Open Heart Surgery
It all began with some sniffles in the fall while at college. I was in college and went to the infirmary to see a doctor. As they were listening to my heart, she mentioned something didn’t sound quite right and I should go see a cardiologist just to be safe. I remember walking into my first cardiologist appointment, looking around and seeing many elderly folks with large bags of medicine. I thought to myself, as a college student, I’m too young to be dealing with this.
After a few tests, I was referred to Duke for additional testing to confirm what was going on with my heart. I won’t bore you with all the details and medical jargon! We found out that I had a leaky heart valve and a small hole in my heart between the top two chambers of my heart. Luckily, nothing that needed immediate fixing. There was the possibility I could live the rest of my life with these two issues and not have any problems. It just meant that I had to add “cardiologist” to my yearly rotation of doctor visits to keep an eye on things.
Throughout the years, there were a few times of uncertainty. A couple of moments of “your valve is leaking more but it’s still not time to fix it.” A few years and two kids later, I knew something wasn’t right. I was tired all the time. It’s hard to explain the kind of “heart” tired until you’ve felt it. You just have no energy, no matter what you try or how much you sleep.
Multiple tests and doctor visits later, they were convinced it was just because I was a new mom, working & trying to keep up with everything. I felt otherwise and I’ve learned to always be your own advocate when you feel something is wrong! I went to get a second opinion at a different hospital and I’m so glad I did. I had a couple of more invasive tests to see what was really going on and my new cardiologist concluded that it was time to fix my valve. This transpired over the course of a whole year and the timing of the surgery could not have been worse … nothing like having open heart surgery at 34 BUT it landed right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. Talk about trusting God.
I had learned to trust God more through my son’s NICU journey, but this was different. It was me, my body, I had two kids and a lot to live for. The “what ifs” were unnerving at times. The six-hour surgery was successful, but the pain and recovery was something I’ll never forget. It taught me gratitude for the simple things in life … such as breathing, being healthy, and time with those you love. I think it’s easy to take such simple things for granted until you’re faced with death or the possibility of losing those “luxuries.”
I never felt the same afterwards. Physically everything was great besides working out some heart rhythm issues but mentally and emotionally, it changed me for the better! There’s a lot I could unpack about my heart story but maybe that’s for part two!