My surgery

So I am fixed and at home recovering. The surgery went well, and they were surprised how big the hole really was. I thought I had a PFO (the common hole in a lot of people's hearts), but they found out that I had an ASD ( a congenital heart defect). The hole was 1/2 inch, and the device they had to use to close it was 1 inch. They ran a bunch of tests the day before the surgery to see just how much "bad blood" was leaking through my heart and heading straight to my brain. They do this to see how high the risk was for a stroke. The "bad blood" carries plaque and blood clots that are supposed to be sent to the lungs to be cleaned. Since I have a hole, they leak and go to my head instead. The test they did on my brain to see how much of it was going there was off the charts. On a scale of 1-5, I was a 5+, when I was resting! The Dr. says it's common to get that high when they put strain on the heart, but mine was that bad when I was just sitting there! On a scale of 1-10, a 2 is at high risk for a stroke...and I was a 10!!! Very scary! It's a good thing I wasn't pregnant again...that doubles my risk!

So, I am glad they were able to fix it. Here's a picture of what the device looks like in my heart

I feel better every day. I have had heart palpitations, a tight chest, dizziness and headaches, but they say that will go away within a month. Here's to a healthy heart!