Come join Aortic Hope for a special Live Therapeutic Thursdays at 12pm EST. This event will be led by community member and therapist John Quick. You will have an opportunity to interact with John and ask questions. Remember, Aortic Hope and their volunteers are not medical professionals. Please speak with your physician if you have any medical or mental health issues.
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"In 2006, I suffered an aortic dissection (Type A). Lifesaving OHS replaced my aortic valve and my aorta was partially built with a prothesis. I later dissected with a Type B dissection running from the top of the aortic arch to the bifurcation into the legs - too extensive to operate on. This dissection is managed defensively - i.e. with blood pressure medication and beta-blockers. I have also been taking anti-coagulation medicine since the incident.
This was profoundly life changing, having physical, emotional and financial implications. For example overnight my income dropped by 70%. I was supporting a young family. Severe illness causes a tsunami of issues, not just related to the physical health matter itself - far from it.
As I became stronger, I began to study online courses in a field I have always been interested in - Counselling. I am a qualified Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and Hypnotherapist (Registered with the GHR/GHSC - UK) specializing in Trauma, Loss, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD & general physical rehabilitation amongst other issues.
I do volunteering work and I can help with the more holistic perhaps less medically attended 'life issues' that accompany this condition. Also, being nearly 18 years on from the Dissection, I know a fair bit about being on blood thinners; managing blood pressure; and what my body tells me and I have learnt about living with aortic disease.
Frankly, most of this begins and ends with the 'Fears' that we have with this condition, which play out in their multiple guises in:
Death anxiety
Fears of recurrence and the day today demands of the condition
Damaged confidence in life,
Energy levels
Sleep issues,
Fitness, exercise and body issues challenges
Sexual dysfunction
Cognitive changes including concentration
etc.
In my experience with clients in all walks of life not just here - Fear sits at the root of most of the challenges we face. But it gets hidden and disguised in many coping strategies."
~John
* 𝘼𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙇𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.
𝘽𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨, 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡.
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