Welcome to our CaringBridge website. Over the last month, Dave and I had our life turned upside down and inside out. It's taken time to get our minds wrapped around the changes, come to peace with this 'detour' God has orchestrated. It's a detour to us, b/c it was not part of our plan for the future. But God orchestrated every moment that occurred and we 100% trust that he will work this out for HIS glory and our good. Some know our past, we both lost our spouses to cancer 10 years ago, But God turned our tears to joy when he brought us together and merged our families. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis 6 years ago, changing our life again, But God brought joy from immense pain, I had to sell my businesses and become a stay at home mom, what a blessing that has been with 4 active kids! These are just a few examples. So our next 'but God' moment: Starting last May Dave's health started to decline, we didn't understand why. One week he was biking over 150 miles and racing. The next week he could barely do 10 miles without gasping for breath on hill climbs and it steadily got worse to where he couldn't walk across the house w/o gasping for breath. He was also experiencing heart palpitations. Finally in August he went to the doctor; by this time Dave had stopped all exercise due to his inability to breathe and heart issues. He went through numerous lung/blood tests, x rays, CT scans, stress test, EKG and visits to specialists. By January, his primary doctor said there was nothing wrong with him and didn't know what else to do. Around the same time my brother connected us with his friend who was having similar issues, the friend said we needed an MRI scan of Dave's heart. We requested it in February and finally got proof that something was wrong with Dave. Through another battery of tests Dave was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension caused by chronic blood clots in his lungs (CTEPH). Things moved fast after that, he was immediately put on anticoagulants and referred to Cleveland Clinic. They are the closest facility that treats Pulmonary Hypertension. Dave's diagnosis is literally 1 in a Million. While driving to FL for spring break, we received a call from the Clinic. The meds were not eliminating the clots that were causing blockages in his pulmonary arteries and he needed to have surgery. It was scheduled for April 22. Which brings us up to today. The doctors hope this will cure his condition and he can return to what his life was like prior to last May, except forthe racing, being on anticoagulants makes that very dangerous. Lord willing, this journal will be short lived. We hope to only be gone for a couple weeks and he can finish his recovery at home. We are using Caringbridge to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting. Stay tuned for the conclusion to our 'But God' moment :-)
This week was a good week. Dave was able to put in a full weeks work, still from home. He drove his Jeep for the first time, blew the dust off LOL. We met with his local pulmonologist and cardiologist, who gave him the thumbs up to start pushing his workouts. He is able to sleep on his side comfortably, without the bed elevated. Oddly enough, since the surgery, he no longer wakes up gasping for air or snores. We are thrilled about that! His heart palpitations have calmed significantly and he is off all meds prescribed by his cardiologist. All his liver enzymes have returned to normal too. So at 6 weeks post op, he is doing the best we could hope for. Praise God!
Thankfully he is listening to his body when it comes to strenuous tasks. His energy level is not normal, after working a full day and trying to get his walk in, he is tired. The doctor's have said his energy should return to normal by 6 months, so we are trying (key word there) to be patient. Our next update will be at 3 months, until then.... :-)
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