Hi Cindy,
I didn't have your issue, but I did have a heart attack and emergency quintuple bypass surgery 3 1/2 years ago at the age of 67. I was and still am a lifelong gym rat and I'm here to tell you that you are not going to drop dead. Well, okay, eventually you will as will we all, but this little mechanical problem you have isn't changing anything as long as you follow your doctor's instructions.
By the way, there are tons of people on this site that have the same medical problem as you, and I am sure that they will be coming out of the woodwork in response to one or the other of your 2 posts, sharing their experiences with you.
One last thing. I'm doing absolutely everything now that I did before I heart attack and open heart surgery. The only differences in my lifestyle have to do with getting old and have nothing to do with my heart. I don't lift as much weight as I used to lift, 10, 20, 40 years ago but that's only because I'm not 30 or even 50 anymore. I retired from the full-time practice of law 10 months ago, but that was because I didn't want to work full-time past the age of 70. I have more important things to do now, like smell the roses. I still love to eat and do eat, healthy foods, but I always ate healthy foods. And, as I think William Powell once said, or maybe it was Myrna Loy, I still like to "slip out of those wet clothes and into a dry martini."
Good luck, keep laughing at life, and please keep us posted.
Ira
------------------------------
Ira Reid
Hoboken NJ
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-26-2021 20:00
From: cindy meredith
Subject: Ascending Aortic dilation new diagnosis, very frightened
I posted earlier but not sure if it went through. I apologize if there are two. A dialation was found back in June of 4.2 as an incidental finding on a calcium CT. THE calcium score was zero which is great but the dilation has me very shook up. A cardiologist has referred me to a cardio-thoracic surgeon so they can follow me going forward. There are no other heart problems, no high BP that has ever been noted, no family history, no connective tissue disease. I am overweight but not obese and do have high triglycerides.
I am so sad and frankly in a bit of shock. I really don't take any meds although the cardiologist put me on a low dose beta blocker now. I feel like a sickly person. I am 63.
any words of encouragement or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm terrified of dropping dead. I see a surgeon in September so that I can be put on the follow up schedule.
------------------------------
Cindy M
------------------------------