Heart Disease
After surviving a rare coronary artery dissection and massive heart attack while nine months pregnant, Nefertari has devoted her life to uplifting other heart patients and promoting heart health awareness.
See all posts »On Being a Social Butterfly with Heart Disease
It took about two years after my heart attack to realize that I could and would actually enjoy a social life.My girlfriends tried several times to get me to leave the house for something more then scheduled appointments or life needs. I didn't have the energy, or the desire.
If and when I did attempt to leave, there was so much preparation involved that I would get discouraged before I even got started, so I would stop trying.
I did well when company would offer to come and visit because it was less stressful for me to just stay at home where I could quickly get to the facilities and medication if I needed. The only problem with always inviting company over was that eventually they would expect me to return the gesture.
That was hard for me. I always felt self conscious about having to walk slower then others in the group, needing to take frequent breaks, and being unable to stand for extended periods of time.
On top of all of my other extra needs and anxieties, these social invitations we were scheduled well in advance and required some type of response indicating whether or not I would be able to attend. I never knew day to day what my health would be. It changed very frequently and sometimes that change came quickly so I could be fine one minute and exhausted the next.
The whole idea made me nervous. I never wanted to confirm my ability to attend, cost the person who invited me to spend money, and then find myself unable to attend due to my health.
It took a while, but then all of the anxiety left and the nervousness slipped away after I had a conversation with a very close friend. This friend comforted me and assured me that if a friend invited me to a social gathering and they where aware of my situation then they would understand if I had to back out at the last minute due to my health. However, if a person was not able to understand such an important issue in my life, then maybe they are not a true friend and there is a possibility that I should spend less time worrying about what they think of me.
Advice taken!
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