Anna's Posts

Well, it has been a year since my surgery. My scar is a thin white line. I find it very noticeable, but at the same time I do nothing to hide it and sometimes show it off as a badge of courage. My pulse has not decreased and is still in the 90's resting. My blood pressure is still often low. I am still exhausted constantly. I am no longer on any medication... which is lovely. I had an echo immediately after the surgery that showed the mvr was fixed. I haven't seen my Cardiologist since November 2018. I have an appointment with him in November 2019. This is the longest I have gone without seeing a Cardiologist in years. The ocular migraines are now infrequent. The surgery forced me to close my business. That was something I had to come to terms with. I was hired by a major corporation. I have never worked for anyone but myself before, so this has been an adjustment. My husband and I have been on vacation. We are working on remodeling our home. I guess that is all the big stuff. There are very few times I think about the surgery. I was shocked to realize it was a year ago! I remember how frightened I was and how wonderful and informative it was to read the stories from people who had been there too, so I wanted to stop by to give some encouragement to everyone. This is really just a little blip in time, your future is waiting ahead.

"Life is full of changes." That is what my late husband said to me when I told him I liked things as they are. He said: "get used to it." Eleven years ago I moved to a new state. I started seeing a new doctor. This practice helps to train medical students. Whenever I went to the doctor there would be a knock on the door, and someone would say: "hello, Anna. This is so-and-so a nursing student/medical student/PA, and we would like her/him to listen to your heart". There would be that silent moment, and then I would see eyes widen and a smile, and they would exclaim: "I hear it! It's really loud!" And then they would leave the room, and I would know that at some point in the future, this person will graduate, and will hear an ill heart and it will be because my heart taught them something of value, and we will have saved another's life. Perhaps they will even find their way onto this site. Amid all of the fear and worry of pending surgery, helping to illustrate a heart murmur gave me a sense of pride. Since the surgery, I go to the doctor's office and there are no knocks on the door. No students are waiting to hear my heart. It sounds normal these days. There has been a change. I will get used to it :-) Best wishes to everyone waiting for your surgery. Have faith and peace, a merry Christmas, and a wonderful 2019.