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

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

been attending. Mental health is starting to get a buzz

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

the buzz going because it is a common theme

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

of the potential mental processing that you need to

do after you go through any type of a

treatment that, you know, we all process differently.

Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I am

your host, Boots Knighton and I'm excited to

bring back Robin Peacock today for our

Hope for the Holiday series. This has been such a

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

I am honored that you have found this podcast and it

is such a privilege to bring this

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

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

listen to previous episodes. I'm building a spoken

library for heart patients and their caregivers

and healthcare providers. So thank you for being part

of this podcast. But today I am

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

mine, back to give us an update on her

bicuspid journey. Robin, you are such a

force of nature at 61 years old and

you are thriving. You're giving back to heart

patients. It really is amazing to

see some heart patients just go about with their

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

around the world and letting everyone have access to

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

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

show a year ago and just to give a brief overview

of my journey, in 2007, I

was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm and a bicuspid

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

the next 15 years until my valve became severely

stenotic, aortic stenosis. And I started feeling horrible.

I started having extreme fatigue six months leading

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

definitely I was forgetful and tired, and I just

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

happening. I ended up having surgery in June of

2022. Now, really quick going back in 1998,

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

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

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

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

valve, and they missed the aneurysm. So two full

cardiac workups in 1998 and 2002, they missed

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

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

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

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

to speed to 2022. 2022, I had open

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

recovered 100% physically, mentally.

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

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

and moving forward. And recently I participated in a

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

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

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

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

feel some of the fear that I think

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

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

to do some more introspection, some more therapy, work

on kind of releasing. The fear of what

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

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

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

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

great echo and another year of no

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

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

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

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

me such great fulfillment. And

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

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

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

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

to listen to stories, I get to share resources,

I get to make connections. And

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

nonprofit world and now focusing on

heart health and women heart health, men heart

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

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

my neighbor. And she ended up getting an

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

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

or. I just love it. I just absolutely love

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

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

grateful after my open heart surgery in terms of just

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

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

why my heart got started the second time,

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

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

diagnosed and there's a lot of fear and

uncertainty. And so between

our other organization, Women Heart and Heart Valve Voice,

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

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

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

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

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

that you are in your purpose. And, you

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

fear piece. Through my own journey of

processing a variety of traumas, physical

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

emotion is ready to be processed, it comes up.

And when I think about facing heart

surgery, you know, you and I and those listening

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

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

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

business of surviving, then healing. And

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

return to our lives and get on with our lives.

And I want to give permission to

a feel whatever's coming up, but be just

recognized that 2022 wasn't that long

ago. No, no, you make a great

point. And the emotion will come up when it.

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

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

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

To mentor and network with. And

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

You've made heart buddies through other avenues. And

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

feeling safe enough to allow that fear to come up.

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

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

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

Clinic for the symposium. And one of the

things I always come away from those meetings is

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

very therapeutic to listen to other stories and how they

overcame certain things and how they processed.

And we're all in this life together.

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

be able to share stories and to listen to other stories

and be able to kind of help process your own

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

faith. But I. Interesting. I am in a

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

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

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

so we helped you tell your story

a year ago, and that started you on a really

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

and if I may pat myself on the back here,

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

Like, several heart patients have found their purpose through this

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

like we are going to carry each other

over the finish line of open heart surgery because we

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

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

myocardial bridges and clogged arteries, and thank

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and then this podcast, Heart Valve Voice,

Women, Heart achd, American Heart association,

all these other nonprofits are, are here to

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

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

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

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

huge advocate for myself and I

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

that I've pursued enough of the options out

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

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

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

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

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

buzz post treatment. Mental health. We're

really trying to get the buzz going because it is a

common theme in all the patients I talk to.

And no one is made aware of the potential

mental processing that you need to do after you go

through any type of a treatment that, you know,

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

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

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

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

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

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

module to train on, you know, a CME

basis to look out for certain things?

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

child, I went through a Super deep postpartum depression after

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

the signs and called me in because

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

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

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

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

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

series. I interview Dr. Laura

Suarez Pardo, who you and I had the pleasure of

meeting at the Mayo Clinic together. Oh. And

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

it in December of 2024. And we

had a brilliant conversation on the

connection between mental health and cardiovascular

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

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

excited. It's a brilliant conversation. So for

those listening, you know, in real time, her

episode comes out after this one, so be

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

podcast number one, and then number two, then be

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

she just brilliant, but just the nicest human

and is really, really deeply

invested in our mental health. We heart

patients. And it shows. So

fantastic. That gave me hope for the holidays.

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

Golly, get me through these things. But when January

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

Hallelujah.

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

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

our last recording? Listen to your heart,

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

that loud enough and we just can't. Just

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

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

pain between her shoulder blades, and she knew

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

And you just know, you have an instinct, you

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

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

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

right. Happy holidays. Yes, and thank

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

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

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

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

our greatest hits. And I want to thank

listeners in Peru, Lebanon

and Paraguay. I've been on the Apple

charts all the way up to number four in Paraguay,

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

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

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

countries. You can send me an email bootsheartchamber

podcast.com and most importantly,

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

heart is your best friend. Come back next week.