Episode 78

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Published on:

26th Nov 2024

Hope for the Holidays: Overcoming Aortic Aneurysm and Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Hey Heart Buddies! I welcome back Robyn Peacock for an update on her incredible journey for “Hope for the Holidays." This conversation is packed with Robyn’s reflections on her battles with an aortic aneurysm and bicuspid aortic valve. Learn about her physical triumphs and the often-overlooked mental health challenges that many heart patients face post-treatment. Robyn shares her newfound purpose working with Heart Valve Voice and how she brings hope and support to fellow heart patients. Plus, a special revelation about the rising buzz around mental health at cardiac conferences. Tune in to find out why this episode could be the emotional boost you need this holiday season. Subscribe and join Boots and Robyn as they dive into the importance of community, self-advocacy, and listening to your body’s signals.

You can hear Robyn's original interview here.

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**I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Be sure to check in with your care team about all the next right steps for you and your heart.**

How to connect with Boots

Email: Boots@theheartchamberpodcast.com

Instagram: @openheartsurgerywithboots or @boots.knighton

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Boots Knighton

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Transcript
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We're all so lucky to have each other. I do want to share something that

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I've been hearing in my work with Heart valve Voice at these conferences I've

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been attending. Mental health is starting to get a buzz

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post treatment mental health. We're really trying to get

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the buzz going because it is a common theme

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in all the patients I talk to and no one is made aware

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of the potential mental processing that you need to

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do after you go through any type of a

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treatment that, you know, we all process differently.

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Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I am

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your host, Boots Knighton and I'm excited to

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bring back Robin Peacock today for our

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Hope for the Holiday series. This has been such a

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great series. If you're just now finding us, welcome.

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I am honored that you have found this podcast and it

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is such a privilege to bring this

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to heart patients every week. And so please do find us

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on social media. You can find me on LinkedIn, go back and

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listen to previous episodes. I'm building a spoken

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library for heart patients and their caregivers

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and healthcare providers. So thank you for being part

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of this podcast. But today I am

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so happy to bring Robin Peacock, who has become a friend of

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mine, back to give us an update on her

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bicuspid journey. Robin, you are such a

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force of nature at 61 years old and

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you are thriving. You're giving back to heart

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patients. It really is amazing to

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see some heart patients just go about with their

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lives and that's fine. We're all here to do different things in the

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world. But you have made it a mission now to serve

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fellow heart patients like myself. And so it was just a no brainer

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trainer to bring you back for the series. So welcome.

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Thank you, Boots. It's, it is my pleasure to come back

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and just knowing you has enriched my life. And I'm just

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like I've told you, I'm in awe of what you're doing for all heart patients

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around the world and letting everyone have access to

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all these great interviews. It's just I enjoy listening to them and so

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thank you. So here we are a year later. I think I was on your

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show a year ago and just to give a brief overview

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of my journey, in 2007, I

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was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm and a bicuspid

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aortic valve. And I was watched for, you know,

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the next 15 years until my valve became severely

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stenotic, aortic stenosis. And I started feeling horrible.

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I started having extreme fatigue six months leading

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up to the surgery and my brain fog, you know,

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definitely I was forgetful and tired, and I just

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felt like I was 30 years older and I didn't understand what was

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happening. I ended up having surgery in June of

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2022. Now, really quick going back in 1998,

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when I was pregnant with my first child, they heard a murmur. And

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in the 90s, mitral valve prolapse was kind of a

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thing that people were being diagnosed with when they heard a murmur. So I was

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diagnosed with that. I did not have that. They missed the bicuspid

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valve, and they missed the aneurysm. So two full

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cardiac workups in 1998 and 2002, they missed

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it both times. And so it wasn't until I did a coronary

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calcium scan in 2007, and that's how it was

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diagnosed. That's where they found the aneurysm. And then

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through that, we found the bicuspid valve. So that just kind of brings you up

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to speed to 2022. 2022, I had open

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heart surgery at Cedars Sinai. It was super successful. I have

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recovered 100% physically, mentally.

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It's something that I think what I'm learning two and a

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half years out, I thought that I was one and done, and I had recovered

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and moving forward. And recently I participated in a

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therapeutic support group, and they brought me to tears because I

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think I still have some reconciliation to do about the magnitude of

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what I went through. And I'm a super positive,

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upbeat person, and I think I'm not allowing myself to

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feel some of the fear that I think

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I need to process now. So I'm. That's kind of where I'm at in,

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you know, the end of 2024. I'm starting to feel like I need

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to do some more introspection, some more therapy, work

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on kind of releasing. The fear of what

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I went through never allowed me to have. Never allowed it to happen.

