Artwork for podcast Open Heart Surgery with Boots
Hope for the Holidays: Overcoming Aortic Aneurysm and Bicuspid Aortic Valve
Episode 7826th November 2024 • Open Heart Surgery with Boots • Boots Knighton
00:00:00 00:18:00

Share Episode

Shownotes

Hey Heart Buddies! I welcome back Robyn Peacock for an update on her incredible journey for “Hope for the Holidays." This conversation is packed with Robyn’s reflections on her battles with an aortic aneurysm and bicuspid aortic valve. Learn about her physical triumphs and the often-overlooked mental health challenges that many heart patients face post-treatment. Robyn shares her newfound purpose working with Heart Valve Voice and how she brings hope and support to fellow heart patients. Plus, a special revelation about the rising buzz around mental health at cardiac conferences. Tune in to find out why this episode could be the emotional boost you need this holiday season. Subscribe and join Boots and Robyn as they dive into the importance of community, self-advocacy, and listening to your body’s signals.

You can hear Robyn's original interview here.

Join the Patreon Community! The Joyful Beat zoom group is where you'll find connection and hope that you aren't alone in your journey.

If you just want to support the show as a one-time gift (thank you), go here.

**I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Be sure to check in with your care team about all the next right steps for you and your heart.**

How to connect with Boots

Email: Boots@theheartchamberpodcast.com

Instagram: @openheartsurgerywithboots or @boots.knighton

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/boots-knighton

Boots Knighton

If you enjoyed this episode, take a minute and share it with someone you know who will find value in it as well. You can share directly from this platform or send them to:

Open Heart Surgery with Boots

Mentioned in this episode:

Heart Valve Voice - US

Be sure to check out HHV - US!

HVV-US

Transcripts

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

been attending. Mental health is starting to get a buzz

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

the buzz going because it is a common theme

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

of the potential mental processing that you need to

Speaker:

do after you go through any type of a

Speaker:

treatment that, you know, we all process differently.

Speaker:

Welcome to Open Heart Surgery with Boots. I am

Speaker:

your host, Boots Knighton and I'm excited to

Speaker:

bring back Robin Peacock today for our

Speaker:

Hope for the Holiday series. This has been such a

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

I am honored that you have found this podcast and it

Speaker:

is such a privilege to bring this

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

listen to previous episodes. I'm building a spoken

Speaker:

library for heart patients and their caregivers

Speaker:

and healthcare providers. So thank you for being part

Speaker:

of this podcast. But today I am

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

mine, back to give us an update on her

Speaker:

bicuspid journey. Robin, you are such a

Speaker:

force of nature at 61 years old and

Speaker:

you are thriving. You're giving back to heart

Speaker:

patients. It really is amazing to

Speaker:

see some heart patients just go about with their

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

around the world and letting everyone have access to

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

show a year ago and just to give a brief overview

Speaker:

of my journey, in 2007, I

Speaker:

was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm and a bicuspid

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

the next 15 years until my valve became severely

Speaker:

stenotic, aortic stenosis. And I started feeling horrible.

Speaker:

I started having extreme fatigue six months leading

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

definitely I was forgetful and tired, and I just

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

happening. I ended up having surgery in June of

Speaker:

2022. Now, really quick going back in 1998,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

valve, and they missed the aneurysm. So two full

Speaker:

cardiac workups in 1998 and 2002, they missed

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

to speed to 2022. 2022, I had open

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

recovered 100% physically, mentally.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

and moving forward. And recently I participated in a

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

feel some of the fear that I think

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

to do some more introspection, some more therapy, work

Speaker:

on kind of releasing. The fear of what

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

great echo and another year of no

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

me such great fulfillment. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

to listen to stories, I get to share resources,

Speaker:

I get to make connections. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

nonprofit world and now focusing on

Speaker:

heart health and women heart health, men heart

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

my neighbor. And she ended up getting an

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

or. I just love it. I just absolutely love

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

grateful after my open heart surgery in terms of just

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

why my heart got started the second time,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

diagnosed and there's a lot of fear and

Speaker:

uncertainty. And so between

Speaker:

our other organization, Women Heart and Heart Valve Voice,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

that you are in your purpose. And, you

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

fear piece. Through my own journey of

Speaker:

processing a variety of traumas, physical

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

emotion is ready to be processed, it comes up.

Speaker:

And when I think about facing heart

Speaker:

surgery, you know, you and I and those listening

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

business of surviving, then healing. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

return to our lives and get on with our lives.

Speaker:

And I want to give permission to

Speaker:

a feel whatever's coming up, but be just

Speaker:

recognized that 2022 wasn't that long

Speaker:

ago. No, no, you make a great

Speaker:

point. And the emotion will come up when it.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

To mentor and network with. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

You've made heart buddies through other avenues. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

feeling safe enough to allow that fear to come up.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

Clinic for the symposium. And one of the

Speaker:

things I always come away from those meetings is

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

very therapeutic to listen to other stories and how they

Speaker:

overcame certain things and how they processed.

Speaker:

And we're all in this life together.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

be able to share stories and to listen to other stories

Speaker:

and be able to kind of help process your own

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

faith. But I. Interesting. I am in a

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

so we helped you tell your story

Speaker:

a year ago, and that started you on a really

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

and if I may pat myself on the back here,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

Like, several heart patients have found their purpose through this

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

like we are going to carry each other

Speaker:

over the finish line of open heart surgery because we

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

myocardial bridges and clogged arteries, and thank

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

and then this podcast, Heart Valve Voice,

Speaker:

Women, Heart achd, American Heart association,

Speaker:

all these other nonprofits are, are here to

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

huge advocate for myself and I

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

that I've pursued enough of the options out

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

buzz post treatment. Mental health. We're

Speaker:

really trying to get the buzz going because it is a

Speaker:

common theme in all the patients I talk to.

Speaker:

And no one is made aware of the potential

Speaker:

mental processing that you need to do after you go

Speaker:

through any type of a treatment that, you know,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

module to train on, you know, a CME

Speaker:

basis to look out for certain things?

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

child, I went through a Super deep postpartum depression after

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

the signs and called me in because

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

series. I interview Dr. Laura

Speaker:

Suarez Pardo, who you and I had the pleasure of

Speaker:

meeting at the Mayo Clinic together. Oh. And

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

it in December of 2024. And we

Speaker:

had a brilliant conversation on the

Speaker:

connection between mental health and cardiovascular

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

excited. It's a brilliant conversation. So for

Speaker:

those listening, you know, in real time, her

Speaker:

episode comes out after this one, so be

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

podcast number one, and then number two, then be

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

she just brilliant, but just the nicest human

Speaker:

and is really, really deeply

Speaker:

invested in our mental health. We heart

Speaker:

patients. And it shows. So

Speaker:

fantastic. That gave me hope for the holidays.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

Golly, get me through these things. But when January

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

Hallelujah.

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

our last recording? Listen to your heart,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

that loud enough and we just can't. Just

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

pain between her shoulder blades, and she knew

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

And you just know, you have an instinct, you

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

right. Happy holidays. Yes, and thank

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

our greatest hits. And I want to thank

Speaker:

listeners in Peru, Lebanon

Speaker:

and Paraguay. I've been on the Apple

Speaker:

charts all the way up to number four in Paraguay,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

countries. You can send me an email bootsheartchamber

Speaker:

podcast.com and most importantly,

Speaker:

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

Speaker:

heart is your best friend. Come back next week.

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube