Feel so useless

[cazmarshfield]

Hi i was born with fallows tetralogy and managed well until 2010( mid 30,s) when i had open heart surgery to replace my pulmonary valve( i had gone through pregnancy ok five yrs before) and now im on 8 lots of tablets for life which i find hard. I just want to be normal but cant due to m9y heart problems. Does anyone feel like i do ? I had a good physical job as a delivery driver before having my daughter and have been told i can never go back to that job.

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star]

It's hard to deal with a health condition that stops you doing certain things and I understand your frustration. I find it helps to focus on all the things I do rather than the things I don't. You said you have a daughter. Being a parent while living with a heart condition is an achievement in itself. I regularly give myself a pat on the back for it anyway!

I was lucky that I was able to stay in the same job I'd had previously but I haven't been able to work as many hours as I had planned. I sometimes feel like a bit of a loser over that, but really I can't control my heart condition, so making my life work with my heart is the best I can do. And that is hard to work and an achievement in itself.

If you lost both legs, you wouldn't be so hard on yourself for not being able to walk. Having a heart condition can be equally debilitating, but it's invisible so we are more inclined to overlook it. You can only do what you can do, the trick is to make the most of that.

Hope you feel a bit brighter soon x

[cazmarshfield in reply to laura_dropstitch]

Thank you. Today is a pretty good day at the moment .i have an allotment which is an achievment so even tho its cold i will be trying to get there later.

[laura_dropstitch Heart Star in reply to cazmarshfield]

That certainly is an achievement! Have a good day

[Midgeymoo17]

Hi I am 20 and was also born with Tetralogy of Fallot had my pulmonary valve replaced this summer. I can not say I have many physical limitations as 12 weeks out of surgery and I have returned to nearly full training with the Uni swim team and only take 2 tablets: Aspirin and Contraception.

However this said I have other health condition that are very limiting including congenital incontinence, endometriosis and moderate mental health problems and it can really feel like a downer when they wreck the day.