It's been four years since my third open-heart surgery.

On this day, four years ago, I spent 11 hours on the operating table undergoing my third open-heart surgery at the Kaiser hospital in San Francisco. During the last 4 years I have endured many setbacks and been tested in every way. It seems that the older I get, and with each subsequent surgery, recovery becomes increasingly challenging and elusive. I have never had to work so hard for anything before. While my body will never completely recover, my goal has been to regain some joy and usefulness. I hope to do more than just survive from one surgery to the next. I want to rebuild a life that is worth living.
During this surgery, Dr. Anthony Azakie replaced my aortic and pulmonary valves, and repaired my tricuspid valve. That was done in 6 hours, but it took an additional 5 hours to stop the bleeding. Since then I have had 2 cardiac catheterizations done, been cardioverted 8 times, had a complete hysterectomy and underwent a procedure to repair a pseudo-aneurism of my femoral artery. I have also suffered from anxiety and depression and lived with chronic pain, due to a worsening of my Fibromyalgia symptoms and nerve damage sustained during surgery. Following all of that, I have spent the last 7 months weaning myself off of pain medication. Progress has been slow and painful, but the experience has taught me a great deal.
The last 4 years have taught me the importance of having hope, even if it's just a glimmer. I have also learned who I can count on and to what degree. I have had to develop some faith in my own strength. All of this came at a very high price but has made me a more substantial person. I'm thankful for that and for any and all improvements to my health and wellbeing. I intend to make it count.