Things are looking up.

It seems like most days all I try to do is minimize my pain, but for the first time in a long time, I woke up without any pain. My heart feels okay, my back is doing well, and the mysterious pain in my side isn't here today. I had enough energy to cook breakfast and shower standing up. These things may seem small, but it feels big to me.

Even bigger is that my pectus excavatum repair surgery is scheduled for about 3 weeks from now. If all goes well, my sternum will be popped up and held in place with a titanium bar for a few years. Releasing the pressure on my heart will hopefully fix most of my problems, leaving me free to actually live my life. Obviously it's not going to be a magic cure-all that will make everything perfect. Full recovery takes time, and I'll still have depression to work through.

But I have hope that things will get better, and that is enough.