Good News from Duke

So, Reid weighs himself of Friday, 192, and on Monday morning, 198!!! What's wrong with this picture? Now some of you that know him might think that "hops and barley" were involved, but not only has he lost his taste for such, his eating is still not totally back. So we begin our detective work, and what do we discover, but large ankles, a little water weight gain. Being the good "Nurse Ratchet" that I am, I have read all my material and know that we need to make a phone call. And we did, and we saw Dr. Kowalski that afternoon. After sharing with him this new information, his reply was, and I quote,"This is easy!!!!!" He put Reid on Lasix and said go forth and urinate. (actually he did not say that, I just improvised)
And this morning, Reid has lost 3 lbs, YEA! Ain't modern medicine grand!
He walked the Burlington Mall yesterday and today. He walked Costco on Sunday, pushing a cart with 40lbs of dog food, and a few other things I thought we needed. He is working hard, and not complaining.
Now, the good news from Duke is that they have moved up his appt from April to the end of February!!! We think that the good doctor from Burlington (Dr.K) called and asked and we sure are glad!! He will have a MRI on February 26th to get a "picture" of his heart and determine the next step, which we hope is a defibrillator/pacemaker. We will go on
March 13th for that report and go forward from there. We were very excited. And he goes for orientation for his Cardio Rehab on Feb 4th. So, for now, more walking at the mall, Walmart, Lowes, lots of places!!! And we have been blessed with lots of good food this week from lots of good friends. We certainly have been thankful, we are a lucky bunch!!
LYMI, B___

And We Move Forward

The lake was great!!! New scenery is wonderful, and the snow was sooo pretty. And Barrett did not have class so she came and spent the night, and that was a treat!! We got back home on Thursday afternoon. We had to stop at Walmart in Biscoe to get antifreeze, we got a "low coolant" message on the Suburban. Now, do we know how to have fun or not!!!!! The Biscoe Walmart is very clean and very well organized. I was so impressed. And then there were several issues with phone calls, and such that it wasn't until around 7pm that we stopped. And Lawson came home, so we were blessed with visits from both of our children. We are lucky folks.
Reid continues to move forward. he is walking, the Walmart in Albemarle is great! We are going to keep moving.
He is so thankful... for friends, for family, for co-workers, and for God's grace.
LYMI, B___

New Scenery

So.... Reid decided that he needed a change of scenery, so we came to the lake. Fortunately we got here last night, before the snow. And it was such a lovely scene this morning so see the white stuff!! And while it may be my imagination, I think Reid looks better. And he said that he feels better....YEA!!! Sometimes you just need something different to look at, it can be the best medicine. I am sure he had grown weary of the 4 walls on Saddle Club, and his nurse as well.
At least now he has a new view, if not a new nurse!! Cheap labor is hard to find!!!!
We continue to be grateful for each day and for strength gained.
LYMI, B___

Opps, an omission!

Bubba came by Saturday too!!!!! He just sat and visited too. And of course he reminded Reid that his nickname would no longer be Lorraine, Spike, or even jacka**, it was now "Lucky"!
And Reid agreed. He also shared that he had bought the beanie with the propeller, and had the plaid shorts ready, should Reid need them!! Thank goodness for friends!!! LYMI, B___

