Heart Failure Support Group

First of all, thank you for all who are reading this post. I do not have a physical heart condition, but rather a failing heart of emotion for my boyfriend of 13 years. His name is Steve and he was born with congenital heart disease. At the age of 18, he had the Ross procedure and underwent open heart surgery. At the age of 28, he had a second open heart surgery.

I honestly don't know all of the specifics of his heart complications. I know he has a stent in the left ventricle and a plastic tube near his aortic chamber?

The truth is, I have lived in denial of his heart condition for the last 13 years. It's easier for me to block it out of my mind as if it's not there. My father died when I was 11 from an auto immune disease and I don't think I've fully recovered from this loss.

Now that my boyfriend has asked me to marry him, I'm extremely afraid. I catch myself worrying about him all of the time. Lately I have been noticing that he has to go to the bathroom frequently during the night and I've also noticed that he has swollen ankles from time to time.

I've become obsessed with researching heart failure and what can be done, etc to prevent it from getting worse and it's making me depressed. I'm confused because this should be the happiest time of my life and marriage should be looked as a start of a new life. However, i feel like marriage will be the slow decline to losing him, just like losing my father and i don't know how to handle my emotions and fear.
Posted on 07/10/09, 01:07 pm