Hello all, I'm writing this one week after having open heart surgery. I've been very lucky to have been able to have all of the medications I was put on back in Sept./Oct. last year work really well and allow me to be approved for surgery. My SVASD (see this journal for info on that: ) was repaired (with a small hole left since the pressures can still fluctuate inside my heart and the hole helps offset that. Later on, if my heart is functioning more normally and has been able to recover, since it's enlarged because of the hole/PH, it can be closed with a much less invasive laparoscopic surgery. Got to see some interesting pictures they took of the surgery - mostly of my crazy enlarged aorta which has ALREADY shrunk by about 1/5 as my Dr. let me know, holy crap the body is amazing amiright?

Anyway, other than tightness on the front of my chest, mostly around the incision, I am feeling much better - yes, only 1 week after - in large part to my partner who has continuously been there to help and encourage me to get up and move around, use the lung strengthening device and remind me to take all my meds. He stayed with me all 4 days and nights I was in the hospital as well. Basically we made sure that I was doing everything I was supposed to, and now here I am on the other side of this thing that I didn't even know if I'd live through since I've never had a major surgery like this and it was my heart we were dealing with. I've always had an appreciation for the medical field, but it's still amazing to me that this sort of thing is able to be done. I am also part of a case study conducted by my team of 20 doctors (both cardiac and pulmonary hypertension specialists) and many medical interns and I'm so grateful that the info they've gathered from my case might help other people receive treatment since mine has been very successful. My PH is still there and still might be there all my life, but regardless of that, the hole closure will only be for my benefit and has already produced some good results since the oxygen levels in my blood are already higher.

I'm planning on becoming more active again, tho I am working on other things as well besides being online so my time will be taken up by those things as well.

Hope everyone else is well <3