Hello All,
I have now made the 2 CHD Videos for 2012. Please go to Youtube and look up me:
RealtorAra
Then you will see the 2012 Videos. I hope you all enjoy and share them all over and help spread awareness.
CHD Warrior,
Ara
YoutTube.com/RealtorAra
facebook.com/MyCHDawareness
Newest CHD Awareness VIdeo
http://youtu.be/sET8UdGReoY
Follow this link to see my photos from my surgeries .
Awareness is what it is all about.
Also.. please come to my CHD page on Facebook:
Facebook.com/MyCHDpage
CHD Video # 3
Well... I started out to make one CHD Video to bring awareness but.... the response from my CHD page on Facebook was SO overwhelming.. I've made 3 so far!!
I will be making more... the next is a CHD Go RED video from over 125 photos submitted on my Facebook CHD page!! WOW, its amazing to see so many come together and not only wear RED but to actually take photos and post on my page.
I have prayed over this project, over my page that it reaches those who need it, is seen by those who need it and that it truly saves at least 1 family from this uncureable disease.
Please click the link to see our 3rd video!
Come to our Facebook page, you will love it, even if your not a CHD survivor, its an amazing page!
Video #3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd1jB0zplpU
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/mychdpage
Many Heart Hugs to so many,
Thanks all for following me...
Ara
2011 CHD Awareness Video !!
I finally finished my CHD awareness video... broken arm and all... its been hard, typing and doing it all with 1 hand...but here it is...yes I put myself in it!!
Now, back to making the 2nd one!!
Please pass this video around!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUA4pa323UY
CHD Video
Another CHD Awareness video I was in.. Thanks all for all you've done to raise awareness!!!
Im at min : 1:38 & 2:25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1zdGPp4gzA
CHD Awareness Video
For the past 6 days Ive been working on my 2011 Congenital Heart Disease Awareness video.. The response has been overwhelming... I now have over 80 people that have emailed me or posted photos of themselves or their child with CHD. I am posting one of the videos with me in it from last year on here for you to see.
I am so honored to be a part of the awareness of CHD.
1-100 babies born has a CHD.... we need to get it where every baby born has a EKG to get checked!!!! A simple test can save a child from painful surgeries, or possible death.
Thanks again all for following my blog and following my Facebook page!
Facebook.com/MyCHDpage
Heart Hugs to all!
Ara
Im at 1:42, 1:52 & 3:02min Thanks all!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKXfE0_wbFs
OMG its 2011
I know! Shame on me... I havent updated my blog in SO long...
Most of you know first how busy my life is... and the fact this blog is very hard to write.. its emotional and brings back so much.. but it also helps me heal.
Here it is 2011 and one of my resoultions is to blog once again. I need to get it out and heal. Its been 1 year since my last surgery (2010) so I think its time!
Thanks all for your constant support on my CHD Facebook page...
Im doing a CHD Video for Feb 2011 Heart Disease week coming up.
Please follow me on Facebook:
facebook.com/MyCHDpage
facebook.com/realtorara
I promise, to try and blog more!!
This year has been a tough year but Im stronger and God is tuggin at my heart to heal and share and move on!
Love to all!!
Ara
1st sign of major problems...
Ok, here is where it all started for me.....
I have had Mitral Valve prolapse all my life... but then.. one night.........
It was 4am in the morning.. I woke up and said loudly "Robert, call 911.... Robert, help.... call 911"
My husband Robert sat up and was like ????? He said "what is wrong??"
I said "I'm dying.............. OMG I'm dying" I dropped to the floor beside my bed, where I felt 'it' for the first time. There was a numbness in my arms and in my chest, it felt like someone had put an IV in my sternum and started to put ice cold fluids in me... only the top part of my body felt cold, I kept passing out and then vomiting... I felt death.
I kept telling Robert somethings wrong... he just thought I was sick from food or maybe flipping out because I didn't know what was going on.... anyway, I kept getting sick in the bathroom and coming so close to passing out several more times over the next 2 hours.... when this feeling didn't go away I finally went to the ER.... there they did a bunch of tests and came in and asked if anyone in my family had ever died unexpectedly from anything heart related.... I got scared real quick.... the Dr then told me that my EKG was abnormal and that they would keep me in the hospital for observation... these symptoms came and went for the next 48 hours... then I went home after many tests with nothing showing up.....
Now, I had gone to my regular Dr before this and had told him that I had heart pains and that my heart raced alot... I did have stress tests and echo cardiograms before all this and in the hospital. Nothing ever showed up....