Another Milestone

It is Sunday morning. Reid has been home a week...Hallelujah!!!
His biggest hurdle right now is ridding himself of this incidious GOUT!!! He is taking his medicine for the dreaded ailment and has been told to eat cherries and drink cherry juice. Luckily HT has cherries on special(FYI, for Reid, it is important that the cherries be on special or they would not taste as good!!!) and he has been popping them as often as he can. On Friday, we walked Target, always a good idea in my book. And Dr. Benfield stopped by for a visit. Reid was happy to see him and be able to share with him in person, his heartfelt thanks for his leadership and geniune kindness. He also spoke with Trey of his appreciation to his collegues, Dr. Michael Marino, Dr. Elana Shaner, Dr. Jennifer Powell, and Dr. Erin Jackson. They have worked like a well oiled machine, not missing a beat, giving Reid their love and support, allowing him the time he needs to heal. He and I have talked often of our gratitude to them professionally and personally. We very simply do not know what we would do without them. And for the record, we are grateful to the folks that work with Reid and these doctors in all the offices. They have certainly understood the need to step up to the plate, and have done so beautifully. We are thankful and grateful to each of them.
His brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Dia, came by Friday night and brought dinner. We were both so glad to see them. Steve was my right arm during Reid's hospital adventure. He gave me quiet strength, was my second set of ears, and just helped me deal... And he did his best to "stare" the intubation tube out of Reid's mouth. And Dia took care of Steve, and being married to a Patty as well, I understand what she had to do. They are a determined bunch, for which I have been most grateful of late, but it does pose its issues as well. And then on Saturday, my brother and sister-in-law, Burt and Melissa, came and brought lunch. I love this eating thing!!!! I was certainly glad to see them, and Reid was happy to be able to spend time with them as well. Burt reminded Reid of when he and I first started dating and when Reid would come to my house, he and Burt would play basketball for hours. And believe it or not, they did not have one altercation!! Burt commented on how much that meant to a 13 year old kid.
If there is any one thing that continues to ring true for us, it is the impact you can have on other's lives. It seems that time is the biggest commoditiy, and we can give that any time...
I will close for today, being grateful for time, on so many levels. And as you see fit, we would love to share time with you all now, I think that Reid is ready.
I love you all and I truly mean it, B___

We Continue Forward Momentum

Reid went to his first visit with Dr. Kowalski yesterday. I am sure he was a bit apprehensive, not knowing what was on the agenda. Dr. Kowalski was awesome! He did a great job of bringing us up to speed on what had gone on with the heart attack and stent procedure, why he was on the meds he was on and what they did, and what lies ahead. He seemed please with Reid's progress as he keeps reminding us of where Reid came from. It is a sobering thought that less than 4 weeks ago, we were at Duke, unsure of the next hour, and now I watch Reid and marvel at God's grace. He is still working on grasping the magnitude of his progress. I tend to forget that I have 8 days head start on processing this miracle. He and I have been given a great gift... TIME. We are trying to remember that 'This Day' is the only day. We went to Four Seasons Mall today and walked, and he did great!!! And we talked about what a gift we had been given to have this time together, and that through all that we have faced, there is a new found intimacy that we treasure. And Lawson and Barrett feel it too. They call daily to check on their dad, and to discuss his progress. So far they are pleased with him and his nurse!! Thank goodness, or I would be replaced!! Reid will start Cardiac Rehab next week, and will probably have to have a defibrillator implanted early spring. Right now he is working on getting stronger and staying positive, and I will help with that positive part! He and I speak daily of the love that we feel for all of you. We continue to be humbled by your kindness!
Hopefully Reid will be ready for company next week, I am about ready to see some folks. I realize this is not about me, but I can only take so much!!!!!! Love you mean it, Beth

A Lost Day

Funny how time flies when you are having fun!
My desire to update all my friends on how I felt yesterday seemed forever to be waylaid by the occasional nap, the feeling of my strength sapping, and the inevitable need to see what Rachel Ray was cooking. Lots to do, only so much time to do it and once again me carrying the ball, a rough life. Seriously, for someone who has been lucky to miss only a few days over the years, it has taken an effort to make myself relax, even with Beth's daily encouragement.
It is true what everyone who has had a heart attack says that one of the hardest things is to trust yourself that it is not going to happen again. As a result, simply bending over to tie your shoe or pick up a blanket off the floor seems to be something you think about long enough that you just don't do it. I am apprehensive about my visit with Dr. Kowalski later today. Guess I have always been one of those people who expects blue sky and sunshine and I am not sure what I will hear today about the long term prognosis. Questions I was asked at Duke included my age... Am I young?... I guess so, relatively speaking. Do I smoke?... Other than the occasional stogie with Bubba on a camping trip, No... And finally, do I exercise?
This is where we all lie. While I have been in pretty good shape, and people usually say I seem pretty strong, in reality exercise for me usually means I get up, work all day, come home, drink a beer, watch Andy Griffith, eat supper, lay on the couch and fall asleep, then repeat daily. I don't think that is what they had in mind. I encourage you to stay strong, because in three weeks my legs feel like cooked spaghetti and my arms look like my Dad's.
Now comes the fun part. Lets see if we can put it back together and I will learn about that today at 4:00pm. Thanks for all your kind comments and for all of you that have followed this journey with us. Barrett and Lawson are happy in school, and Beth continues to amaze me with all she does for me and for our family. I will let you know how the doctor's visit goes.