Moonboy; Thin ice; great analogy! Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with 4.2 ATAA and a Root aneurysm 4.5cm. I am 89 and up to that point was in pretty fair shape, gym 3-4 times a week etc. following a good health regimen. There are no cardiologists in my home town in AK. But we have a winter home in Tucson and have tried to make appointments with a major Clinic in Phoenix. After 90 days, I got a text saying that an opening existed for 1 hour which I didn't see until it went to someone else a few hours later. I then went to a Tucson Heart & Vascular medical clinic that suddenly said I needed a vascular surgeon specialist and their vascular department no longer offer that specific service. Now I know that my age on paper (w/o actually observing my physical condition in person) may cause some concern with some medical facilities. Has anyone else experienced this kind of apparent selectivity among older patients? Or am I just experiencing a phase of bad luck?