Time flies when you are having fun! So, as you can guess by now, Lee and I have been having a great Summer! Lee is doing fantastic! He is much stronger now and it seems as though each new day brings us closer to the Lee that was left behind two years ago.
Since we came home from Durham in November, 2010, Lee has gradually gained weight, much of which has been muscle. He has gained 30 pounds since that day of discharge. He is now having to watch his calories a little more closely as he does not want to gain any more.
Each new day I marvel at his ability to demonstrate his new strength and endurance. After his breakfast ( some times he is on his own for that), he always has his day planned for some event that requires his renewed strength. Even though there are still many jobs he should not and does not tackle, he has become very proficient at supervising either a grandson, or young hired worker to do the job to his satisfaction. These young workers have been fortunate to have such a good teacher like Lee who has been gifted with knowing how to do work the right way. He takes no short-cuts and makes them take the time to do the
job right!
In addition to being able to take two trips to the beach in July (very Hot!), Lee has enjoyed having a garden this year! He had permission from Duke to work in his garden as long as he wore his industrial mask. Along with eldest son, Lee Jr., we were able to have a bountiful harvest of tomatoes, corn, squash and cucumbers. Our bean patch did not do so well, and only Lee Jr. was able to harvest some of those while we were at the beach. In addition, Lee's blackberries were fruitful, and after the many pies, I processed some delicious preserves for later use.
Yesterday, Lee came from the small vineyard of muscadines and handed me a handful of the lucious grapes. I will definitely make some muscadine jelly this year! They are so sweet and tasty! We usually have to wait until the honey bees have their share during the day and pick the grapes later in the evening after they return to their hives.
Speaking of bees......Lee and his "bee buddies" gathered in our downstairs "robbing the bees area" two weeks ago. Each of them brought their racks of collected honey from their farms and were able to extract the honey using Lee's extractor. The basement area was nice and cool and the guys enjoyed the comaradie that goes along with the "bee-keeping". This was always something that Lee enjoyed immensly and it was good to see him be part of the team again this year. The bees were a little less productive than previous years, but none-the-less he was able to put away a bounty of honey to be shared with our families.
Another thing that Lee has enjoyed was that he was able to meet with some of his Nationwide colleagues at Cross Creek in Mr. Airy, NC. last week. That used to be an annual happening with golf and companionship before Lee became ill. We were invited last year to dinner with all of them, and were able to go again last week. Lee has not returned to golf yet, so we planned a two-day outing in the mountains with dinner once again.
Lee's last visit to Duke was July 11, and he received the BEST report ever! In fact, the doctor said he was doing so well that unless he had problems, he did not need to return until October 24 for just an office visit! He will not need another bronch (unless a problem) until May of 2013! He is still on high doses of prednisone and the new anti-rejection drug. Unfortunately these drugs do have serious side-effects and Lee has had two bouts of skin cancer. The drugs also lower his hemoglobin, and his is low right now. He is taking iron and we try to boost his iron with his diet. In addition, his immune system is low and we have to be aware of crowds, particularly during seasons of cold, flu,etc.
We continue to stay in touch with our many transplant friends. We feel their elation for good days, and we grieve for their bad times. Occasionally there is news of death, or rejection complications from an acquaintance, and we have to face the reality of his many challenges. It is during those dark times that we are once again reminded of Lee's good fortune to have been given an extended time for living. Our awarness of the fragility of life is always in the shadows. Lee is mindful of this as he begins each day prayfully:
"Lord, for this another day, we give you thanks"..........................................................
More Later ( and I hope not so long).......................................Brenda
No comments:
Post a Comment