Looking for the Little Signs

I have blogged in the past about waiting for the other shoe to drop from a cardiac standpoint. It is inevitable that there will be another intervention in my future. Of course the hope is that it is of the less invasive kind and not open heart surgery, but there are no guarantees.

I am always looking for some little sign that my heart status is changing and because of the subtle changes that led up to my heart failure the last time, I wish I knew what little memos my body may be trying to send me. And, I am hoping I didn’t get one last March.

Back then, I landed myself in the hospital. I have had repeated stomach issues over the years, starting with gallstones at age 10. Even without a gallbladder, intestinal stones make a re-appearance every so often and this is what happened in March. This time, I had an added bonus of a fever and some cysts on my liver.

Great, I thought, another organ to deal with! And one month before our Boston Congenital Heart Walk, no less! But we don’t mess around with fevers, infections, and Melody valves so I had a nice stay in the hospital on IV antibiotics, a wonderful procedure to remove the intestinal stones, and a few new specialists to add to the list. The Melody valve stayed clean, the pain abated and I was off to enjoy life and follow up in the future.

Now, per instructions, I will be doing my follow-up liver MRI this week. I have felt well for the most part but, as always, any health issue bring up the what-ifs and the wondering if this new issue is somehow a cardiac-related signal trying to warn of what may come ahead.

Through the years and from my non-scientific standpoint, I have always felt the stones I get are indicative of a cardiac change. My gallstones came to be after my Rastelli procedure when I was 9. I had my first intestinal stones the year before my first conduit change. Intestinal sludge, and another conduit change.

You see the trend, right? So I am four years in on the Melody valve. All looked good at the last cardiac visit—yet I can’t help think the body is all-knowing. Is this my memo that I always get, saying “look out ahead... change to come”? Only time will tell.

As I await Friday and see what my body is doing behind my back, I will unintentionally question every palpitation and breath while climbing stairs. It is hard not to anticipate the worst but of course, I will hope for the best—that the cysts are all gone and I can get back to the gym after a nice summer vacation without an extra thought of shoes dropping!