Blog with Her Heart Community Ambassador Lisa Bennett
Our Founder Dr Linda Worrall-Carter had the pleasure of talking to Community Ambassador Lisa Bennett. Lisa is an incredibly inspiring woman who (in a relatively short time after heart surgery) is now training for 5km runs! This is her story.
At just two months old, Lisa was taken to the Drs with cold and flu symptoms, and a diagnosis of Aortic Stenosis (narrowing of her aorta) was given, only two weeks later she underwent open-heart surgery to repair her aorta.
Following this, Lisa’s life remained normal, having no symptoms of illness for most of her life, it wasn’t until 2019, as a 27-year-old that she became unwell. Lisa was found to have developed life-threatening aortic enlargement which required her to undergo another cardiac surgery known as the ‘Ross procedure.’ Lisa’s damaged aortic valve would be replaced with her pulmonary valve, and her pulmonary valve replaced with a donor tissue valve. The Ross procedure offered the advantage to Lisa that she would not need to take lifelong anti-coagulation medicine every day and this was important to Lisa, as she was considering children later in life and there can be risks with anti-coagulants during pregnancy.
Lisa recalls being anxious at the thought of having to fly interstate for major surgery and was grateful her mother was able to be with her the entire journey and during the time she was in the hospital. Prior to surgery, she felt frightened of the possibility of waking up in ICU with breathing tubes and was pleased to have very little recollection of this part of the surgery.
However, there were some complications and the planned procedure was not possible and her aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical valve. While this was an initial disappointment, for Lisa (given associated risks with future pregnancies), she has subsequently been encouraged and reassured to learn about other women with mechanical heart valves who have gone on to have children.
Lisa also felt grateful not to experience a lot of pain post-surgery, this was quite minimal due to the strong medication initially and then being weaned onto daily tablets. Lisa was also taught to hug a pillow when she coughed as that provided a cushion and physically alleviated the pain of coughing. Once she was discharged, she found the pain came from her muscles, ribs, and sternum and there was for a period of time – challenges in getting out of bed.
After the flight back home, Lisa participated in Cardiac rehabilitation. She was fortunate to have one-on-one rehab with a lovely physiotherapist and was impressed with the excellent communication between her whole treatment team. Her recovery involved walking every day starting with 5 minutes and gradually building up to 30 minutes. After three weeks, she began exercises involving light weights, gradually increasing the weights to the point of no discomfort. The recovery was very focused on her physical recovery, however, Lisa commented that “the mental side of things has been the toughest”.
When it comes to your mental health, Lisa advises that “Its normal to feel down and depressed after major heart surgery. No matter how you feel your feelings are valid. Let yourself feel what you feel. If you want to cry, then cry don’t hold it in. You need to rest mentally as well as physically. Keep talking to your support system (family, doctor, cardiologist, etc).”
Lisa is thankful for all the treatment and feels that she is still in the early phases. At the end of her 12 weeks of rehab she was able to complete all her exercises and even go for a light jog. In just 16 weeks, she completed her work fitness test and has now restarted her personal training with weights and is training to run 5km. Just 5 months after her surgery, Lisa returned to her work (a very physical role) in the mines as a utility worker. She is also studying a Bachelor of History at university.
Her Heart interview with Lisa Bennett, Her Heart Community Ambassador & Dr Linda Worrall-Carter
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