On Tuesday of this week, Lee and I traveled to Durham for his clinic appointment on Wednesday, Feb. 20. We decided to leave early in order to visit our friend whom I told you about in an earlier blog. After talking to two of our other transplant friends, we all decided to meet in Durham, have lunch with our friend's wife and hopefully get to have a short visit with him, depending on how he was doing on that day.
In preparation for this meeting, we decided to make it a reunion, of sorts, and to plan to leave some surprises for the two of them to use during those long hospital days that we all remembered so well. After many e-mails, and a couple of phone calls, we were able to rendezvous in the hotel lobby of the Hampton's Inn. As usual, we met with open arms, lots of hello's and hugs, having not seen each other for a period of many months. Everyone arrived with bags of personal items, books, candy, gum, game books, a new "Sports Illustrated" for our friend (our guys knew this would be stimulating!). We filled a large yellow basket with all the treasures, covered it in cellophane wrapping and tied it with a ribbon. In fact, we had so many items that we had to fill two additional gift bags...one more for our friends, and the other for another transplant asquaintance, who unbeknown to us was back at Duke.
We had so much fun making the basket, that one of our girls said that we now belonged to the "Ya, Ya, Sisterhood"! We could not leave the guys out, hence, the "Brotherhood"! After having lunch with our friend's wife, we were delighted to learn that he had requested a particular dish from one of his favorite restaurants in Durham! What a joy to see him sitting up in bed, munching on fried shrimp and looking at his Sports Illustrated magazine with a contented smile on his face!
The next day, Wednesday, Lee had a full day at the clinic. His schedule began @ 7:30 a.m. with labs, breathing tests, x-ray, and then to the out-patient endoscopy area at 9:30 for a bronchoscopy @ 10:30. He was to see the doctor at 1:00, so we did not have time for lunch since he had to wait until 1:30 until he could eat. I did insist that he eat the peanut butter cracker I had handy, along with a large coke. (Remember one time after an early bronch. he did not get to eat, and fainted in the treatment room....followed by a 6-hour visit to the ER, when he only needed to eat!.........of course, I wanted to avoid that again!
Anyway, all reports were very good, and Lee is to stay on all meds as is and to be proactive in calling Duke if we have any questions. He will probably return in another 4 months, just for a clinic visit. It was a very good day! I did make a mental note of the way he reacted to the anesthesia (fentyl, versed ) this time. He was awake quickly and remained alert for the next several hours. After eating a small meal around 5:00, he began to get very groggy....almost like a delayed reaction to the drugs. I suspect that maybe he had been given something to reverse the drug and when it wore off, the drug was still there.
Anyway, all was well after his good night's sleep, and we were able to leave Durham early yesterday morning. We checked with our friends before leaving and were disappointed to learn that he had a bad night and his wife had to stay with him. I am afraid our visit might have been a little too much for his debilitated condition.
Lee drove all the way, as usual, while I read in my new book on the Kindle for 2 hours. Lee loves for me to read and not help him drive (back-seat driving, that is). I have to admit that I do get nervous going 75-80 miles per hour in 5 lanes of traffic! We were back home by 12:00, and had I driven, we would have taken another hour! A good trip to Durham.
More later................................................Brenda
Friday, February 22, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Daffodils
It was during the Winter of 1994 that I married Lee and moved to the farming community of Vale, N.C., after having lived in Lenoir most of my life. I left behind a house filled with memories of my first marriage, my husband's sudden death, and the two children we had. I also left behind a large family that included my Mom, sister & family, and my husband's family whose homes were located in the same vicinity as mine. I departed with good memories, but also the terrible memory of the death of my first husband at the young age of 43. Meeting Lee provided a wonderful, nurturing healing filled with a bounty of love shared by the two of us.
After a long courtship of six years, and with my son and daughter both married with their own homes and families, it seemed like the right decision to marry Lee and move into his farm. Even though I was happy with this marriage, I was very homesick, and was finding it increasingly difficult to be located a one-hour drive from all whom I had known for so many years. This included my neighbors, and my church family. My roots were planted deeply in the Baton community of Caldwell county.
And so it was in early March of that year, that I was still very homesick, and grieving daily for all I had left behind. In the early Spring, my new husband was working in the backyard in the area of the barn. From my vantage point at the kitchen window I could see him walking slowly toward the house on the well-worn path. I thought it odd that he had one hand behind his back. I heard him open the kitchen door and felt him approach me from behind. As I turned, he smiled, and handed me a lovely hand-picked bouquet of daffodils that he found growing behind the barn. Any doubts I had about leaving my home and moving to his farm disappeared in that moment.
Each year, at this time, Lee has continued to appear with his hand behind his back, or in my absence, I will later discover a small mason jar on the kitchen windowsill filled with the daffodils. His way of letting me know how much he loves me. After our grandson John moved next door, Lee showed him the daffodil patch and taught him how to pick a bouquet for his Mom, while he picked one for me.
