One Year Post-Op, So Was It All Worth It?

I know I'm actually 13 months post-op at this point, so I apologize for not posting this sooner, however, I have a good reason. Thursday, April 14th I had my one year follow-up with my Cardiologist, and let's just say things didn't exactly go as I anticipated at my appointment. I was actually waiting to post this until I had heard from my Cardiologist (I'll get into that later), which I finally did, last Tuesday.

So let's rewind back to March, about three weeks before Easter. I was at my Grandparents for the weekend with my family, and it seemed like all of a sudden, out of nowhere I was going in Bigeminy.  Bigeminy is when you have one normal heart beat and then an abnormal heart beat and the cycle repeats itself until it breaks, or you're able to break it with various maneuvers.

The runs of Bigeminy were consistent throughout the weekend. Though manageable, they didn't make me light headed or dizzy, so I wasn't overly concerned. The cycles of bigeminy eased up a bit, but my Cardiologist still wanted me to have an Event monitor. It's a long (irritating) story that I don't need to get into, but I was not able to get my Event monitor. Thankfully (or not, depending on how you look at it), my coworker had palpitations at one point during her pregnancy, and one of the Cardiologists we work with had bought her a Kardia (by Alive Cor) handheld EKG monitor.

(Alive Cor monitor and Kardia App)

The pocket EKG (as we'll call it), allows you to attach the finger plates to the back of your smartphone (I didn't since it's my friends). Once you download the free Kardia app onto your smartphone, you're able to record 30 second rhythm strips, and save them to your phone within the app. My coworker asked me if I'd like to borrow it, and I jumped on the opportunity. Since my runs of bigeminy had eased up, I really didn't have anything to record, but I set it up anyhow.

Let's just say, boy, was I thankful that I did! About a week before I was set to see my Cardiologist (Saturday, April 9th to be exact), the runs of Bigeminy came back with vengeance! That day I had given a lecture of interesting Echo cases at a sonographer symposium, and everything was fine. That evening I was relaxing with my friends at one of my favorite restaurants in State College when they started back up again. The runs would come and go throughout our entire dinner. I didn't eat much, and I just kept taking deep breaths to try and break myself from them. I  was tired, and wondered if that could be the cause. I also didn't have the Alive Cor with me, so I couldn't record any of the tracings. 

The next day after I returned home, I threw myself on my couch to try and relax, but the runs of bigeminy kept coming, so I grabbed the pocket EKG, and decided to give it a try. It worked! That evening/night and into the next day I recorded 33 rhythm strips to show my Cardiologist. Unfortunately, due to the arrhythmia, I didn't get much sleep (which was extremely frustrating considering how tired I was).

(Sample of my Bigeminy from the app)

Thursday rolled around and I headed to my doctors appointment. I had been looking forward to this appointment because my doctor anticipated that I would "graduate" to one year follow-ups after this visit. Once my cardiologist came in, he asked me how things were going, and we discussed my palpitations. I showed him the rhythm strips on my phone. As he scrolled through them, he commented that as a group, the physicians had discussed buying the Alive Cor monitors for the department. He was impressed with the quality of the rhythm strips on my phone and seeing how it worked. We discussed the possibility of putting me on a Beta Blocker to try and get me some relief from the palpitations, but first he wanted me to get an echo to see how things were going since I was there in October.

If you remember correctly, before I went to my 6 month follow-up, I found out my valve was already leaking. During the echo, Cathy and I chatted, and I watched as she did my study. The regurgitation didn't appear to be any worse, so that was reassuring. She finished my study, and then went to make sure she had all the images she needed. She came back in and took few extra pictures, but I didn't think anything of it. 

After the echo, we met my Cardiologist back in an office visit room to discuss the results of the echo. My Cardiologist asked me what I thought of my echo, and I mentioned I didn't think the regurgitation was any worse than it was in October. What he said next, I was not expecting. He said the valve leaflets were already thickened and narrowing which was something he didn't anticipate as the valve was, at this point, just under a year old. He also said the gradients across the valve had increased since the last echo (makes sense since it was narrowed). He said he wanted to take my echo to one of the surgical conferences just to discuss the case and see if any of the other physicians had seen this before.

That being said, we also discussed options should the valve continue to progress in this direction. At the time of my appointment he didn't feel it was necessary to act on anything just yet, and he said once he spoke to the other physicians and surgeons that he would call me to discuss further. Then we revisited the bigeminy that I was having. I told him I felt comfortable trying out a low dose Beta Blocker to see if it gave me relief of the symptoms. He agreed, and told me to start off with one pill a day, and if I didn't feel any relief of my symptoms within a few weeks, to increase my dose to two a day. Easy enough. Then he told me he wanted to see me back in 3 months, since the valve was progressing in the manner that it is, he wants to keep a close watch on it. So much for thinking I was going to "graduate" to one year follow-ups. I left my appointment feeling discouraged, but there was nothing I could do about it.

