1992 - 2001

The years that followed Lee's original open heart surgery for aortic valve replacement were filled with ups and downs.  We were on a learning curve for physical limitations, medication intolerance & interactions, the joys (NOT) of living with anti-coagulants in Lee's system and the progression of heart failure.  Still, the Lord is always good and we had been blessed with such a degree of health that we were able to enjoy life.  We just enjoyed it at a necessitated slower pace than most people.

One of the struggles Lee faced was being constantly tired, having diminished strength, and lacking energy to accomplish all that he wanted to in a day.  Everything he did took effort and at the end of each day, he was exhausted.  A dear friend, Roger, was a hospital chaplain at the time of one of Lee's surgeries.   He gave Lee an analogy that was SO helpful and has stayed with him, even until now.  It went something like this:

Just imagine that God gives you a bag of 10 coins (representing your energy) each day.  Each activity you do will cost.  You will need to determine how much energy equals one coin and budget accordingly.  If you choose to spend 8 coins by mowing the lawn in the morning, that leaves you only 2 coins of energy for the rest of the day.  If that's the case, then you're probably going to start the next day in "energy debt."  We all know that getting out of debt is very difficult.  The moral of the story is:  spend your coins wisely and distribute them as evenly as possible throughout the day.  

Such a simple idea and for many years, we used this "bag of coins" analogy to gauge where Lee was energy/fatigue wise.  He would do some work on a car, for example and come in just exhausted.  He'd say "I used 5 coins on that job."  I knew exactly what that meant ... he needed to rest and recuperate before he did ANYthing else.   Each day was different, but by keeping track of his "coins," he was able to live a fuller life with less frustration.  Lee calls it "Life in the Slow Lane."

In the meantime, Lee's heart condition required more and more medications, surgeries and devices.  The medications are for keeping his already low blood pressure even lower (so the heart doesn't have to work as hard), helping with the arrhythmias, preventing fluid overload (diuretics), and opening the blood vessels ease blood flow.   Lee's health was followed by cardiologists with appointments 3 to 4 times each year.  Another issue for people with CHF is kidney (renal) failure, so kidney function is constantly monitored also.  The major events during these years:

• May 1998       Pacemaker implanted.  CPI 1130 generator, single lead
• January 2001  Pacemaker replaced with new Guidant 1184 pacer
• Dr. Broudy (our cardiologist) tells us to "stop and smell the roses" and recommends immediate retirement from Boeing
• January 2001  Referred to: UW MedCtr Heart Transplant Program, Dr. Levy