There are moments when life gets your attention quietly. Then there are moments when it pounds on the door.
For me, health problems did not arrive all at once. They accumulated over time—atrial fibrillation, a stroke, heart failure, severe aortic stenosis, kidney disease, diabetes, and a hip that has made simply walking difficult. Eventually, I underwent a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR. I came through it with a new heart valve, but that was not the end of the story.
I still live with fatigue, limitations, uncertainty, and days when my body refuses to cooperate with what my mind wants to do. Activities that once seemed ordinary can require planning, rest, and help from my family. I have had to learn that recovery is not always a straight line and that a successful medical procedure does not necessarily mean life immediately returns to normal.
That is where the name “He’s Knocking on My Door” comes from.
It reflects the feeling that mortality is no longer some distant idea. It has knocked loudly enough that I cannot pretend not to hear it. But this site is not intended to be about giving up or waiting for the worst. It is about answering that knock by choosing to live as fully and honestly as I can.
Over the past year, I have lost more than 100 pounds. I have changed how I eat, greatly reduced sodium, tracked my weight and other health measurements, and learned how quickly an ordinary meal can affect someone living with heart failure. I am preparing to exercise again, rebuild strength, and hopefully regain some of the independence that illness and severe hip pain have taken away.
None of this has been easy. I do not have a miracle formula, and I will not pretend that positive thinking makes serious medical problems disappear. What I do have is lived experience—the mistakes, fears, frustrations, small victories, and practical lessons that rarely fit into a short medical appointment.
I created this blog to share that experience.
I also want to be honest about how often I may be able to update it. I can only write on the days when I am feeling well enough. Fatigue, pain, appointments, and other health problems may sometimes keep me away longer than I planned. There may be gaps between posts, but that does not mean I have abandoned the site. It simply means I am taking care of myself and will return when I am able.
Here, I plan to write about living with heart disease, recovering after TAVR, managing a low-sodium lifestyle, continuing weight loss, beginning exercise with physical limitations, and navigating the emotional side of chronic illness. I will also share low-sodium recipes, useful tools, questions worth asking doctors, and the everyday adjustments that have helped me.
This is my personal journey, not medical advice. Every person’s health and treatment are different, and important decisions should be made with qualified healthcare professionals. But sometimes it helps to hear from someone who understands what it feels like to live between appointments, test results, symptoms, and uncertainty.
If you are facing serious health problems—or helping someone you love through them—I hope this site reminds you that you are not alone.
The knock at the door changed my life.
What I do after answering it is still being written.