A few weeks went by and my Cardiologist called me to tell me he hadn't had the opportunity to present my echo yet, due to the high volume of cases that needed to be reviewed. He reassured me he hadn't forgotten and that he would call me as soon as he had the opportunity to discuss the case. He asked me how my runs of Bigeminy were going, and I told him they had improved, but not resolved entirely, and that I was considering upping the dosage to two a day. He agreed and thought that would take care of the few I was still having. He also told me that the Beta-Blocker and dosage he prescribed was so small and specific that it should not give me any adverse side effects.

Finally last Tuesday, my Cardiologist called me to discuss everything. He told me the other cardiologists and surgeons agreed that the valve was progressing at a faster rate than expected. He said a few others had seen this, however, it was rare. At this point he does not want to be aggressive, and he doesn't believe we need to be. He said that, if down the road, we need to take action, he said many people do well with an Angioplasty type procedure in the Cath lab, where a balloon pops open the leaflets and allows them more mobility without increasing the degree of regurgitation. At this point he still wants to follow me closely, just to see if things stay the same or continue to progress. With that said, he did want to get a closer look at things, so he said he was going to set me up for a Cardiac MRI, and told me his secretary would call within the next few days to set it up. He said I could do it at anytime, but wanted it before my appointment in July.

(Example Cardiac MRI)

He then asked me how my Bigeminy was, and I told him that increasing the dosage had improved them, and that I only feel them on a rare occasion, and he was happy to hear that. He asked me if I was having any other symptoms other than the bigeminy, and I said no, not that I had been aware of at least.

The next day the Children's Heart Center called me to set up my Cardiac MRI. The woman I spoke to then told me that she was looking at September. A little stunned, I told her my Cardiologist wanted it before my appointment in July. She then said, "well he told me to get you scheduled for our first available." She then explained to me that the MRIs are done by someone who comes from Syracuse, and he only comes to town one Thursday a month. So, I'll just have to wait and have him give me those results over the phone when the time comes. I've never had a Cardiac MRI before (that I'm aware of), so this should be interesting.

Overall, I'm feeling slightly discouraged, but in the end, I would have needed a valve eventually. My Cardiologist reassured me that I'm still doing well. He didn't place me on any restrictions, as long as I'm not having any symptoms, in which case, he'd want to see me back in his office sooner than July. We'll just have to wait and see if there are any changes on my echo then, as I patiently await my Cardiac MRI. On a more positive note: Someone is always having a worse day than me, and I'm reminded of that daily at work. At least I'm still on this side of the dirt. ; )

Time To Catch Up. What Are You Grateful For?

I realize it's been months since I've posted, so I figured it was time for an update. To say life has been busy is a bit of an understatement, but I can say that it's all been good.

First I'll start with this. It's been exactly 10 months since I was discharged from the hospital after my open heart surgery. I was discharged on April 28th, my parents wedding anniversary. Second, I wanted to just what to say how grateful I am that I was able to wake up this morning and enjoy a Yoga class, and that I was able to enjoy 2 runs outside this weekend.

(Saturdays morning run was a chilly 26 degrees)

(And then there was todays run, when it was 65 degrees)

We had a beautiful day here in Western New York today, and temperatures reached 65 degrees on my thermometer here at my house. I also went to a different yoga studio this morning just to check it out, but I'll post about that on a different post.

So, I started doing Crossfit at the end of last year. I'm still only going once a week, but it's something to get my body engaged a little more than yoga. I'm also still going to yoga (at least) once a week, and I do feel like I'm getting stronger. Not sure if I'm getting more flexible, but I know all these things take time.

Back to crossfit. Dan convinced me to sign up for my first Tough Mudder. It's also the day before my 30th birthday. I joked with him that he had better come visit me on my birthday when I'm in the hospital in a full body cast. I'm actually very nervous. I'm not a huge trail runner, and this is anywhere between 10-13 miles of trails with obstacles. This is where I need to start getting my butt in gear and get to crossfit more than once a week to build up some upper body strength if I'm going to be able to do some of the obstacles.

(Yeah, I'm probably going to die)

So, for now that's my big fitness goal for the year. I don't believe I'll be doing any half marathons. 5Ks and 10Ks are more my jam (at least for the time being), and I just can't see torturing myself if I'm not enjoying the distance. That's not to say I won't ever run a half marathon again, but for now, I'm good.

As for races this year, I have run one 5K, it was the Cupids Cup 5K, and that was the weekend before Valentine's day. I will also post a recap of that race here in the next few days. I'm currently registered for a Shamrock 5K in March, I will be doing the Heart 5K in April, the Color Run and April and the Stroll for Strong kids in June. So, slowly but surely I'm filling my race calendar.

Aside from all of that, things have been going well. I haven't had any issues from a cardiac standpoint. I go back to see my cardiologist in April for a one year follow-up, and after that I should be back to my regular annual follow-ups. So far the year is off to a positive start.

