1 Year Anniversary

February 21-22nd was my official 1 year anniversary of my heart attack. I was discharged on the 24th...it is amazing to see how much life has changed in a year. 1 year ago, I was unable to pick up Jackson and didn't have enough strength/energy to dry my own hair, not to mention the struggle a shower was. Every pain in my chest sent my adrenaline through the roof, oh how glad I am to be past that stage. I still have a lot of questions and haven't quite figured out certain pains and why they are still so consistent, but I know that they aren't the sign of another heart attack.
My wonderful doctors at Cedars-Sinai have helped to manage my issue with blood thinning medication, which should make it nearly impossible for me to form another clot, which is great! In March I will get the order to have my 1 year post MI cardiac MRI! This should help us to see how much my heart has resolved its issues; I am very anxious to get the results of this exam. As a result of the MI my heart has a scar, it is the craziest thing to look at. Hopefully all checks out.
Since I didn't have a typical clot my only real tell-tale sign of my oncoming heart attack was my extreme fatigue, I was requiring quite a bit of sleep, which sadly has not resolved itself. In conversations with my mom about my new found need for sleep, lack of a sharp brain/memory and increased muscle aches and pains, she replies "wow you are explaining the new joys of my life as I approach 50!" Not exactly the comforting reality I was looking forward too, but hopefully these things will continue to improve. Now I experience more of the tell-tale signs of an oncoming heart attack but that has a lot to do with the damage my heart has incurred and its inability to perfuse my blood to all of my heart. Which means that I get a lot of chest pain throughout the day, when I exercise, etc. I am really hoping that I can find a way to be able to run again!! I can run about 10-15 minutes before I really feel like something is wrong; I was running longer and further earlier this last year, even after the heart attack, so hopefully I can overcome this little hurdle.
Anyway being a full year away I can appreciate more of the roller coaster ride that this year has been. I am grateful to be looking at T nearing graduation and us looking more toward the future! After one year I can honestly say that this now feels a bit more like a stumbling block versus a huge change in my life. I am learning to better facilitate my body's capabilities within the world of fitness and not allowing my body to hinder my chance to participate.