Moving On

It has been one year and one month to the day since my PFO and double ASD closure. Coincidentally, today is leap day an amazing gift of extra time. I am so thankful to be where I am now both physically and mentally. It is difficult to put into words how much my quality of life has improved in every aspect. I have more energy for absolutely everything including my family, students, friends, and recreation. I have grown and changed so much this year. One year ago, I would not have thought that I would say this, but going through this health challenge has been one of the most amazing, growing experiences of my life.

At the beginning of February, I went to Denver with my entire family in tow. Dean and I both took a couple days off work and made the trip a family vacation. What a different experience it was in comparison to last year. It was so amazing to be able to take my girls and enjoy our time. Due to inclement weather, we had to change our travel plans and travel earlier than planned, but we made the best of it. It was so much fun to be able to go to the malls and shop without getting winded! I even dropped into a CrossFit class the night before my appointment and did a WOD just because I could! 

Even though, I had been feeling amazing, I am not going to lie, I was NERVOUS for my appointment. I definitely think there is a certain amount of PTSD that has come along with this experience. I still feel  this with each milestone. 

One month after my procedure, I was given clearance  to begin training again. Regardless of what the cardiologist told me, I was still scared. My first CrossFit WODs with burpees, thrusters, or pushups were terrifying. I scaled my workouts in order to be safe. Lifting heavy petrified me. Mental pictures of my devices popping out of my heart crossed my mind constantly. I was told that this was impossible, but it was hard for me to trust something I couldn't see for myself. I was constantly waiting for extreme muscle soreness and swollen arms. Building up my running, swimming, and biking, I worried. Each time I get palpitations, don't sleep well, or get a little sore there is a small voice in my head that goes there. It says, "What if?" 

In Denver, we talked with my cardiologist, Dr. Caroll, after my echocardiogram. We learned that everything looks great! There are only 3 bubbles passing through the devices when I am at rest. With valsalva, there are approximately 10. This is amazing considering I had a curtain effect of bubbles at rest 1 year ago. (There were so many bubbles within a couple seconds that you couldn't even see my heart!) Basically, this means that my blood is now circulating through my lungs to get oxygen before going to the rest of my body. Dr. Carroll thinks I was very hypoxic which led to my health problems before closure. 

My first 100 mile bike ride, my first sprint triathlon, and CrossFit Open workout 16.1 all forced me outside my comfort zone testing boundaries. With each new milestone, I meet head on my confidence grows. So far, my body has passed every test with flying colors. This has strengthened my mental game. What doesn't kill you truly does make you stronger. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this year holds.