The Individual Level: “It's Just Like a Regular Life for Me”
Living with congenital heart disease was not something many teens considered as being a defining aspect of their life. One young teen said, “it's just like a regular life for me. Nothing really different goes on except sometimes I get tired more often now and like I still have lots of friends to talk to.” The important things at this stage in her life were fitting in and having friends. Their health care needs did not necessitate them situating congenital heart disease in the foreground of their day-to-day life. Doctors' appointments ranged from every 6 months to every 2 years. Of the 10 teens, 6 took no medications or only a baby aspirin once a day, and prescribed activity restrictions were not common. These teens spoke of their physical health as a minor detail in their daily lives. When her last surgery 6 years ago was discussed, a 15-year-old showed little concern stating