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So, anyways, that's kind of where I'm at now on the

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mental side. Physically, I'm great. Physically, I'm great. I go for my

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checkup next month, and I'm looking forward to another

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great echo and another year of no

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appointments. But the greatest thing. Can I just share with you what I'm

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so excited, and I know you know about it, Boots, but I'm so excited to

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share with all of your listeners, is that through this journey, I

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have found a new purpose. I have found something that gives

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me such great fulfillment. And

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I am so excited to wake up every day because I get to Talk to

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patients. I get to go out and reach out to people. I accepted a

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role with Heart Valve Voice Us, and I am the director of patient

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engagement, which means I get to go out and talk to people. I get

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to listen to stories, I get to share resources,

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I get to make connections. And

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it's so fulfilling to me. I've always been in the

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nonprofit world and now focusing on

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heart health and women heart health, men heart

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health. It just makes me so happy when I hear someone

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come back to me and say, oh my gosh, I shared your story with

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my neighbor. And she ended up getting an

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appointment because she wasn't feeling well. And she's

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now, you know, having tavr because her valve was failing

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or. I just love it. I just absolutely love

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that I get to be out in the world meeting people and talking

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to people. And I feel like, I mean, I was super

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grateful after my open heart surgery in terms of just

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getting my, quote, second heart start is what I've always called it. But

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now I just feel like I'm. There's a reason

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why my heart got started the second time,

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and I get to just be out there and listen and help

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others through their journey. A lot of people I speak to are newly

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diagnosed and there's a lot of fear and

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uncertainty. And so between

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our other organization, Women Heart and Heart Valve Voice,

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you know, I pretty much have all bases covered. I can talk to people all

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over the country, all over the world, and just be a

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shoulder for some people. Yeah, so it's, it's super

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exciting. So there's, there's kind of where I'm. At today, and you turn

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into a glow bug when you talk about all of that. So it's very obvious

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that you are in your purpose. And, you

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know, it's interesting. I'm glad you bring up that. Processing the

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fear piece. Through my own journey of

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processing a variety of traumas, physical

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traumas in my life, what I've noticed is when an

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emotion is ready to be processed, it comes up.

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And when I think about facing heart

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surgery, you know, you and I and those listening

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who are going through the same thing, we don't have time

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necessarily to feel all our feelings because we're trying to

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survive. We, you know, we have to get to right to

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business of surviving, then healing. And

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then there's the expectation that we're going to

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return to our lives and get on with our lives.

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And I want to give permission to

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a feel whatever's coming up, but be just

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recognized that 2022 wasn't that long

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ago. No, no, you make a great

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point. And the emotion will come up when it.

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When you're. When it's ready or when you're in. A space to feel

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it, when the soul, the body, feels safe. And so

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you just mentioned all these incredible people that you get to.

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To mentor and network with. And

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you're working for Heart Valve Voice. We're heart buddies.

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You've made heart buddies through other avenues. And

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so, dare I say it, your body is probably finally

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feeling safe enough to allow that fear to come up.

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That's. That's good. When I'm in a room filled with

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heart patients, it does feel safe. It's very

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interesting you bring that up. I know we just saw each other at the Mayo

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Clinic for the symposium. And one of the

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things I always come away from those meetings is

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I'm surrounded by people who get it. And it's

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very therapeutic to listen to other stories and how they

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overcame certain things and how they processed.

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And we're all in this life together.

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And I don't know, there's just such value to

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be able to share stories and to listen to other stories

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and be able to kind of help process your own

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journey. It's definitely helpful. So that's a. That's interesting

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you say that. That it's because. Remember my. I think I said

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it in the first episode, all Faith, no fear.

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May 6. I was told I was having surgery in 30 days, and I just

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went on this high plane of all faith, no fear. And I just didn't allow

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it. I had no other option, no other choice. I had to get

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to business, like you say, I had to get through open heart surgery. I had

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to survive it. I had to prepare my family. I had to prepare

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the household. For me to be, you know, not able to

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maintain it for a month or two, there was just so much to do. I

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went on this higher plane, and I do. I do believe in God, and

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I do believe that he and the angels were with me. And so

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that is a very big part of my story, is my

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faith. But I. Interesting. I am in a

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much safer space now. You are correct, and I'm

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so grateful. And that's one of the many purposes of this

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podcast, is also to provide a safe space. Right. And

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so we helped you tell your story

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a year ago, and that started you on a really

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interesting path. But then reaching out to other heart patients,

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and if I may pat myself on the back here,

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you're not the only heart patient that I've helped find.

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Like, several heart patients have found their purpose through this

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podcast. And that is what this is all about. It's

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like we are going to carry each other

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over the finish line of open heart surgery because we

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can't expect the medical community to do it for us. Yes,

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they can save our lives. They can fix our valves and our

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myocardial bridges and clogged arteries, and thank

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goodness for that. But then we have to hug each other

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afterwards. We have to help with the mental spiritual part that

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the, that the Western medical community just isn't trained to do, nor do

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they have the time or the bandwidth. We need to know what we're getting

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when we go there. And it's not necessarily an empty well for

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water, but it's close. Right. And so. Right. Just enough

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to quench our thirst, Just enough to save our lives. And then,

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and then this podcast, Heart Valve Voice,

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Women, Heart achd, American Heart association,

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all these other nonprofits are, are here to

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help educate us and help us, teach us how to advocate for

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ourselves. You know, that's absolutely. A hundred percent. That is.