Now to the rest of this story: When Lee was very sick and was hospitalized @ Baptist hospital, I returned home one week-end for some necessary items. As I drove along the country roads, the daffodils were blooming......I began to cry because I was afraid I would never again see Lee able to bring me the beautiful daffodils. Later that evening, I glanced out my kitchen window to see 10-year-old John coming up the path carrying a handful of daffodils. He rang the doorbell and presented them to me with a hug....so like his Grandaddy!
Since Lee came home in November 2010, I have continued to receive those precious Spring daffodils each February or March............whenever they bloom behind the barn.
More Later......................................Brenda
After a long courtship of six years, and with my son and daughter both married with their own homes and families, it seemed like the right decision to marry Lee and move into his farm. Even though I was happy with this marriage, I was very homesick, and was finding it increasingly difficult to be located a one-hour drive from all whom I had known for so many years. This included my neighbors, and my church family. My roots were planted deeply in the Baton community of Caldwell county.
And so it was in early March of that year, that I was still very homesick, and grieving daily for all I had left behind. In the early Spring, my new husband was working in the backyard in the area of the barn. From my vantage point at the kitchen window I could see him walking slowly toward the house on the well-worn path. I thought it odd that he had one hand behind his back. I heard him open the kitchen door and felt him approach me from behind. As I turned, he smiled, and handed me a lovely hand-picked bouquet of daffodils that he found growing behind the barn. Any doubts I had about leaving my home and moving to his farm disappeared in that moment.
Each year, at this time, Lee has continued to appear with his hand behind his back, or in my absence, I will later discover a small mason jar on the kitchen windowsill filled with the daffodils. His way of letting me know how much he loves me. After our grandson John moved next door, Lee showed him the daffodil patch and taught him how to pick a bouquet for his Mom, while he picked one for me.
Now to the rest of this story: When Lee was very sick and was hospitalized @ Baptist hospital, I returned home one week-end for some necessary items. As I drove along the country roads, the daffodils were blooming......I began to cry because I was afraid I would never again see Lee able to bring me the beautiful daffodils. Later that evening, I glanced out my kitchen window to see 10-year-old John coming up the path carrying a handful of daffodils. He rang the doorbell and presented them to me with a hug....so like his Grandaddy!
Since Lee came home in November 2010, I have continued to receive those precious Spring daffodils each February or March............whenever they bloom behind the barn.
More Later......................................Brenda
Thursday, February 14, 2013
My Valentine
As I write this blog, a dozen beautiful long-stemmed red roses adorn the table along with a funny valentine and a box of assorted chocolates! How amazing that I have been granted another lovely day to celebrate this occasion with my love!
Even though I am reminded that the same Valentine's day, 2010 was during the peak of Lee's illness, we were still able to celebrate @ Forsyth hospital with the help of our son, Todd and daughter-in-law, Donna.
At that time, Lee was still struggling to breathe and to walk, and neither of us felt he was up to a celebration. When I arrived at the hospital that afternoon, there was a vase filled with a dozen red roses, accompanied with a huge card from Lee. The room had been rearranged by the staff with the removal of the second bed to accommodate a table that had been covered with a red tablecloth. Todd Donna arrived with bags of food from our favorite Italian restaurant, "Macaroni Grill".
With the help of the nurses and physical therapists, lee was moved from the bed to the table where the two of us were given a candlelight dinner. I believe the staff shed a few tears that day, along with the two of us. I have to admit, that even as I write, my eyes are not dry.
Daughter Julia had sent a special Valentine's day booklet filled with pictures of home. It was indeed, a lovely Valentine's day in spite of the sadness surrounding Lee's illness.
So, today, we are celebrating another year of our love and commitment to each other. It is a very good Valentine's day. Lee is stronger and the best he has been since the transplant. My gratitude is boundless and my cup overflows!
I noticed the daffodils beginning to bloom along the roadways and in scattered places among the countryside. They have a special meaning to us, a story I will share on the next blog.
More Later........................................Brenda
Even though I am reminded that the same Valentine's day, 2010 was during the peak of Lee's illness, we were still able to celebrate @ Forsyth hospital with the help of our son, Todd and daughter-in-law, Donna.
At that time, Lee was still struggling to breathe and to walk, and neither of us felt he was up to a celebration. When I arrived at the hospital that afternoon, there was a vase filled with a dozen red roses, accompanied with a huge card from Lee. The room had been rearranged by the staff with the removal of the second bed to accommodate a table that had been covered with a red tablecloth. Todd Donna arrived with bags of food from our favorite Italian restaurant, "Macaroni Grill".
With the help of the nurses and physical therapists, lee was moved from the bed to the table where the two of us were given a candlelight dinner. I believe the staff shed a few tears that day, along with the two of us. I have to admit, that even as I write, my eyes are not dry.
Daughter Julia had sent a special Valentine's day booklet filled with pictures of home. It was indeed, a lovely Valentine's day in spite of the sadness surrounding Lee's illness.
