sometimes life gets complicated.
it takes time when things come up to comprehend what’s going on.
it takes time to get through what actually happened.
it takes time to process everything and put it into words.
today i’m ready to share my story…
i’ll start by saying this story has a happy ending. on january 30 just nine days after creativation i went into the hospital for open heart surgery. this surgery didn’t come as a total surprise since i was born with a bicuspid aortic valve which i had annual checkups for. however, the timing of the surgery was something i wasn’t anticipating until much later in life, but my cardiologist and cardiac surgeon determined it was time to replace my aortic valve. the 3+ hour surgery went well and i spent the next 5 days in cardiac ICU before being released to continue my recovery at home.
after 2 weeks into recovery things took a turn for the worse and i just wasn’t feeling right. i didn’t have an appetite or want to drink anything and thought it was all part of the healing process. after calls to the doctors it was decided i needed to go in for a chest x-ray immediately. within 30 minutes of the x-ray i was rushed into emergency surgery due to cardiac tamponade where they drained 1400cc of fluid from around my heart. this was a terrifying and traumatic experience, but thanks to the quick actions of mario, my amazing surgeon and his entire medical team for literally saving my life that day.
i stayed in the hospital for another 4 days then released again to continue my recovery at home. things have gone much better this time and progressing. my appetite is back to normal, we started mall walking (who knew?), and this week i started cardiac rehab at the hospital to build my strength and endurance back up. the recovery following open heart surgery is a long 12 weeks and i have learned to take it one day at a time. i’m on my way to a full healthy recovery and feeling better everyday.
so that’s my story…
i just wanted to share why we’ve been quiet on social media and why we haven’t had any events scheduled. really looking forward to things getting back on track soon…t!m
