Actually, I just texted it to you. If that is still your number.
I was diagnosed with an aortic root enlargement back in 2017 as an incidental finding from an unrelated issue. The doctor says it was good they found it…it doesn’t typically cause any symptoms until it ruptures, which can be fatal.
In my case I think it was due to untreated sleep apnea, which can spike your blood pressure during an apneic event.
Since I was diagnosed, I have been taking a second blood pressure medication as well as a CPAP at night. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea right around the same time…while I didn’t initially want a CPAP, I changed my mind in a hurry.
I’ve also been getting annual ultrasound imaging of my heart to make sure the enlargement isn’t getting any worse. So far, so good for over eight years now.
Congratulations!
Thanks for the update @Bullitt, your story is an inspiration. I just returned from my third annual ultrasound to keep an eye on my aorta, a procedure my doctor initiated immediately after my older brother had a triple A. Fortunately for him it occurred while he was visiting his grandchildren in Riverside instead of on the boat that is his normal residence in the Sea of Cortez.
Also fortunately for him, his daughter-in-law happened to be an influential nurse at the hospital he was taken to. My brother is a recovering alcoholic (dry for 14 years) but never stopped smoking, and the surgeon initially refused to squander precious resources on someone who was doing such damage to themselves. Daughter-in-law went to bat for him (“he’s my kids’ grampa”) and he was saved. He’s doing fine now, still lives on his boat.
Dropping 135 pounds is awesome, I know what it takes. It really is a mental reset, but very rewarding to feel your youthful body coming back (at least in some respects!). Keep it up.
Hey, I want to see the new you, too! Maybe you’d better just post it here.
Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.
Here are 4 pictures, @needscoffee .
Okay here is the old me, taken in early 2024. This is what I looked like when my wife and I met @ThelmaLou .
Here is the current me.
Here, current me, we’re at the gym with two of our trainers. I’m wearing an old t-shirt from 2011 that I haven’t been able to wear in over 10 years. It’s a shirt from when the San Francisco Giants won their first World Series back in 2010.
Current me, I’m with my niece at a Filipino dance ceremony in California.
That’s a real hard way to develop motivation to lose weight, but golly you look so much better and healthier when not obese.
Congrats on grabbing your problem by the short hairs and beating it.
Lovely pictures! Thanks for sharing! You and your wife look very happy together. You’ve had quite an eventful journey healthwise. Delighted at the progress and results!
Thanks guys. I do feel much better, and my heart is also thankful that I’m not abusing it.
Health problems truly do make life difficult. I’m happy to learn that you are feeling and doing better.
Congratulations on all you have achieved.
Thank you @not_what_you_d_expect .
Your brother is very fortunate to have been there in Riverside.
When mine hit, it was just an hour or two after arriving home from a long drive, from Salt Lake City to home near San Francisco, a distance of 750 miles. If it had hit while I was doing that drive, I almost certainly wouldn’t be here today and maybe my wife would’ve been seriously injured as a passenger in the car.
Another point about your brother is that the doctor had to be coerced (if that is the right word) into doing his procedure. That’s just not right. Your brother’s smoking is similar to my overeating, a bad habit that I had to break. My procedure and near death convinced me to break that habit. I needed help to change my ways.
Old, bad habits are really hard to correct.
Bumped. Lindsey Graham just died of an aortic dissection. He was 71.
Others who died of an aortic dissection include:
John Ritter in 2003, age 54
Alan Thicke in 2016, age 69
Flo Hyman in 1986, age 31
King George II in 1760, age 76
Richard Biggs in 2004, age 44
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif in 2026, age 66
I’m reminded how very fortunate I am. I was in the hospital when my ascending aorta dissected, and one of the very best surgeons around was right there with me when it happened.
I’ve lost a lot of weight since then, over 125 pounds. I’m 25 pounds from my Marine Corps weight limit (203 lbs for a 6’0” male). That’s my initial goal, but once there I’ll probably want to lose 25-30 more because I don’t have anywhere near the muscle mass that I had in my 20s and 30s.
My eyes got a little wide as I was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm about six years ago. It’s been stable at 4.6 cm at the root since diagnosis, large enough to keep an eye on but too small for surgery.
My newer cardiologist tells me, “Don’t lift anything over 50 pounds and call 911 if you feel a tearing sensation in you chest.”
My previous cardiologist told me, “Don’t lift anything over 50 pounds and make sure your wife has all your emergency information handy for the responders.”
I’ve come to understand that the older advice was the more practical.
Holy crap. Glad you’re on top of this!
Be well, stay well.
And some of the discussions centered on “If this kills so quickly, what point is there in recognizing the symptoms? You’ll be dead before anyone can do anything”. This thread is, thankfully, evidence that that’s not always so.
As I recall, John Ritter was feeling a little under the weather when it started, but didn’t think it was anything serious. I suspect that might have been the case in others’ deaths, that a feeling of nausea isn’t normally something you’d rush to the ER for, and by the time the tear starts really opening up, it’s too late.
I got a letter today inviting me to have an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm scan -
and after reading this thread, I think I’d be daft not to accept the invitation !
Something I found very surprising was that in the accompanying leaflet, it
said that the aorta at this point was normally about 3cm wide. I assumed
this was a typo and that it should have said about 3mm, but no ! It really is
about 3cm !!! That’s freakin’ huge !
It’s about this 
wide!!!
Glad you’re having it checked out, @pjd . Hope it goes well!
Thanks ! I’ll report back !