QOTD: Do you have any fitness goals for the year?

runDisney's Wine & Dine "Half of a Half" Marathon: Part 1

Yes, you read that right. If you're a runDisney enthusiast, then you probably already know that this past weekends Wine & Dine half marathon was shortened, but we'll get to that in my next post. Basically the only way I can summarize this race experience is with this: Fate was trying to tell me I was not meant to run this half.

So let's start with the Expo. Not that anything really went wrong there, but that's basically where it all started. Lily and I decided to wait to go to the expo on Saturday morning. The race was that evening, and we didn't want to waste any time on Friday going to the expo so we could get in as much park time as possible. Once we got to the expo, we went directly to packet pick-up, then we were directed to the Jostens center to pick up our shirts and gEAR bags. On the way over to the Jostens center we stopped at guest relations so Lily could pick up her race gift card. Mine had arrived in the mail, but hers did not. Luckily, they were able to deactivate the one that was mailed to her and activate a new one for her.

Once we got to the Jostens center we walked to the back where the race shirts and gEAR bags were. After we picked those up, we walked over to the Official runDisney merchandise area. Basically EVERYTHING was picked over. Lily and I did end up buying the unisex "I did it" shirts. Then Lily got in line at KT Tape, so I told her I was going to walk back over to packet pick-up and see if there was any runDisney merchandise there. Sadly, there was very little to choose from over there too, but it was worth a check. I'm glad I went back over there though, because I wanted to sign a few people up for runner tracking, and that's where that was located. I walked right by it the first time without even taking notice. After that, I walked back over to the expo to wander around.

(Countdown to fun!)

Maybe it was because it was the last day, but the expo was very underwhelming to me. I mean, it was better than what they ever had to offer at the Expedition Everest Challenge. Fit 2 Run took up a good majority of the expo floor. I honestly had no interest in buying new running gear while I was on vacation, but I did cave and buy a new pair of compression socks to wear to bed since I had forgotten mine. After I made my first round, I went back to check on Lily. She had moved maybe halfway through the line. Unfortunately with KT Tape, if an individual buys their own roll of tape, they will tape anything and everything you want taped for the race.

(Everyone in line at KT Tape be like "Tape Everything!")

I waited with Lily for a little while, and then I decided to make another round at the Expo. I wandered over to Sweaty Bands to pick up a few Sweaty Bands for a friend, and then to Sparkly Soul. I did see a Sparkly Soul that I wanted, but they didn't have the band thickness I was looking for, so I'll look online. They were wonderful and told me if I e-mailed them, they would still offer me the expo discount if I bought more than one. I did another lap and then went back to check on Lily. She was much closer, so I waited until she was done. Her entire wait was probably and hour and a half. After she was done we walked around the expo once more so she could see what they had to offer then we decided to head out. By this point it was after 2 pm and the expo was set to end at 3 pm. We stopped at Wetzels on the way out to grab a pretzel (mmm, carbs) to snack on while we rode the bus back to the resort. As we walked down the sidewalk we had to grab a quick picture by the Wine and Dine 1/2 sign with our race bibs.

Our plan to lay by the pool was a bust by the time we got back to the hotel seeing it was getting a little late for that, so we just went back to our room to rest. We threw on some College football and took a power nap. I had set my phone alarm for 4 pm so we could catch the bus for our dinner reservation at 5 at Disney Springs. Here is where things really started to take a turn for the worse. We got down to the bus stop and looked at the estimated arrival of the next bus. We waited, and we waited, and watched the time slowly creep up. Before we knew it it was 4:35 and the bus was just pulling up. We still had 25 minutes to get to our reservation, so I wasn't going to freak out just yet.

Once we boarded the bus we noticed that there were 2 motorized scooters on board. Lily looked at me and goes, "Those are going to have to get off at some point." I sighed and nodded my head. The bus stopped at the next resort hotel on the loop, and sure enough both scooters were getting off. By this time it was 5:45, so I decided to call the restaurant to let them know we were going to be late and to make sure we could still come. They were very understanding and said it wasn't a problem, they'd be able to seat us when we got there. Perfect! The scooters finally got off, and there was another scooter waiting that needed to board. I don't even remember what time it was once the scooter fiasco was over and we were finally on our way.

While we were sitting on the bus, it felt like quite a long ride and it seemed like I was looking at different scenery than what I remembered from going to Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) on previous trips. Sure enough, I was right. The buses bring you in from the other direction now, and drop you off. It may be because of all of the construction they have going on down there. I had mentioned to Lily that there should be a stop at the West side of Downtown Disney, so we could get off there and it would be closer to the restaurant. Nope. The only bus stop is now at the Marketplace. By this point, it was already after 5, and Lily and I had to weave through the crowds to get down to the restaurant. We finally walked in at 5:35. It took us over an hour to get there, ridiculous.

The restaurant seated us immediately, and we were ordering within 5 minutes. We both ordered pizzas, and were surprised at how quickly they came out. After all that, I was thankful and began to relax a bit as I munched on a few slices of pizza. While eating I text my friends and told them everything we had just gone through to get to our dinner reservation and that fate was trying to tell me that I was not meant to run this race. I sat there thinking of what else could go wrong. I mean this was my first half marathon after my open heart surgery 6 months prior. Maybe it was a sign of worse things to come...