Now when I got home from this 1st hospital stay from this experience... I was soooo scared, I was upset that no one found anything and that maybe I wasn't sick that my mind was making it up?? I tried to explain to my regular Dr and my cardio Dr when I had my follow up appts what this strange feeling was.... trying to explain how it all the sudden feels out of nowhere there is something cold being slowly put into my veins, starting in my chest.... then how I feel like I'm going to faint then I have been starting to throw up when these episode's start..... both Dr's ran blood, and just told me they thought all this was stress....
Stress makes you pass out? Hmmmm Ok , so I thought maybe it was...
I had several more episode's like this in the next few months.... everyone becoming more horrifying.... I was beginning to hate to go to bed, I was so scared of my room because this is where it usually always happened.... I had my pastor and my family pray over my room and our house.... I have had so many people pray over me and for me in these months....
I was getting more and more depressed.
OMG, I was making myself sick....
I was mentally breaking down.
Over and over to the Dr and they just kept saying.... "You are having panic attacks" and "all this is from stress, or its all in your mind"
I was put on several different psychotic medications for depression and anxiety but nothing was helping.....
Sitting here writing about this make those panic feelings come back, those scared and unsure feelings come back.... I was so scared, I trusted in my Heavenly Father at all times but I am human.... I just cant believe how close to dying I was so many times...
I remember being so down right pissed that NO ONE believed me, that everyone thought I was just under alot of stress and how everyone said I was having panic attacks.... how everyone kept saying " Ara, the Dr's have found nothing wrong... you are fine"
Ugggghhhhhh....boy did I prove them wrong... I wasn't crazy! I knew my body! I knew from my prayer closet that God was in control and that I was NOT supposed to give up.... I was supposed to seek out another Dr.....
I need to sleep... Ill write more later....
Love to all!
Wow, another day
Well another night Im up past 2am....my lil broken heart is acting up once again.... I have been having these episodes where I go into tachycaridia and it makes me feel sick and it lasts about 1-4 hours.. I just take heart meds to calm it down or I sit in a warm shower... I know Im not supposed to do that but... it seems to me the only thing that calms me when its going on and Im feeling so sick.... I have a appt with my cardio Dr soon....
I really need to sit down and put some time into this blog... explain where it all began and how I got from healthy, to sick to open heart surgery twice to now....
I have been so busy, not only with work but trying to get my life back on tract... I push my self to see what my heart can take... I want to start working out again but when I fast walk around the neighborhood I get soooo short of breath... is this normal? Hmmmm... I dunno... another question for my wonderful Dr at Baylor!
I promise to sit and write my journey.... soon!
Starting my blog.... full of emotions
I C U , Baylor Hospital Dallas
Well... here it is.
I have had so many emotions over the past year, happy, sad, angry, scared, depressed, lonely, afraid, terrified, loved and so much more... so I thought why not sit and start to write what I went through but also my emotions and my journey.
Maybe others who have gone through this can get comfort, advice, guidance and just a place to talk and see that they are not alone.... like I thought I was so many months!
I am so blessed that God saved my life. I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband who went through so much of this with me, the emotionally roller coaster, the health issues, the kid issues, the not so fun stuff that comes with 2 open heart surgeries...
My Mom and my kids, family and other friends and coworkers who came to help tirelessly, who gave so much and asked for nothing back... I would have never imagined the support I have gotten but yet I would have never doubted it either.
I am so lucky. I am so much a child of God. My story is truly a miracle.
I hope you get something from this blog. I hope you can contribute, help me and maybe help others and yourself.
I will write as much as I can, when I can.... I am back to work and getting very busy with summer here ! Check back often and subscribe to this blog.... pass it around!
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Robert my husband, my caretaker...
Robert my husband, my caretaker...
He Never ever left my side.. he sat for hours and hours rubbin my head, holding my hand, watching me sleep, cleaning me up, watching me cry, praying with me, helping me stay calm. When I was in pain he was there to help, hours and hours he would sit and pray and just talk to me to calm me. He never once showed his fears to me. He was my rock.I have never been so loved and felt so safe.
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Wow, I never knew (till I asked) that they take photos durning surgery for teaching purposes!
Courtesy of Dr Hammon, my surgeon at Baylor.
This was me in my surgery...
There are so many things I look back on now, and sit and just cry about at times, looking at these photos makes it all so real again and to know that I had OPEN HEART surgery and made it!! O My Gosh,,, it flips me out... before my surgery I used to think that if I wasnt in control, then I would die, or if I was not in control of a medical situation, my mind would let me die... how wrong was I ! Thats another thing this has taught me, Hello............. Im NOT in control.... God is.. I was dead. My heart was stopped... put on a machine... and then after hours of surgery, started again.. OMG! See, that was not me, that was God! (still freaks me out)
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I will start at the beginning.... which would be about 6 months before my 1st heart surgery..
bare with me.... Its not easy remembering all this, as you read you will see why.. its been hell!
I will write more soon, Im still getting it all together....
Check back often....
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