Posts by Meghann Ackerman

Generally, a doctor shortage isn’t good news. But a recent report from Washington D.C.’s WTOP on a doctor deficit has me smiling.

Right now doctors trained to treat adult congenital heart defects are struggling to keep up with their patient loads. I definitely have sympathy for the busy doctors and anyone having trouble scheduling an appointment, but I can’t help celebrating the good news hidden in there: People with congenital heart defects are living longer.

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It’s recently come to my attention that Victor and I have widely different concepts of what “more healthy” means.

Victor’s cholesterol has been creeping up and his doctor had him start a new medication to bring it down. Given his own CHD and his family’s heart health history, this is a very good thing. At my last doctor’s appointment I was told I could stand to up my good cholesterol levels a little. So, right from the start, we have different points of view.

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When you stop and think about it, there’s a lot of medical talk that comes with dating. Generally, it’s focused around sexually transmitted infections and there seems to be a consensus among decent people that you disclose that sort of thing before being sexually active with a new partner.

But what about other medical issues? I’ve mentioned before that Victor isn’t big on wearing shirts, especially when it’s hot, so the fact that he had a heart condition was never really a secret. I can’t remember how long we were together before I got around to asking about the specifics, but that gnarly scar down the middle of his chest gave me the heads up that something was going on.

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A few weeks ago, a friend told me she liked my blog posts and asked when the next was coming out. I told her when I was on the schedule, but admitted that I had no idea what I was going to write about. Nothing new is going on with Victor’s heart and unless there’s an impending doctor’s appointment (or blog deadline), it’s not something that comes up much in our daily lives.

“So write about that,” she said.

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It started right after we got married.

“When are you going to have a baby?”

In case my in-laws find this blog, no, this is not an announcement, but it’s something Victor and I have talked about. And, of course, his congenital heart defect has colored some of those discussions.

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Somewhere along the line cardiology appointments became just another way to mark the passage of time.

The first time I went with Victor to see a cardiologist was scary. The appointment was in an austere medical office building and the waiting room was packed with sickly octogenarians. I had no idea what was going to happen, what the doctor was going to say, or where I fit in to all of this.

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It had taken me a few weeks of debating politeness versus curiosity to approach someone I barely knew and ask him about his medical history. But, I reasoned, in his introduction to the class I was coordinating he had mentioned having heart surgery—it wasn’t a secret. Still, I didn’t want to be rude.

I also knew that my motivation was selfish. I wasn’t particularly interested in his actual condition or surgical procedure; I just wanted reassurance that heart surgery was not the end of the world.

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It started shortly after Christmas—the pink and red boxes of chocolate popping up on store shelves, the emails for deals on romantic getaways, and the Groupons for couples massages. Yes, Valentine’s Day was less than two months away and it was time to buy hearts!

But I’m the type of girl who uses Halloween decorations for year-round decor, so long before I was hanging out in cardiology waiting rooms studying medical illustrations, I preferred the anatomical heart to the pop culture heart. It’s not all macabre, though. Giving your sweetie a card with an anatomical heart on it opens the possibility for cheesy cardiac lines, like...

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Mid-November through the beginning of the new year is a time of decadence. Starting with the oversized bird, peaking with the spending on holiday gifts and ending with too many flutes of champagne, this is the time of year when we let moderation slip to the side and indulge some of our favorite vices.

During the rest of the year, we all still indulge from time to time and sometimes feel a pang of guilt for our unhealthy ways. But when it comes to having a congenital heart defect, where is the line between indulgence and leading a normal life?

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There are some unintended health benefits to being married to a guy with a congenital heart defect. While trying to wean Victor off take-out Chinese and meat-only meals, I’ve started eating better. And, as an attempt to get us both exercising more, I’m learning how to roller skate.

Aggressive inline skating has been Victor’s exercise of choice since his teen years, but as the falls have started hurting more and other responsibilities take priority he’s gone to the skatepark less and less. My learning how to skate ensures Victor skates and doesn’t let one of his passions fall to the wayside. And, you know, also gets me up and active.

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If you spend much time on the internet, you’ve probably seen some version of the “I have no idea what I’m doing” meme, which usually pictures an animal in some type of human situation. When it came time to pick a new health insurance provider this summer I found myself feeling like a cat with a chemistry set or a dog behind the wheel.

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