Two years ago today, I left Cedars-Sinai Hospital. I talked about it last year too, but I am so grateful that I’m healthy and for all the people who took care of me. I continue to exercise and eat well. I’m still not smoking anymore – it’s been two years already, which is a record for me.

The recovery is still ongoing though. I have massive amounts of scar tissue – most of it around my rib cage. The doctors didn’t take lingerie into account when cutting my chest open to put in the tubes that drained fluid from my lungs. My ECMO scar is the most visible right at my collar bone but these are hiding.

That scar on the top left? It sits right under my bra strap on my right rib cage. This picture was taken in selfie mode, so it shows the scar differently than the one below. The image below shows where the scars sit with the bra straps. I still have pain on occasion but it is manageable. If I don’t workout, the scar tissue starts to contract and turns from a minor annoyance to real pain. Turns out, being healthy is hard work.

The scar tissue needs a lot of massaging, which can only really be accomplished by stretching and breathing hard. If I don’t do a lot of cardio exercise, my ribs start getting sore, along with resurfacing of all the other mental health issues I realized I have. I’ve made some other discoveries about my brain that I didn’t identify until just recently but I’m still working though those and will share more later.

The hair has also resolved itself and I’m growing it out and coloring the crap out of it.

It’s been an amazing two years of growth and discovery. Not sure what would have happened to me had I not been in Los Angeles and surrounded by awesome people and healthcare options. What’s your greatest worry about your health? Have you ever had a scare like mine?