I had really tough sadness and anxiety following my open heart surgery to repair my dissected ascending aorta in 2015. It would be hard to explain other than to say that I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. Sometimes they call it pump head because they believe that something related to the cardiac bypass machine that contributes to depression. I've also heard it referred to as ICU delirium. Either way, I think that you can have depression under the best of circumstances, but the stress of worrying about your aortic health can be a real contributing factor to it.

Here's what I can tell you: you're going to be OK and you've come to the right place for support. None of us know how long we've got. That said, the ability of the medical/surgical community to deal with aortic health is really amazing and you should feel good about that. I am sitting here talking to you almost 11 years after having suffered a catastrophic aortic dissection while on a business trip in California in 2015. Often times we tend to dwell on the traumatic events rather than focusing on the miracle of survival and the body and mind's incredible ability to rise up from that trauma. I am thankful everyday for the time I've had on this earth and I would not trade it for anything.

If you're feeling sad, depressed, lonely, or blue, you've done the right thing by coming here to talk about it. The next step is to reach out to your healthcare providers and your mental health professionals to get the support you need. Dealing with the fear of an aortic dissection is very real and it's something that's difficult for other people to relate to unless they have a tremendous amount of experience in this area. I do and that makes it easy for me to understand why you would feel anxious. All of that said, I'm glad that you're here and I'm glad that you reached out. Your next steps are to talk with your doctor. Peace.

PICTURE: Me, my 14-year old at 8th Grade Graduation last week, and my best friend and wife who saved my life through her loving kindness and endless support. I survived for them and they carried me.