@patientzero : Hey brother, there is a JAMA (Journal of American Medical Association) study that is the most comprehensive thing I have read on our disease. Google it and it will do more for you than the anti-anxiety medication your on. I say Brother because we share almost the same symptoms: ascending aortic 4.2cm &4.4 root aneurysms. Jama studied 6000 patients over >5 years and found that only 67 non-surgical deaths occurred compared to 3 % who had surgery. Those that did die were over 6,0cm. Amazed that your not on a statin for plaque buildup. BP meds work best when arteries & veins are fully open. Like @concern, I live hours away from needed surgery but I like the odds JAMA study found. I am 89 and still exercise albeit w. lighter weights also. Any one who reads this should try to find a "Thoracic Aorta Surgical Specialist" preferred or a Cardiovascular Surgeon. Reason? I found a regular cardiologist who acknowledged my aneurysms but like @jaysue41 this cardiologist was more interested in his finding of a Ventricular Hypertrophy I didn't know I had. The VH is the least of my worries since it is far less dangerous than aneurysms. Makes sense, cardiologists tend to dwell on what they study: hearts, not necessarily aortas.