Latest / From Recovery to Wellness | Life After Heart Surgery, Aneurysm Repair & Cardiac Healing / Introduction: From Recovery to Wellness
Transcript
- 0:10Hello and welcome to From Recovery to Wellness.
- 0:14I'm Arnita and I created this podcast, Rewellness
- 0:18by Words, to support anyone navigating recovery
- 0:21after heart surgery or aortic aneurysm repair
- 0:24or other major cardiac events. This is a gentle,
- 0:28supportive space not medical advice, but a place
- 0:31for encouragement, practical tips, and wellness
- 0:34insights to help you feel more confident on your
- 0:38recovery journey. Each week, we'll explore topics
- 0:41like emotional well -being, safe movement, plant
- 0:45-forward nutrition, sleep, and building routines
- 0:47that support long -term wellness. Now, I also,
- 0:50again, want to reiterate that are at least remind
- 0:54you that I am not a medical doctor. This is lived
- 0:59experiences that I am sharing with you and comparing
- 1:05notes and also I definitely welcome your feedback
- 1:09as well. But before we dive in, I wanna share
- 1:13a little bit about my own journey and why I started
- 1:15supporting recovery and wellness. Despite being
- 1:19health conscious for over 40 years, maintaining
- 1:21my weight, eating semi -clean and making intentional
- 1:25lifestyle changes, my family history deeply shaped
- 1:28my perspective. I lost six family members and
- 1:32a close friend before they reached the age of
- 1:3460 to conditions that were largely manageable
- 1:39and in many cases preventable. Then in 2023,
- 1:44I had emergency open heart surgery for an ascending
- 1:49aortic aneurysm dissection. After surgery, I
- 1:52had excellent support, but I quickly realized
- 1:55how much support I was still missing once I was
- 1:58discharged. Practical tools to track recovery,
- 2:03trying to process emotions and care for both
- 2:05body and mind, it just got real tough for me.
- 2:10I began to assess what additional tools and support
- 2:14I felt that I needed, and I also sought to join
- 2:17a couple of online communities for survivors
- 2:19of open heart and aortic aneurysm surgery. With
- 2:23the research information I had gathered, I took
- 2:27it a step further once I discovered that survivors
- 2:30within the online communities also had questions,
- 2:33fears, emotional and physical concerns, whole
- 2:36surgery as well. So I compiled the information
- 2:39with the support and tools that I needed during
- 2:42my recovery But I didn't that I didn't have and
- 2:45created journals and trackers to monitor my recovery
- 2:48progress I wasn't finished yet though I had to
- 2:53figure out a way to share the information and
- 2:55my daughter suggested a Podcast which has become
- 2:58the most effective way to support others facing
- 3:01the anxiety fear unfamiliar symptoms and emotional
- 3:05weight that often follows heart and aortic surgery
- 3:09or the fear of an upcoming procedure. My mission
- 3:14is to help others feel informed, supported, and
- 3:17less alone as they move through recovery and
- 3:20long -term wellness and for me to become more
- 3:23aware and knowledgeable during my lifetime of
- 3:25living with cardiovascular disease. I remember
- 3:28how overwhelming recovery felt the fatigue, the
- 3:32pain, the uncertainty and the desire to do the
- 3:35right things for my health. That experience experience
- 3:38inspired me to create wellness by words and from
- 3:41recovery to wellness podcast to share practical
- 3:44insights, excuse me, small wins and supportive
- 3:49tools that make the journey feel a little less
- 3:52daunting. Now here's what you can expect from
- 3:56this podcast. There'll be solo episodes where
- 3:59I share tips and guidance from lived experiences,
- 4:03many segments like food of the week, where we'll
- 4:06explore a healthy plant forward food to try each
- 4:09week. A did you know segment sharing interesting
- 4:13health and wellness insights and across a wide
- 4:17range of topics. and occasional mentions of guided
- 4:21recovery journals and wellness trackers that
- 4:23I created to support reflection, organization,
- 4:27and day -to -day recovery routines, an optional
- 4:31tool to help you along the way. The goal is to
- 4:34meet you where you are, support your journey,
- 4:37and provide practical tips you can implement
- 4:39safely in your day -to -day life. Now, I'd also
- 4:43love to hear from you. Email me one challenge
- 4:48you're currently facing on your recovery or a
- 4:51topic you'd like me to cover in future episodes.
- 4:54Hearing from you helps me make this podcast as
- 4:57supportive and useful as possible. Now, my email
- 5:01is am, as in Mary, WMS1 at gmail .com, amwms1
- 5:13at gmail .com. That's the number one. And then
- 5:17I want to thank you so much for joining me for
- 5:20the very first episode from Recovery to Wellness.
- 5:24Remember, this is a calm, compassionate space,
- 5:27a place to reflect, learn, and take one step
- 5:30at a time. If you'd like, check the show notes
- 5:33for links and resources, including the guided
- 5:36recovery journals and wellness trackers that
- 5:39can help you organize your day -to -day routines.
- 5:42And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss
- 5:46an episode and I can't wait to share more practical
- 5:49tips, mini segments and wellness inspiration
- 5:52with you next week.