnosed correctly at all. The dissection caused the neck pain and nausea during a bike ride and two days later she visited the primary care physician who said she had the flu and sent her home. The next day she was hospitalized with who knows what at a small hospital nearby. Forty eight hours later I got her out of there and into a medical center in the city where the dissection was found within one hour of her arrival. She was in critical condition by then and it took a few days to stabilize her for surgery, which she had 5 days later.

We are indeed incredibly lucky.
 
Michael A

Michael A

My sister told me the night of her hubby's burst aneurysm..He came home from work..and told her his back and legs hurt. They went to grocery store and he deep fried some food outside for the boys. Then went to bed..where he was reading a magazine ..he screamed out for her..told her he had a sharp pain in chest. They went to local ER. diagnosed it as indigestion. Then decided he better go by ambulance to larger town..where they found his aneurysm had dissected. Prepped him for operation. Still talking to my sister when they wheeled him to OR. My husband and I went right over and was there all night..with my sister. He died at 5 p.m. that afternoon. So sad. Age 50..Bonnie
 
Hi!
My experience with an aortic dissection/anuerysm is pretty similar to others. I had no idea anything at all was wrong. I had been having some flutters etc...more often than I used to. I was told that I was just a littly tachy and everything was fine. I had just had my second daughter 7 weeks before my aortic dissection. Sat down at the kitchen table on Easter morning and had this strange burning pain start under my left arm, went around my back and shoulders to my right under arm and then it continued across my chest and into my collar bone. I didn't have any trouble with breathing etc....which made it very hard to diagnose. My oxygen levels were fine, my ekg was slightly tachy again, my xray was fine and everything sounded ok. They sent me home from the ER and said it was muscular. I continued to have pain, for a couple days, but the pain did get better and better. It only seemed to hurt when I would breath in. My family doc also saw me the next day and said that it was muscular. Months later, I had a pre-employment physical where they heard a murmur. The docs found a prolapsed aortic valve, but still never found the dissection, which by then had also developed into an anuerysm. It took me my third opinion to have a doctor find out what was really going on. I went straight to Cleveland Clinic for surgery. I had no symptoms what so ever except for the initial pain when the aorta dissected.

Take Care!
Gail
 
Reading the details of what happened with Heartyone's wife, it is truly amazing that she survived her dissection..... I only hope that everyone who reads these posts will alert others that a CT scan is a fast way to either rule out or confirm a problem with the aorta.....and patients and their loved ones should demand that it be done, because lives will be saved! There is such a fixation on the traditional heart attack, because that is seen more often. The National Marfan Foundation has worked very hard to educate hospital ERs about aortic dissection, but there is a need for all of us to do our part.... From what I have read in the press, I would guess that it was assumed that John Ritter was having a heart attack....
 
Will ask my cardiologist

Will ask my cardiologist

On Oct. 28th when my hubby will see him for a follow-up. Will ask him if there is any warning before hand..I still think the only thing is a cath of heart..how they found mine. I had the cat scan, ect. and it did not show the aneurysm.. I think because they could not lower my b/p in 3 months..he wanted to do something else.:confused: :confused: See what he says about warning of an aneurysm. Bonnie
 
Boy I wouldn't let that go! I also had an aneurysm they were monitoring. It went from 4.0 to 5.0 real quick! Even then, I waited because my daughter was getting married and I just couldn't miss the wedding. Boy when I think how lucky I was! Surgery was done 3 weeks after the wedding. A Dacron patch and Medtronic-Hall aortic valve. No symptoms other than palpitations and a major weight loss (they don't seem to think that had anything to do with the heart problem). I was just soooo nauseated all the time. I don't agree but....... Anyhow, don't procrastinate! I'm here to see my Granddaughter and thank God every day for all my blessings!
 

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