I've never read anything about a possible cause of an aneurysm beyond heredity, about which you can do nothing. I know you shouldn't smoke. Keep your blood pressure down, lose some weight, and avoid salt. But does anyone here know anything more about possible causes?

While it’s good you know about it, your situation does not sound that severe overall and should be manageable. I’m 57 and I was diagnosed earlier this year and mine is at 5.0. Given that my genetic testing came back negative I went through the same emotions since there is evidence that competitive marathoners and rowers (I was both) have an even higher incidence of the condition than former NFL players. Your risk of dissection should be very low (less than 1%) and based on average growth rates of 0.1 per year you likely won’t need surgery for a decade and a half. My doctor told me not to lift heavy (less than 50% of body weight) and focus on aerobic exercises that don’t exceed 70 to 75% max heart rate. I suspect if you do the same you’ll be fine

I am going through the same thing. I try to be positive but then I go down the proverbial rabbit hole of catastrophic thinking. I know that raises blood pressure so it’s a viscous cycle. Have you found any coping mechanisms for the dark moments?