Jen's Posts

Today is 16 weeks post op for me from the Ross Procedure in NYC with Dr. Stelzer. I am feeling great - I'm back to running 5 miles and lifting weights. I think I may even be faster than I was before surgery. For the past 3 years, I have run the Turkey Trot 8k on Thanksgiving in Buffalo where I am from. Last year, I ran it as fast as I possibly could (most likely with a severely leaking valve that I didn't know about at the time). I ran it in 44:37. My goal is to run it under 44 minutes this year. My chest still hurts occasionally and I can feel a few of my sternal wires but I am able to sleep on my stomach. I am still on Metoprolol which I hope to be off eventually because it still makes me tired. Next time I see my cardiologist will be at the end of August, just in time for my 1 year wedding anniversary. What a crazy 1 year it has been! After only 1 year of marriage, we will have moved twice, bought a house, and my sweet, loving husband will have been with me through open heart surgery. To those facing open heart surgery, of course it's normal to feel scared, uncertain, and at times like no one else understands what you're going through. My friend gave me a stuffed bear dressed as an angel holding a star that says "When in doubt, look up." I lived by that mantra through the darkest times before and after my surgery. Keep the faith, you will get through it.