Living with a Bi-Directional Glenn Heart

Most people today (2019) with a single ventricle heart typically have one of two courses of treatment for their heart condition: 1) a series of surgeries culminating with the Fontan Procedure or 2) a heart transplant. That is not the case with our Guest in this episode. Born in 1970, returning Guest Laura Ryan, talks about what her life has been like growing up with a single ventricle heart palliated in a rather unusual way -- with a Potts shunt, a Waterston shunt and a Bi-Directional Glenn shunt. In this episode she shares what it was like for her as a child and what her endurance was like. She talks about how she interacted with her siblings and friends. She then moves on to share what it was like for her once she decided she wanted to start her family. In this very candid interview, Laura shares some of the travails she endured and what helped to her make it through the difficult times.Finally, Laura shares how she feels pregnancy affected her body and her heart. She also shares her doctor's prognosis for her future, especially given her sequence of medical events thus far. Laura's story is one of inspiration and hope.Please take a moment to follow us on your preferred social media platforms:iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/heart-to-heart-with-anna/id1132261435?mt=2Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HearttoHeartwithAnna/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGPKwIU5M_YOxvtWepFR5ZwInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hugpodcastnetwork/If you enjoy this program and would like to be a Patron, please check out our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/HeartToHeartBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heart-to-heart-with-anna--1256958/support.