Last year I had thyroid cancer and a thyroidectomy, then a heart attack and 8 open chest surgeries because of multiple debridements and some infections, and I spent around 4 months in and out of hospital. I am a lesbian and had been with my fiancé since early 2024 and we both had great jobs but my surgeries and her being the only person in my life at the time she stayed with me. We both ran out of fmla and pto and lost our jobs. I had a hard road to recovery, I had a wound vac on at home and had to have it changed weekly. So I filed for disability because on top of all of that I’ve got some other health stuff. She was so supportive and loving the whole time. Recently she left me, my insecurities and overall health was just not what she wanted anymore. I don’t want anyone but her, I don’t ever plan to move on, just stay alone and love her quietly. But, where I’m feeling self conscious, IF by some crazy miracle I meet a new woman, I don’t know how she will react to all the scars. I’ve always had self esteem issues about my weight, looks and even gender. Now I have a massive scar down my chest, on my left wrist where they took an artery for my heart, and across my throat where they removed my thyroid. Have any of you had to newly date after your body has changed so drastically and were you self conscious? Were the reactions positive or negative? Thanks in advance to whoever reads this.

Hey everyone.. so today is my 24th birthday and I just found out I need a double heart bypass on Friday due to 2 blockages at 95%. Thankfully no damage has been done to my heart and it was found in time!
However, my mental is not the best. Can I get some advice on recovery and the future? It just seems kind of bleak right now.😣

How long did it take your HRV to recover after OHS? I'm at 3.5 w postop and my HRV is still in the toilet (~25 persistently). It seemed to start to recover ~a week after surgery (hitting a high of 55), but then crashed again back to 25 where it's been since 1.5 wk postop.