stephanie's Photos

heart/health anxiety...hi... ii'm checking in after a hiatus. its 2yr and 2 mo since my emergency AVR(bovine) and mitral valve repair, aortic aneurism repair. this group has helped me through so many questions and wonderments in my recovery and healing. you regulars know my story and have been my awesome cheerleaders,moral supporters. y'aall who haven't met me, feel free to look up my name and past posts.
anyway....my physical body is about as good as its gonna get, i guess. 78 yrs old, physically active, hard worker, but sadly finding out that the rebuilt heart is NOT a new heart. i am still at only 50% of my expectations re stamina, and confidence.
as an emergency surgery, i was unprepared for what to expect, assuming after i came home that i'd be about normal after 2 or 3 months, like a hysterectomy or something. BIG SURPRISE... 2 years gone and i am now in the throes of major heart anxiety, still with PTSD and GENERAL ANXIETY. my primary doc( an osteopath,a hugger, and fabulous) helps my confidence. says i look in really good shape. not to worry. i AM doing CBT therapy weekly,which has done wonders. but... my cardiologist, who is quite a character, never looks me in the eye, voices his first observation over the stethoscope,then re checks and says oh, its ok now. he scoped me as i was having an anxiety attack and promptly said,"you're in A FIB. i died right there, scared ####less. then he rechecked, said, "ok, normal rythym. " did an ekg...came up 2/6 mitral insufficiency..ergo, the subtle heart murmur my pcp had heard,and now this doc. ( july 8,pcp,july14,cardio)ekg showed upside down t waves, but normal sinus rythym. now, even though i'm not scheduled for follow up til jan, incl an ECHO, i just needed to tell you guys what's going on. apparently i'm good to go, but still creeped out. no breathing issues, no pain, 10 mi bike rides easy, 1 minute planks, flexible, usual yard work and such. just 2 hours is fine,then i'm done. other than that scarey stuff, i'm good. i pray you all are well,and gaining health and strength.🦄🌈