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What I was hoping to avoid by losing weight and getting more physically fit didn't quite happen the way I thought it would. Here I am facing heart surgery. Both of my parents had heart trouble. I've said several times that if I had to inherit one of my parents' heart problem, it's best I inherited my dad's because at least his is fixable. My mother's was only treatable. Hopefully, I have avoided her kind by doing what I've done. I've been told over and over that losing the weight and getting more physically fit still did me a world of good. It has lowered my risk factors and will hopefully help me have a faster, more complete, recovery.

It looks pretty likely that I'll be having open-heart surgery to have an aortic valve replacement in the near future. I'm not looking forward to it, but do want to get it "out of the way" and on my way to recovery and a new lease on life. From there, I will make decisions about my work in the future.

The rehabilitation will be exercise tailored to my recovery, but will still help me regain physical fitness. I will tell them one of my ultimate goals is to participate in 5k's.

I have felt God's presence in all of this. Am I scared? Of course. Am I a bit disappointed? Yes, of course. I don't like the idea of having a heart condition, but one of the people involved in my care told me I could have 30 more years of good health and life after this. My dad was diagnosed with this when he was 79, and he lived to 93. I'm only 57, but several people have told me it's actually better that this was diagnosed at a younger age. I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around it, though.

I'm still striving to maintain sensible eating and some exercise. I don't walk for 2-3 miles, but I still ride my recumbent bike about 15-20 minutes/day. Also, I look for reasons to take little walks up to the end of the street and back. Some days at work lend themselves to more activity than others. Even though I am managing to keep working, I try to take low-stress jobs (or at least what I think will be low-stress). Sometimes they don't work out quite the way I hope. I do take naps most days and elevate my legs, especially in the evenings.

Your prayers and positive thoughts for me in the upcoming weeks and months ahead will be appreciated.