So, today, we are celebrating another year of our love and commitment to each other. It is a very good Valentine's day. Lee is stronger and the best he has been since the transplant. My gratitude is boundless and my cup overflows!
I noticed the daffodils beginning to bloom along the roadways and in scattered places among the countryside. They have a special meaning to us, a story I will share on the next blog.
More Later........................................Brenda
Friday, February 8, 2013
Concerned
This past week has been filled with correspondence from one of our close lung-transplant buddies and his wife. We are filled with concern because he has recently been given the diagnosis of Leukemia.
When we relocated to Durham in 2010, we formed some close bonds with four other couples. All of the spouses (husbands) spent many weeks together at the Center for Living in preparation for the transplants and many weeks following the transplants. We, the wives, along with our husbands, became a strong support group and have managed for the past two years to get together for five or six days at our beach house for a wonderful reunion and celebration of life. Lee and I have been planning our third reunion-celebration for May 2013, and were disturbed to learn that one of our group is seriously ill.
They are both in Durham and many tests have been done during the past week. Unfortunately, he has a rare type of leukemia and one that is difficult to treat. Already on immunosuppressant drugs and a host of others do not make it any easier to treat. Currently, we are waiting to hear his prognosis and type of treatment.
I guess on the positive side, this couple has made excellent use of their time since the transplant. They have been able to travel extensively, having just completed a trip to the Holy Land prior to Christmas 2012. So many of the items on their "bucket list" have been completed, and for that, we are truly grateful.
I am sharing this story with you so you will understand how fragile lives are for any post lung- transplant recipient. We are aware each day as Lee consumes his 20-30 pills, that even though they keep him out of rejection, they are weakening his kidneys. In addition, the medications change the blood cells and their production. One of his most potent medications, Prograef or tacrolimus, is so strong that a level must be checked periodically. The level must be maintained in his blood between a 4-6 point deviance. A drop or an elevation can create either rejection or kidney damage. That is why we deligently have these blood levels checked each month and more frequently if they begin to deviate either way.
In addition, even though the medications allow Lee to lead a more normal lifestyle, he continues to struggle on a daily basis with strength issues, and more recently has begun having some periodic episodes of ligament, joint and muscle pain in various areas of his body. Again, we are not sure if this is medication or as he says " Honey, I am just getting old!".
All in all, he does very well and I was delighted yesterday as I watched him from my vantage point at the kitchen window. He was happily working in his orchard, pruning trees in anticipation of a bountiful Summer. In addition, he has been attending meetings and as the once president of his high school class, is planning a reunion in late Summer. He is a busy fellow!
Yes, the story of our friend is our concern too. We continue to stay in touch, to pray for them and for guidance in their decisions during the remainder of this week. I have learned that the reality of this age is that we must accept losses, and with the loss, the pain.
More Later........................................Brenda
When we relocated to Durham in 2010, we formed some close bonds with four other couples. All of the spouses (husbands) spent many weeks together at the Center for Living in preparation for the transplants and many weeks following the transplants. We, the wives, along with our husbands, became a strong support group and have managed for the past two years to get together for five or six days at our beach house for a wonderful reunion and celebration of life. Lee and I have been planning our third reunion-celebration for May 2013, and were disturbed to learn that one of our group is seriously ill.
They are both in Durham and many tests have been done during the past week. Unfortunately, he has a rare type of leukemia and one that is difficult to treat. Already on immunosuppressant drugs and a host of others do not make it any easier to treat. Currently, we are waiting to hear his prognosis and type of treatment.
I guess on the positive side, this couple has made excellent use of their time since the transplant. They have been able to travel extensively, having just completed a trip to the Holy Land prior to Christmas 2012. So many of the items on their "bucket list" have been completed, and for that, we are truly grateful.
I am sharing this story with you so you will understand how fragile lives are for any post lung- transplant recipient. We are aware each day as Lee consumes his 20-30 pills, that even though they keep him out of rejection, they are weakening his kidneys. In addition, the medications change the blood cells and their production. One of his most potent medications, Prograef or tacrolimus, is so strong that a level must be checked periodically. The level must be maintained in his blood between a 4-6 point deviance. A drop or an elevation can create either rejection or kidney damage. That is why we deligently have these blood levels checked each month and more frequently if they begin to deviate either way.
In addition, even though the medications allow Lee to lead a more normal lifestyle, he continues to struggle on a daily basis with strength issues, and more recently has begun having some periodic episodes of ligament, joint and muscle pain in various areas of his body. Again, we are not sure if this is medication or as he says " Honey, I am just getting old!".
All in all, he does very well and I was delighted yesterday as I watched him from my vantage point at the kitchen window. He was happily working in his orchard, pruning trees in anticipation of a bountiful Summer. In addition, he has been attending meetings and as the once president of his high school class, is planning a reunion in late Summer. He is a busy fellow!
Yes, the story of our friend is our concern too. We continue to stay in touch, to pray for them and for guidance in their decisions during the remainder of this week. I have learned that the reality of this age is that we must accept losses, and with the loss, the pain.
More Later........................................Brenda
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