Adults living with Tetralogy of Fallot

I am 24 years of age and I was to my family a miracle baby. Because I was born with Tetraloy of Fallot, I was a blue baby and spent countless months in the hospital. I had my first surgery when I was a day old. Then at the age of three, four and again when I was thirteen. That was a year before my parents and I moved to Marion, Iowa where in 2006 I had my last surgery, most all my surgeries were open heart. I had one that was done from my back side but all the rest were mainly open heart surgery.

Growing up with this disease I was really never had in restrictions other then I couldn't really run for long amounts of time and lifting heavy things were an issue. I was very active I love to rollerblade and ride bikes with family and friends. I love to dance around in my basement to music, but I can sometimes feel my heart literally pumping out of my chest. It hurts for a while but then goes away. My parents have been through it all with me especially my mother, the last time I had an operation she never left my side. I love how my parents have always been there. But now that I 'm an adult it's hard to handle all of this on my own I have to make decisons that impact my life in such ways it scares me.

I can't have certain jobs that include heavy lifting I learned that this summer, I also need to slow down and not rush things. I can tell when I get upset of excited I get all nervous and my heart rate speeds up. Like in 2006 when I had my last open heart surgery, I knew something was wrong because usually I'm very active person and I was feeling out of the normal so I when to the doctors and then went to the Unitversity of Iowa Hopsital where my doctors and my family and I decided that it was time for another surgery, ( it had been close to ten years since my last one in 1999). I have now a Mosaic Porcine Heart Valve and a EnRhythm Peacmaker implant. Which was put in October 31st of 2006. It's now been close to four years and I'm still adjusting to my new implants. I still can do everything I use to but it seems now as though I should be use to them by now. But it feels a little different when I sleep. I can't sleep well on my left side where the pecemaker is and I can't seem to understand why sometimes at night I can hear the pacemaker working?

Still I am amazed that I'm live considering what I have and have overcome in the last 24 years.

Life is one big puzzle and we are only one part of that puzzle it helps to know that you are not alone.