After a brief hiatus, I’ve decided to return to blogging. The reason is not exactly good news: I’m having open heart surgery in August. I have decided to resume blogging to keep friends and family updated.

Why do I need heart surgery? Here’s the backstory: When I was born, doctors detected that I had an irregular heartbeat. After conducting a variety of tests, they determined that I was in critical condition because my pulmonary heart valve was too tight and not letting enough blood flow through. Even though I looked like a normal, healthy baby girl, my parents were asked to immediately drive me to the nearest pediatric cardiology surgeon, Dr. Bailey (who infamously performed a heart transplant on “Baby Fae” by replacing her failing heart with the heart of a baboon). Dr. Bailey successfully opened up my pulmonary valve.

While the surgery was a success, cardiologists warned that additional surgeries might be in my future. So far, I’ve been able to be as active as I want to be–completing 2 half marathons, teaching fitness classes, surviving grad school, and (as of late) becoming addicted to Bikram Yoga. But when I visited my cardiologist this past fall, he had some serious concerns. My valve has become increasingly leaky and blood is washing back into my my right ventricle causing it to become severely dilated. He referred me to a pediatric cardiologist in San Francisco. After running a series of tests, my new cardiologist had good news and bad news for me: the good news is that my heart is handling the extra load very well (because I kicked butt on the exercise test). The bad news is that my heart is working at a rate of 141% and needs to be fixed before it gets much worse. I’ve been experiencing some chest pains and heart palpitations and my feet are always cold, but otherwise I feel fine.

Next month, the surgeon will replace my failing valve with the valve of a pig (no–I’m not kidding). While the surgery sounds pretty scary, it is typically highly successful. I know that recovery is going to be rough, but I am looking forward to having more endurance and stamina. Unfortunately the pig valve will only last me about 15-20 years, but hopefully by that time doctors will have a better, less-invasive solution.

In general, I feel very optimistic about the surgery. I’m not looking forward to the physical pain and being away from work and my yoga practice. But I’m thankful that I am otherwise healthy and that I have my husband, family, friends, and a team of expert doctors who will take excellent care of me.

Photo by Redvers via Flickr

Don’t worry–I haven’t forgotten about Divagatious. It’s just that lots of things have been changing! Here are some things I’ve been up to since my last post:

• Traveled to the UK for the first time ever and presented a conference paper there.
• Got a job in California.
• Moved to California and started my new job. (I love it!!)
• Got engaged to my boyfriend Dave.
• Acquired two adorably curious kittens.

Once I find the motivation, initiative and time I plan to get back into blogging. So stay tuned…

The remains of my high-school yearbook

About a year ago, after my brother and his dog Rimshot moved in with my parents, Rimshot decided it would be a good idea to eat my senior high-school yearbook. Apparently he liked the taste of the glue. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Rimshot has gone to live with another family after it was clear that my brother could not care for him since Rimshot is huge (he’s biggest dog I’ve ever seen) and requires a large backyard to burn off all his yearbook-eating energy. He was also terrorizing my parents’ dog Josie–not because he was mean, but because she probably seemed like a fun, little toy. From the reports from his new family, he seems to be doing very well. I only hope he’s lost his book-eating habits.

After the yearbook-eating incident, my mom delivered me the remains (see picture above). I’m not too sentimental about high-school. Even though I didn’t love it, I still have good friends and memories. Rather than allow whats left of my high-school yearbook to remain in a state of half-eaten and ripped pages, I’d like to do something crafty. Maybe a collage? Maybe a funky scrapbook? I’m not too craft-minded, so if you have any ideas I’d be happy to hear them. Once (and if) I get around to creating something, I will share the results here.