I had my surgery on June 26th with Dr. Swistel at NYU. Of course, I was nervous, but thanks to the support from this group, along with friends, family, and colleagues, I’ve made it through so far very successfully.

Day of surgery: I went in around 7:30am, was back in my room by 1pm, in a chair by 3pm and walked about 50 feet with a PT by 5pm. I had no idea they would get me moving this quickly, but I think it made a big difference.

I didn’t tolerate the heavy-duty pain meds well—they dropped my blood pressure too much and made me nauseous—so by post-op day 1, I decided to stick with Tylenol. It was painful, especially with transitions, but doable. They promised things would feel much better once the chest tubes came out.

The chest tubes came out on day 2. Honestly, I didn’t notice a big difference in pain, but it was definitely easier to breathe when lying down. All the other lines came out that day too, except the pacing wires, which were removed on day 3. That was a weird sensation, but not really painful.

I went home on day 4—yesterday—and so far, so good. Today is day 5. I’m still stiff and moving slowly, but last night I had a great night’s sleep, and just like many of you promised, every day feels a bit better.

To anyone still waiting for surgery...I know it’s scary, but you’re stronger than you think, and you’re not alone in this. Trust your team, lean on your support system, and take it one day at a time. Every day truly does get a bit better. We’re all here cheering you on.

Thank you all for your encouragement and for sharing your experiences. It truly helped me prepare and stay hopeful through this.