5.2 ascending aortic aneurysm- waiting for surgery (?)

At 5.4cm you are thinking correctly, but you also need to think about timing. You are willing to travel to get the best care but that is probably something you need to settle very quickly, as @pamela78 says you don't want this to become an emergency as you won't be able to travel in that case. Planning for the best possible care is awesome but you should have a contingency in case of an unexpected event (read @moonboy's comment above), in an emergency you need to be minutes from an operating room.

Just in case mine was done at Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center in Houston, by Dr Anthony Estrera (probably the best in Houston).

How far away are you? If you can't fly, you are basically talking about driving or maybe if you are lucky going by train. It is 180 miles one way for me to go to Mayo. I realize that isn't far compared to some people's situation.

You are smart about being willing to travel. Again, high Volume centers provide the best chance of a great outcome. Also ask about retrograde perfusion to the brain. Different surgeons within a practice may do it while others will not. (Cognitive issues are among the most important to us.) The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland Ohio and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN both have high volume good programs. Houston Methodist is another that publishes about innovative approaches. I am certain there are others on the East and West Coast.
We go to Mayo and are very happy. My aneurysm is at 5 but I don’t have vasculitis or other high risk “features.” It is stable and Mayo advised I could come back in 2 or 3 years but I want annual exams.
Good luck to you.

Yes - 180 miles is not far. I travel 1350 miles one way to go to Mayo. We have been going there for 30 years and we trust Mayo.

I live in the middle of NC. Since I'm from the Midwest, I'd probably prefer Cleveland Clinic or Mayo, but getting there would be an ordeal any way you slice it.

If I went out of state, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland was #1 on my list.

Hello : This is Doug . I was recently diagnosed with an AAA at 4.5 . I'n 75 and thought i was in decent shape, although a bit overweight (I'm working on that positively ) . I'm trying to find some sort of guidance as to what I can do physically without increasing risk of increasing size of aneurism . I used to lift some weights ,not a lot , maybe 20 lbs ,but enough reps were I would strain pretty hard on the last ones. Well I 've stopped that and walk a mile every day either on the treadmill or outside if its not too cold , but cautious about lifting too much , whatever that is . Other than that I'm trying not to let this run my life but don't want to do anything stupid to aggravate the situation. I guess there's no one size fits all, but would appreciate ant ideas .Thanks

Hi, I have posted this video several times, I hope it helps you, it is a very experienced cardiologist talking about aneurysms and exercise.

Exercise is encouraged as you want your body in the best shape possible, but there are some limitations and they are mainly related to exercises that raise your BP, BP is the worst enemy of aneurysms and doing any exercise that leads you to hold your breath/grunt while exerting, should be avoided as it is known that during that interval your BP rises significantly. That happens very often while lifting heavy weights, sometimes crunching, etc as we tend to maintain spine stability.

I hope the video is helpful to you

Thanks very much . I learned a few things but the journey continues .