We grabbed take out boxes for the remainder of our pizzas, paid our bills, and I think we were out of there right around 6:00. Unfortunately, we had to weave back through the crowds to get back to the bus stop (horrible idea, Disney). We had to have walked a few miles to get down there and back. So much for trying to save our feet for the race... Our wait to get back on our resort bus was minimal, and luckily we were the first stop on the resort loop. I believe we were back in our room getting ready for the race by 7 or 7:15. Our plan was to walk back down to the bus stop at 7:45 to catch the 8:00 bus to the race start, so now we were back on track.

So what happened next? Stay tuned for part 2 of my post to find out!

QOTD: Have you ever had a perfect storm of things go wrong for you on race day?

Monster Scramble 10K and 6 Month Post-op Follow-up

MS Monster Scramble 10K:
Sunday, October 18th, my friend Lily came out to Rochester so we could run the MS Monster Scramble together at Mount Hope Cemetery. We had never run together and with our half marathon fast approaching, we desperately needed to get in a test run together. We also agreed that running more than a 5K was needed for both of us. I have not been training as rigorously as I should be considering all that's been going on lately. We also decided to test run part of our Wine and Dine half marathon costumes.

It was FREEZING that morning, and snowflakes were even floating in the air. Lily met me at my house that morning, and we drove up to the race together. The website had us park off site and we were shuttled to the start, which was hassle free. The event had packet pick-up at the start location, which is really one of my only beefs about this race. Pick-up lines were divided, the top half of the alphabet, and the bottom half. Once we got our packets, we pinned our bibs on and ditched our bags they gave us in a tree near the start. Then we found a sunny area to stand in while we waited for the race to start.

(Love a good candid... not)

The Monster Scramble offered a 5K option and a 10K option - which we ran the 10K. I have to admit, early that morning when I woke up, I was really regretting that decision because it was so cold, but ultimately, it ended up being perfect weather for running. The race started at 10 AM, and both the 5K and 10K runners started at the same time. The 10K route was 2 of the 5K loops. The good thing about that was that Lily and I knew what to expect the second time around.

Of course right at the start of the race was a HUGE hill, and I was definitely not looking forward to running that again. There were a few other hills throughout the remainder of the course, but nothing that we couldn't handle. There were also some areas of the course that had old cobblestone instead of pavement, so that was a little dicey. Overall it was a beautiful course, and I would definitely run it again.

(Certainly not the best shot, but whatever)

Overall, I feel Lily and I did well. We finished the 10K in just under 1:18:00 (because there was no timing mat at the start), and we averaged 12:37 min/miles.

(Course map and elevation details)

I really enjoyed this race, and like I said I would run it again. It was definitely something different for me as I have not run at Mt. Hope Cemetery before so it was different scenery, and it was perfect for a Halloween themed race. My only complaint about the race was the packet pick-up the morning of. I honestly didn't know that the race had pre-race packet pick up, and this is my fault as I had been so busy with other stuff the week leading up to the race to even check into it. I'm sure it was held at Fleet feet.

(Pre-race selfie in the sun)

Pros:
Price: It was cheap for a 10K. If I remember correctly, it was $25.00.
Water Stop: The race itself had one water stop (which since the 10K course looped twice it was 2), which I think was plenty for a 10K.
Volunteers: There was an adequate number of volunteers, and they even joined in on the fun and dressed in costumes.
Refreshments: Your typical spread, post race refreshments included fruit, bagels and water.
Shuttle: It was great that the race offered a shuttle from the parking area (it was necessary) The wait to catch the shuttle to and from where we parked was minimal.

Cons:
Race Day Packet Pick-up: I hated that this was held at Mt. Hope Cemetery so we were unable to ditch our bags in my car. I wish they had held it at the Al Sigl building where we parked. Again, my fault that I wasn't paying attention to pre-race packet pick-up.

6 Month Post-op Follow-up:
A few weeks ago I also had my 6 month post-op follow-up with my NEW Cardiologist. I found out who my new Cardiologist was going to be when I called to tell them I found out my new valve was leaking. So then I went right to the URMC website to look him up. I have to say, just reading about his training (residency and fellowships), I was quite impressed.

Once I met him and we started talking he mention that he had been going through my old Cardiologists notes to get to know his patients but he also wanted to hear from me about how I thought things were going, etc. So of course I went into the story about I had volunteered at RIT for the echo students so they could scan me as see some pathology, and that's when I found out it was leaking. I told him that the valve looked like it had more than a mild leak, but it wasn't quite moderate, etc. Then I mentioned that I was a sonographer, and that's how I knew. He mentioned he saw that on my patient information sheet, and we continued talking. He and a student that was shadowing him for the day listened to my heart and lungs, and then he said he wanted to get another echo just to compare it to the post surgery echo I had the day I was discharged from the hospital. He said even though I will have read the echo, we would reconvene after to discuss.

