My unexpected new life...
6 years after chemo/radiation/hormone treatment of breast cancer, I felt i finally returned to my previous/"normal" self: Full time working, totally enjoying my (almost) daily brisk walking, minimal pills, physically and mentally feeling good, fostering kittens for the local community... "Life is good!" As I approach to my big bday coming in early Apr, my hubby and I scheduled a celebration cruise to New Zealand at that time...Not so fast.
Some unusual and funny "big lump in the throat" feeling after brief exertion last Oct prompted me to push for a stress test. As a medical professional myself I know it's abnormal and warrants some "rule-outs". The result was far from my wished "laughable paranoia". A series of testing including angiogram confirmed "Chronic Total Occlusion of middle LAD x 4 cm", likely secondary to radiation therapy to my left breast ca. Rather than stents, a bypass surgery was deemed to be best treatment option (for long term), and scheduled for Mar 14.
Here I am, just when I thought I can restart my "new/normal" life, I need an open-heart surgery! I will b trying to "get up and walk" on my big 50 bday instead of cruising in New Zealand... and that is if the surgery completes perfectly.
After the initial shock, I gradually accepted the reality and start to prepare for my surgery. I surfed the net and found this community! I started to calm down, i believe I found a right place and a knowledgeable group to learn, share and to survive my new battle for life!
Thank you for reading! I'm looking forward to knowing you and learning from you!