Patty's Doing Great...Kathleen is Struggling

Hi Everyone:

I suspect few people visit this blog anymore, and that's probably a very good thing. Patty continues to do very well, with no symptoms other than occasional fatigue. She is working full-time, and seems to be handling the workload exceptionally well.

Patty's sister Kathleen is not faring so well these days. Her breast cancer has metastisized to her spine. You can read more about Kathleen's situation at http://thoughtsforkathleen.blogspot.com.

Please keep Kathleen in your thoughts and prayers. And please keep your fingers crossed that Patty continues to do as well as she has over the past year.

Love,
Brian

A strong summer

Hi everyone:

Just thought I'd pop in for a minute to let everyone (or at least everyone who visits anymore) know that Patty continues to thrive, so much so that I was able to make a trip to Canada, without Patty, to pick up the boys for the summer. A year ago, I wouldn't have even considered being away for more than a day. She looks great, and she feels great.

Aside from an occasional mild arrhythmia, Patty shows almost no symptoms of heart failure anymore. She even complains now about having to take so many meds, although she knows that this is a lifetime deal for her. She's being cautious about time in the heat and humidity.

As mentioned, Devin and Colin are in town for an extended visit. Our plan is for Patty and I to drive them back (about 10 hours each way) in mid-August. PJ is working at Oberweis, and is participating in summer speech activities. Kelly and Connor are also doing great, and mostly just having fun.

That's the latest and greatest. Please feel free to drop a comment; I make sure that Patty knows when people have written.

Love,
Brian

P.S. If you're on Facebook, please add me/us as a friend. I'll be posting photos, including some of our patient, from time to time this summer.

Swell on wheels

Hi everyone:

As you can tell from this relatively recent photo, our patient (can I really even call her that, now?) continues to thrive, enough so that she's been able to incorporate light exercise into many of her days. Her hope is to advance her conditioning to the point she'll be able to inline skate more regularly. She's being cautious, but surprisingly strong.

Patty is handling the combined demands of work, home and health with remarkable success, and with very little of the fatigue or illness that plagued so many of her past days. Her medical appointments are now spaced months apart, and she rarely experiences any symptoms. The only obvious clue to her condition is the still-extensive range of medicines she takes each day. And, among the best of the good news, she has not been hospitalized since November, 2006. We still don't understand how this has all happened, medically, but we're not really complaining; we're just hoping this strong streak continues.

All of the children are doing well. PJ and Kelly just finished their school's production of Les Miserables, which was just amazing. My parents visited to take in the show, and they too were impressed. Devin spends part of his week at home and part 30 miles away at college, where he's doing well in a culinary arts program. Colin and Connor are both enjoying jumps in their academic performance, with Connor flirting with straight As. We're very proud of our brood.

As always, we're grateful to hear that people check in here from time to time. I will endeavor to provide updates on an occasional basis, and will of course pick up the pace if there's ever more to report...let's hope not.

Love,

Brian

Catching up with former students

Hi Everyone:

Over the weekend, Patty had visits from two former students -- Emily (on Friday) and Roxie (Saturday.) We've had a handful of visits from Emily over the past year, but had not seen Roxie since she did Patty's nails on the night before our wedding (six years ago.) Patty really likes to see that the kids are doing well as adults, and I think she's thrilled to know that she played a part in shaping their lives.

Patty plants one on Emily

Patty, Roxie & Brian

On Friday, Patty escorted a group of students on a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. She continues to do very well, and has now added more frequent exercise to her weekly routines. We're pretty impressed at how she seems to get stronger and stronger.

Patty & a Pollock

Love,

Brian

Patty's still going strong

Hi everyone:

As I've mentioned in previous posts, no news is good news as far as Patty is concerned -- ergo, I've had nothing significant to report for some time. Patty continues to do incredibly well. In fact, she has even been able to increase her beta blocker and ACE inhibitor dosages to levels desirable for heart failure patients; you may recall that previously this was a problem because of Patty's unusually low blood pressure.

Patty's last echocardiogram and ICD interrogation were both very positive (although Patty's ejection fraction remains at around 25%.) Patty remains the mystery patient, the miracle case, the against-all-odds poster girl.

Last night, Patty modeled in a fashion show for Edward Heart Hospital, along with Dr. Costanzo (her cardiologist) and a number of other patients who can share compelling heart stories. Patty was a natural, and she looked amazing.

Patty continues to teach part-time, and hopes to return at a full-time level for the start of the next school year. The kids are doing great. All is well with us, knock on wood. If anything changes, and perhaps even if nothing changes, I'll try to write again soon.

Love,

Brian

Just a quick note

Hi everyone:

Just thought I should poke in for a moment to let everyone (or at least everyone who still visits) know that Patty is still going strong. She very much enjoyed a much-needed break from work, and had a wonderful holiday with our kids. Her medical reports continue to be incredibly positive. Wow...it's still hard to believe.

I'll try to post some recent photos soon. Happy New Year, everyone.

Love,
Brian