The lead sonographer came to get me from my exam room and she walked me to her echo room. I mentioned to her that my valve was leaking, and that I knew there wasn't any post surgery. While she did my echo we chatted, then after she walked me back into an exam room so my cardiologist could come talk to me once again. He agreed that the valve had a mild leak, but that it wasn't uncommon for all valves to leak, and most of them do directly out of surgery. He said my pulmonary pressures hadn't changed, and that he believed that this would be my "new normal." He said I have no physical restrictions, so I can still run, etc, and if I feel there are any changes I can call him. If not, he wants to see me back in 6 months so we can re-evaluate just to make sure that nothing changes. All of that sounded good to me. He doesn't feel comfortable setting me up for annual visits just yet, and that's fine. I'd rather he be thorough.

Aside from the Monster Scramble and my follow-up, I've been keeping busy. This past weekend I ran another Halloween themed 5K (which I'll be posting about in the near future), and I also had a Halloween party which was a lot of fun. Tomorrow morning my friend Lily and I finally leave for Disney for our half marathon!

QOTD: Did you run any fun Halloween themed races this year?

Cardiology is awesome, but I'm kind of selfish

As of last Friday, I am officially 5 months post-op! So what exactly has been going on since my last post? Well, for one thing, I turned 29. I enjoyed a fun birthday weekend with my friends and family.

I haven't been running as much as I should be, especially when I have a half marathon in 35ish days. I've been getting little runs in here and there, but honestly, it's been bad. Can I also say that I'm so excited that it's fall. I love summer, but fall brings football and tailgating. In September, I spent two weekends in State College with friends going to the Penn State football games. Of course, lucky me, it poured during both games. All that aside, I still had a blast, as always.

(Nita, Eric, Me and Matt before the rain set in for the day)

("Nails")

(Tailgating with my girls, Dani and Kristen)

(Home: 103,000+ Stripe-out under the lights in Happy Valley<3)

Okay, so that's been my last few weekends. Let's get on with my 5 month update. So like I said, Cardiology is awesome, but I'm a little selfish. As much as I LOVE Cardiology, I'd be lying if I said I didn't go into the field of Cards without my own interest in mind. Last week I was feeling a little short of breath and noticed my heart rate was hovering around 105 bpm at rest. I received my flu shot on Wednesday, so I thought maybe it was a side effect of the shot hitting me, or possibly I was trying to fight off a virus that was trying to set it. Nevertheless, I had my coworker do another echo on me to make sure that nothing was actually going on.

Here's what we found:

My new Pulmonic valve is in fact leaking, which annoys me. There's not much I can do about it though.

(Lovely Pulmonic insufficiency)

My pulmonary pressures are mildly elevated. However, if the RV is remodeling and function is improving, it is possible for my pulmonary pressures to be elevated due to the fact that the ventricle is able to produce a pressure. Makes sense, could also be explaining my shortness of breath.

The gradients through the conduit also seem elevated to me. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the mean and peak gradient for my RV-PA conduit should be for the size and type, and I've searched journal articles high and low for values, but come up empty handed. So that will be something I'll have to keep in mind when I go back in November. Hopefully someone will have an answer for me.

(Gradients through the conduit)

Either way, like I said, I'm supposed to have a follow-up with pediatric cardiology in November. I'll keep an eye on things, and if I continue to get worse, then I'll call them sooner.

Moving on. This past Tuesday, I went to RIT in the evening to help a friend out with a lecture he was giving on Pulmonic Stenosis with Intact Ventricular Septum pathology. Though my pathology is a little different, he asked me to stop by so the students could scan me. It was a lot of fun, and the lab at RIT is beautiful. The students took their turn scanning me which took about and hour. My friend asked them questions while they were scanning. "Why does that structure look like that." "What does this measurement tell us?" Etc... It was great to be able to help out and have the students see a little different pathology than I'm sure they're used to.

Any way, that's about all I have for now - nothing too exciting.

QOTD: What's do you like most about the fall?

2015 Stroll for Strong Kids

Good morning, I realize it's been about two and a half weeks since my last post. Let's just say, once I was able to drive again, I've been on the go! My Stroll for Strong Kids recap is long over due, and I feel terrible that I have not posted this yet because it is my favorite event of the year. I will also update you on how recovery has been going the past few weeks.

As you know, I had my open heart surgery at the Golisano Children's Hospital at the end of April, I've actually had all of my surgeries there. This hospital holds a special place in my heart (literally) because they've done so much for me and my family. Every year I fundraise for the Children's Hospital and the Stroll for Strong Kids. The funds raised over the past several years have gone to the construction of the brand new Children's Hospital which is set to open next month! I had a tour of the new facilities a few weeks ago, and to say it is beautiful is an understatement! I will fill you in on that in another post though.

