When Heart Health Hits Home

A couple of weeks ago, I went in for my annual echocardiogram and CT scan to check on the uninvited guest that took up residence in my chest—an aortic aneurysm. At this point, I feel like it deserves a name. I’m leaning toward Stacy. She’s been hanging around for years now, making herself comfortable, and frankly, if she’s going to stay, we might as well be on a first-name basis.

For the past eight years, this has been a routine part of my life. The echocardiogram, at least, has always been an expected annual event. Other than a brief scare last year when we thought Stacy might have grown (spoiler: she didn’t), things have been relatively uneventful. Until now.

February is National Heart Health Month, which makes the timing of my recent news feel almost poetic. You see, for years, I’ve confidently checked the box on medical forms that asks, “Do you have a history of heart disease?” with a firm “No.” Turns out, I’ve been wrong my entire life.

On Monday, I messaged my cardiologist for an update on my test results. By Tuesday, I had a reply—still waiting on the CT results, but the echocardiogram revealed something new: I have a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). If you’re unfamiliar, BAV is a congenital heart defect where the aortic valve has only two leaflets instead of the usual three. In other words, I was born with it. News to me!

By Wednesday, I was deep in research mode, learning about what this means, and by today… I’m just overwhelmed.

I can’t help but wonder—did my brother have this too? He passed away in his sleep five years ago from heart failure at just 56 years old. Was this lurking in him as well, undiagnosed?

BAV can cause a whole slew of issues, and as I read through them, I had one of those “Aha” moments where everything clicked. So many of my health struggles over the years suddenly made sense. Stacy? Probably caused by BAV. The chronic pain that’s been written off as rheumatoid arthritis since 1999? My new rheumatologist doesn’t even think I have RA. Instead, she suspects a connective tissue disorder—something that, wouldn’t you know it, can be linked to BAV.

This discovery doesn’t directly tie into codependency or people-pleasing, but it does reaffirm why I need strong boundaries and why it’s so important to stay in my own lane. I already have enough on my plate managing my own health (and keeping an eye on Stacy). I don’t have the time, energy, or capacity to take on anyone else’s drama.

Oh, but wait—let me appease the codependent part of me real quick: I am still here to listen. I am still here to encourage. But I am not here to carry burdens that aren’t mine or fix problems that aren’t mine to fix. That’s not my job. My job is to Journey ON Strong!

So today, I’ll be heading out to buy something red to wear tomorrow, February 7th, for the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” day. Because if I’m going to learn that I’ve had heart disease my whole life, I might as well wear the awareness color proudly.