LIVING WITH IT
Living With It is where I share the bigger stories behind life with chronic illness—the challenges, lessons, setbacks, victories, and things I’ve learned along the way.
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The Stroke That Changed Everything
Read more: The Stroke That Changed EverythingMy stroke in 2020 changed how I spoke, remembered, worked and lived. From relearning how to talk and recognizing people to returning to work with Post-it notes around my computer screen, recovery became a long process of adapting to a life that would never be exactly the same.
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I Thought the Surgery Would Give Me My Life Back
Read more: I Thought the Surgery Would Give Me My Life BackI thought replacing my heart valve would eventually give me my old life back. It didn’t quite work that way. Now I’m learning the difference between giving up and accepting that life with chronic illness may simply be different.
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TAVR: The Heart Valve That Changed My Life
Read more: TAVR: The Heart Valve That Changed My LifeAfter a stroke, heart failure and a diagnosis of severe aortic stenosis, I learned I needed a new heart valve. This is my TAVR story—the fear, the procedure, the complications, the laughs and what life looks like eight months later.
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Living With Blood Thinners: The Cuts, Bruises and Why I Still Take Them
Read more: Living With Blood Thinners: The Cuts, Bruises and Why I Still Take ThemAfter my stroke and AFib diagnosis, blood thinners became part of my everyday life. Cuts bleed longer, bruises happen easily and surgery takes more planning—but I know why I take them.
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Living With Hip Arthritis: From a Limp to a Walker
Read more: Living With Hip Arthritis: From a Limp to a WalkerMy hip arthritis didn’t take away my mobility overnight. I went from walking normally to limping, then using a cane and eventually a walker. With my right hip now bone on bone, this is what living with severe hip arthritis has been like for me.
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Left Bundle Branch Block: An Unexpected Part of My TAVR Journey
Read more: Left Bundle Branch Block: An Unexpected Part of My TAVR JourneyI went into TAVR expecting to fix my aortic valve. I came out with a new electrical problem called left bundle branch block, or LBBB. Here’s what happened, why I stayed in the hospital four extra days, and why I now have a loop recorder monitoring my heart.