I woke up Saturday May 30th, and it was a beautiful day! We've been very fortunate the past few years that the weather for the stroll has been phenomenal! Nita met my mom and me at my house, and I drove because the Stroll is held in a park close to my home. We headed up to the Stroll around 7:45 AM so we could hit up the Sandy Store before the 5K and stock up on Sandy apparel before it got picked over. Every year I spend hundreds of dollars at the Sandy Store, and this year was no exception. I purchased 5 Sandy Under Armour shirts, and a Sandy key ring! Nita and I ventured back to my car to take care of our purchases, and once we got back to the park it was almost time for the 5K to start.

Nita and I met my mom near the back of the pack, and we also saw some familiar faces from back home. Mom and I both set our watches, that way if we got separated we would have our own times, etc.

(Before the Stroll 5K!)

The race started, and mom and I stuck together for about a mile and a half before I started to pull away from her. I had my timer set for a 1 minute run to 1 minute walk interval. I was feeling pretty good, and I kept trucking along the course. There were some areas of the course that had no shade, and no breeze, and that was hard, there were also a few times where I would run 1 minute and walk 2 minutes. Before I knew it, I was turning the corner to the last 1/10th of the race. I jogged along the course and made my way towards finish. I saw Nita cheering near the finish line, and she snapped a picture of me!

(Rocking recovering and running towards the finish - 5 weeks post-op!)

I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch. I had finished in just over 39 minutes, I'll take it!! Yes, I have some work to do, but considering I had just finished my 2nd post-op 5K, I was really happy (and I wasn't last)!! Mom wasn't too far behind me, so after she finished we walked back over to the center of the park to enjoy the festivities.

The Stroll itself started at 10:30 am, so we watched the start of the stroll. There were so many teams there to celebrate different Strong Kids. Families there to celebrate their child being healthy, to celebrate their children's life, and even to celebrate having such an amazing Children's Hospital right in our back yard. So many smiles and tears. After the stroll started we walked over to the Abbott's truck to get some ice cream (yes, dessert first). We ate our ice cream, then got temporary Sandy tattoos and a Sandy sticker. After that, the food tent had opened and we grabbed a bite to eat before all the strollers finished.

After we finished eating, we walked over to watch the stroll participants finish. Luckily, we saw our friend, Mel, so of course we had to get a picture of the 3 of us together!

(Yay for friends!)

After we saw Mel, we decided to make our way back to the car to head out. On our way out, Nita and I noticed there were some children coloring on the side of a Lexus in the center of the park. We stopped to watch for a minute, and a woman monitoring the car asked us if we wanted to color. Of course!! Nita and I go way back with coloring, so we grabbed a handful of crayons, and the woman pointed us to some open flowers on the front of the car.

(Oh, you know, just coloring a Lexus, no big deal)

(Our work of art!)

We asked about the Lexus, and how it ended up at the Stroll. We were told that Lexus donated the car to the cause for the kids to color. There were certain areas of the Lexus that were able to be colored, as it had a film covering the car. We were also told that the car would be making its way around the area, then it would eventually be covered with a coating so that the color would not come off. Finally, it sounds like the car will be auctioned off at the Children's Hospital Gala this coming fall! Very cool! After we finished coloring we made our way to get a few goofy pictures at the photo booth and then made our way back to the car to head out.

It was another successful year for the Stroll, and no matter what happens I always have a blast at this event. This year was even more special to me because I was actually able to participate despite the fact that I was recovering from my open heart surgery (and I was feeling great)! I owe many thanks to the amazing surgeons, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, patient care techs, and any and all staff involved in my care while I was in the hospital recovering. There's still time to donate to the Children's Hospital, if you're interested you can go to my fundraising page and donate now!

Post-Op Recovery Update:

I'm now 7 and a half weeks post-op, and things are still going well. I still have aches and pains that come and go. Currently I'm dealing with quite a bit of mid-sternal pain which I'm sure is due to the activity from this past weekend. I went to my friends for dinner Friday evening and was lifting her nearly 2 year old son. My muscles are not used to doing any type of lifting over the past 8 weeks, so I'm definitely paying for that. Saturday morning, I met my co-worker Linda to bike to canal path. We ended up biking close to 10 miles, and that felt great, but I have a feeling I'm paying for that as well.

I'm also going back to work this coming Monday (June 22nd)! It's hard to believe, but yes my 8 weeks of recovering at home are coming to an end. It went fast, especially these last few weeks that I've been back at my home. I'm nervous to return, and feel like I need to study to go back! Everyone assures me that it comes right back, I'm hoping they're right.

QOTD: Do you have a special event that you look forward to every year? (Running or not running)

Color Run Recap

As of yesterday, I am officially 6 weeks post op, and starting to feel more and more like myself each day. I'll get to that in a bit, but first I want to recap the color run that I wasn't even going to participate in. So as you my have already read, I was back at my house for Memorial Day weekend. My parents went to Canada, and so they dropped me off at my house. I still was unable to drive, so my friend, Melissa, so kindly picked me up to take me to the color run so I could see all my coworkers.

