I am 60 years old. I dissected completely and suddenly at age 50 almost 10 years ago. It was an absolute nightmare. You do not want to wait if surgery is indicated for you. Emergent surgery is often not survivable with a complete dissection like I had. Most people are dead before they hit the floor. A complete aortic dissection will essentially cause you to bleed out into your chest cavity in a very short amount of time. At 5 cm you are a candidate for surgery and you need to be honest with yourself about your situation. I would not be taking advice from ANYONE who's either not had a complete aortic dissection and survived one (me) or a qualified thoracic surgeon with aortic expertise.

You are in a danger zone where your chance of dying from this is very high. You need to get in with your thoracic surgeon immediately and take their advice. I would also make sure that you have all of your important documents in order before you have surgery done. That means getting a will, a living will, a healthcare directive and a healthcare power of attorney, depending upon your circumstance. I know this is not what you want to hear, but it is what you need to hear. Take it from someone who has been through this, you are very unlikely to survive if you dissect suddenly and completely. They just do not have enough time to get you open and get you stabilized to repair it. I want you to think about whether or not you would take a thousand mile long trip at 85MPH on a car that had a giant bulge in the front driver side tire? You would not do it, nor should you. Get with a good thoracic surgeon right now and get help. Peace.