Here we go

I have to be honest in admitting that I can never remember what Tetralogy of Fallot exactly is. I know it consists of four defects, and when people ask me, I tell them that 'there is a hole in my heart that was patched up when I was an infant'. I like to keep it simple. 

I've found many blogs written by moms of children with TOF, but came across only a few blogs written by adults with TOF. I realize that maybe this is my opportunity to write about my experience, so that someone with a similar congenital heart defect may stumble upon this blog and find it helpful.

Living with TOF has rarely held me back in life. Am I the first one to finish running the mile? Absolutely not. But do I live a normal life, besides my limited exercise tolerance? Absolutely. I have an awesome job that I work at full-time with fun people, I come home to a hyper puppy and a supportive boyfriend, and I am surrounded by amazing friends and the best family.

Now, in the past few years I have noticed my exercise tolerance decrease more and more. I learned in September that it was time for my heart valve to be replaced. I always knew the day would come, but after years of going to my annual cardio exam and being told 'You are good to go. Let's check again next year'. I was not expecting my cardiologist to say that is was now time.

So, here we go. Next week on December 18th, I have my heart valve replacement scheduled. For now, I will suppress my nerves with ice cream, cookies, and dreams of running a marathon.