I had registered for the color run earlier in the year thinking that my surgery was going to be sooner than it was, so I honestly wasn't planning on running it anymore. The morning of the color run was sunny, but very cool, so I threw on a pair of my running tights, a long sleeve tee and a jacket to ensure that I would be warm enough watching my friends from the sidelines. Melissa, Sam and their friend picked me up around 7:30 and we were headed to the run. There was so much traffic, but that provided a lot of time for us to catch up. Once we finally got there and got parked, we met up with some of our friends. My friend Angie was already at the race, but no one could get ahold of her, so I was hoping we'd run into her at some point during the after party.

(Melissa and me before the run!)

I still wasn't planning on running, but Melissa asked me to run with her. Luckily, the week prior at my 3 week follow-up appointment my doctor said I could start working on my cardiovascular endurance. As you know I had been going for walks with my mom. So I agreed to do the run with Melissa, and we decided that we would do intervals. We joined the sea of people in the start corral at the race and slowly made our way to the front, and then we were off.

(The group before the race)

We started off slow and to the side of the course so the faster runners could get past us. This was my first time running since my surgery, so I was not out to break any records, and to be honest, I was worried how it was going to go. Before I knew it we were rounding the corner and running into the first color station. I was feeling great so far which was exciting considering surgery was a month prior, and I could remember a time when just walking around my house would increase my heart rate to >110 BPM.

We took our time doing run and walk intervals as we both needed them, and it was a lot of fun! It gave Melissa and I plenty of time to catch up, and I could hear about what was new at work. We rounded a corner, and started heading up a hill to a point where the race doubled back and we passed runners who were on their way back towards the finish. As luck would have it, I was watching the runners coming down the hill on the other side of the road and I saw Angie! I shrieked, "ANGIE!" She stopped in her tracks and I gave her a hug. I know I surprised her, I could tell by the look on her face. Melissa and I continued on, as I looked back and saw Angie giving me a look... A look of confusion. I would explain to her later, but I was so excited to literally "run into her". 

Melissa and I made our way through the course getting splashed with color, and it started to warm up. I had to admit, I was feeling great, and it really surprised me! It also seems like every year they change the course a little for the color run, which keeps it exciting. We were about a quarter mile from the finish, and a guy passed us holding a condiment bottle with orange corn starch in it. He looked us and said, "Oh hey, girls!" And then sprayed us with more orange color! Haha! We finally made it to the finish where they were throwing glitter on all the finishers. We made our way through the finishing chute, received our medals and each a bag of glitter and color to throw at the after party. Then weaved our way to the water table. It wasn't long before our friends finished, and we celebrated together by throwing our packets of color. 

Shortly thereafter, Angie did track me down and I was able to catch up with her, and explain why she saw me on the course.

We hung around the finishers party for about an hour before we decided to head out. By this time it was beautiful out, clear blue without a cloud in the sky!

6 Weeks Post Op:

It's hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since my surgery, the time has really flown by! Like I said, I'm feeling a little more like myself with each day. I still have some pain, but it's better than it was when I reported 2 weeks ago. The majority of the pain I have is on my right side in my pectorals. It's still a little painful to lay on my right side in bed, but I can for awhile. My incision is looking even better, and I think the Mederma may be helping. I've also been using the Mederma on the spot where they had an arterial line in my arm, and it's helped to reduce the appearance of where the sutures held the line in.

In other great news, I am also back at my home! I was given the go ahead to start driving again last Thursday! I'm not allowed to take long trips, but this works for me. As long as I can drive around town to do the things I need to do, that makes me happy. I'm slowly getting my independence back. I still have a few questions for my doctor which I will email in about this coming week. For now, I'm feeling pretty good, and happy things are progressing.

QOTD: Have you run a Color Run with friends? Do you have a favorite race you like to run with a group of friends?

Celebrate Miniature Milestones & Memorial Day Weekend

Sunday (5/24/15) marked one month since my surgery! It's amazing how quickly time has gone, and what has changed since my surgery. I last left off filling you in on my 3 week follow-up with my Cardiologist, which, if you read, went really well! If not, he said I could work my way back up to running, and start with some light yoga. I have yet to do any yoga, but last week I did sign up for a "New To Yoga" class at a yoga center, and that won't start until July. Mom and I have also been going for some brisk walks since I was "released" to increased my aerobic activity. As always, it feels great to get out and move in the fresh air.

This past weekend, my parents went to Canada for the long weekend, and so they dropped me off at my house. Words cannot describe how great it felt to be back in my home for 3 days! We drove to my house on Friday, and my parents left from there on Saturday morning. Since I am still unable to drive, I talked to my friend Melissa earlier in the week, and she said she would pick me up at take me to the Color Run, so I could see all my coworkers, and celebrate with them at the finish line as they came running through in a rainbow of color. I got up that morning, and put on some of my favorite running/yoga tights, a long sleeve shirt, and a light jacket. It was cold out that morning, and I knew I would be cold watching all the runners from the sidelines. Well, as it turns out, I decided to run with them!

(Color Run fun!)