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You know, one of my greatest takeaways is because, you know,

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my husband calls me the hypochondriac who's always right. Because I'm a

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huge advocate for myself and I

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pursue it until I'm satisfied with the answer or satisfied

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that I've pursued enough of the options out

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there, not just for open heart surgery, but for anything that I've experienced over

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my life. You know, definitely, I am the expert on me.

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So we're also lucky to have each other. I. I do want to share something

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that I've been hearing in my work with Heart Valve Voice at these conferences

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I've been attending. Mental health is starting to get a

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buzz post treatment. Mental health. We're

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really trying to get the buzz going because it is a

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common theme in all the patients I talk to.

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And no one is made aware of the potential

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mental processing that you need to do after you go

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through any type of a treatment that, you know,

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we all process differently. So what. What affects me might not

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affect you. And. But there is a mental health buzz starting, and

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I'm super excited about it because I'm bringing it up with

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every physician I talk to, every conference I attend. Like, well, what about

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the mental health piece after you see the patient? Are you referring. Is

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there a questionnaire? Can we develop a questionnaire? Can we start a

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module to train on, you know, a CME

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basis to look out for certain things?

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Yeah. And I know when I was pregnant with my second

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child, I went through a Super deep postpartum depression after

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I gave birth. And thankfully, my OB was trained in

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the signs and called me in because

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he knew something wasn't right and I didn't

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see it at all. And I'm so grateful that he had

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that training is what I'm saying. And I think if we can continue to work

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in the cardio world for that training, that would be great. And

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that's a great segue. To wrap this up is to wrap up the

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series. I interview Dr. Laura

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Suarez Pardo, who you and I had the pleasure of

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meeting at the Mayo Clinic together. Oh. And

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she and I. I've already interviewed her. I'm going to air

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it in December of 2024. And we

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had a brilliant conversation on the

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connection between mental health and cardiovascular

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outcomes. And so I thought that would be a great way

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to bookend Hope for the Holidays. Oh, I'm so

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excited. It's a brilliant conversation. So for

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those listening, you know, in real time, her

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episode comes out after this one, so be

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sure to be looking out for, if you haven't already subscribe to the

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podcast number one, and then number two, then be

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looking for that episode. And you know what? Not only is

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she just brilliant, but just the nicest human

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and is really, really deeply

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invested in our mental health. We heart

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patients. And it shows. So

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fantastic. That gave me hope for the holidays.

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Good, good. Holidays are hard. They're not easy.

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Golly, get me through these things. But when January

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2nd rolls around, I'm, like, made it through another one.

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Hallelujah.

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Well, Robin, any, like, quick advice you'd like

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to give heart patients now that you've had a year to reflect since

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our last recording? Listen to your heart,

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listen to your body. I mean, that's, that's. We can't drum

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that loud enough and we just can't. Just

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listen to yourself and trust yourself, trust your gut, trust that you

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know something is off. I just heard someone yesterday talking about sharp

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pain between her shoulder blades, and she knew

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something was off. And sure enough, something was off.

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And you just know, you have an instinct, you

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know? So please, please, please listen. And I hope everyone

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takes good care of themselves for the next year and every year after that.

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Thanks, Robin. Thanks for coming back. Thank you. It's always good to see you. All

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right. Happy holidays. Yes, and thank

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you, listeners. Like I said, be sure to tune in

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for as the series wraps up. And then I'm going

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to re air a couple of episodes episodes to round out 2024,

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the ones that have been downloaded the most in 2024. So

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our greatest hits. And I want to thank

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listeners in Peru, Lebanon

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and Paraguay. I've been on the Apple

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charts all the way up to number four in Paraguay,

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actually just this week. And so I am seeing you in

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Peru, Lebanon and Paraguay way. Thank you for finding me. I'm

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so glad you're here. Do let me know what you need in those

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countries. You can send me an email bootsheartchamber

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podcast.com and most importantly,

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know that you aren't alone. I love you and your

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heart is your best friend. Come back next week.

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About the Podcast

Open Heart Surgery with Boots
A podcast for heart patients by a heart patient
Formerly called The Heart Chamber Podcast, Open Heart Surgery with Boots airs every Tuesday for conversations on open-heart surgery from the patient perspective. Boots Knighton explores the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual experiences of surgery with fellow heart patients and health care providers. This podcast aims to help patients feel less overwhelmed so you can get on with living your best life after surgery. You not only deserve to survive open-heart surgery, you deserve to THRIVE!
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