I had registered for the run before I knew when my surgery would be, and then when surgery wasn't scheduled until April, I had thought there was no way I could do it. I figured if I took it easy, I would be fine. I'll recap the color run later, but I had a blast! After the color run, Melissa took me back to my house, and I spent the day relaxing. Since I had got up early to be ready for Melissa, I took a nap, and then spent the evening watching television and movies with Coco.

Sunday morning, Nita picked me up at 7 to take me to the Team RWB 21 Guns WOD With Warriors Crossfit event that one of our teammates was hosting at a local Crossfit. At the event the participants had to run 400 meters, do 21 push ups, 21 box jumps, 15 burpees, and 9 pull-ups, and keep cycling through the workout for a total of 21 minutes. Since I am unable to do any weight bearing exercise, I watched as all of my teammates pushed through the challenging workout (I know if I had done it I would have died). I was just so thankful to get out of the confines of my house and see my friends and meet some new people. Even just being able to talk to people was great - after being at home alone for 3 weeks, I'm starting to go a little crazy.

(2015 Team RWB 21 Guns WOD With Warriors. Photo Cred: Andrew Follett)

After 21 Guns, Nita and I went back to my house so I could change my clothes and grab some money, and then we ventured back to her house. She changed and then we went out to breakfast with her husband and their family that were in town. We hung out at her house for a few hours, then headed to the mall for a few hours. On the way back from the mall, we grabbed some Thai food for dinner, then Nita brought me home around 10. Definitely the busiest day I've had since my surgery, but it was A LOT of fun!

Monday morning I got up at my usual time, made my coffee and sat down to watch Live with Kelly and Michael. I've been setting my alarm for 8:45 AM to make sure I get up, and I've also been going to bed between 10:30 and 11 (most nights). Doing this is important to me for two reasons. One, so I wake on time to watch Kelly and Michael, and two, so when I do go back to work, I won't be completely exhausted because I've stuck to a certain schedule. I spent most of Memorial Day lounging around my house, until my parents got back from Canada. I sat out in the sun for a bit to read a Runner's World Magazine, then went inside to binge on Young and Hungry on Netflix.

Now that I've recapped my Memorial Day weekend, let's update on how I'm doing now that I'm one month post-op:

The Good: Celebrating miniature milestones everyday!

Increasing My Aerobic Activity:

As you know, I had been going on brisk walks with my mom. Now you know I ran/walked my first 5K this past weekend. Like I said, I'll get into that with my Color Run recap, but it was very exciting for me! (Celebrate Miniature Milestones)

Yoga:

I have not started doing any yoga yet, and I'll get to that below. As you know from above, I did sign up for a yoga for beginners class. That gives me something to look forward to for when I get back home. It will also help to increased my flexibility, which I'm certain the little bit I had (which wasn't much) I've lost.

Mederma:

I spoke to my surgeon on the phone last week, and he said as long as all the scabs from the incision were gone, I could start using Mederma on the incision to help reduced the appearance. I've never used it before, so we'll see if it really works. The scar this time around is not going to be as prominent as the one I had as a baby, so I'm not too concerned, but I figured why not try.

My Level Of Exhaustion:

This has begun to improve as well! For the first few weeks after my surgery, I would get up, have my coffee and eat breakfast, watch a few shows. Then after I ate lunch, I could barely keep my eyes open, and would need a nap. I no longer need a nap everyday, some days I still take one just because I can. [giggles] After talking to my coworker about it, she said it was completely normal, and to take the naps when I felt I needed them. It's all a part of the healing process, and I needed to listen to my body. She also told me last night, I needed to be knocked down like this because I was always on the go (which is true). I have a lot of energy for someone who is living with congenital heart disease, and going through this surgery and recovery has certainly tested my patience, but it's for the best. I told her to wait until I get back to work, I'm going to be like The Flash, and have all this new found energy! She said she already forewarned my coworkers that I'd be running circles around them, ha ha.

The Not So Good: I don't want to say bad because nothing bad has happened since the suspected Pulmonary Embolism incident a few weeks ago.

Sternal Aches And Pains:

I still have aches and pains in my chest. Honestly, I think my sternum itself has healed, it doesn't feel like pain from that. It's more musculoskeletal in nature. The pain that is currently nagging me the most is hard to describe. It's on my right side, and sometimes extends from my shoulder across my clavicle to the base of neck where the clavicle and sternum meet. Sometimes if I bend over to get something, I feel a sharp pain in my neck almost as if a tendon has snapped across a bone. It's truly the strangest sensation, and very hard to describe other than that. That is why I haven't started any yoga yet.
It's still hard for me to lay on my right side in bed without getting pain in my shoulder and chest (almost along the same area). I'm sure it's all a part of the healing process, but I'll talk to my doctor about this on Thursday when I call. What little chest pain I have is just the muscles still healing and getting settled. The nerves are still irritated as my chest is still sensitive to touch around the incision.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day and took at least a moment or two to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

QOTD: What did you spend your Memorial Day doing? Were there any parades or festivals in your area?