Hi Everyone:

Because Lightning-Strike and all of its members both old & new, mean so much to me, I wanted to let you know that because of my precious husband's illness, I won't have much time to answer posts in the next 4 weeks (or so), but that doesn't mean that I don't read them.

This past week was to have been our vacation. Initially we (along with our furkids Ms. Lucy & Mr. Yoster ) were going to rent a cottage, we decided against it because the car ride would be too stressful on the kids, especially our little guy. And, because of Ms. Lucy's diabetes & hyperthyroidism, we just didn't want to leave them with a pet-sitter. We are a family. I know that we wouldn't have any fun if we left them at home with a sitter - we'd be worried sick about them.

So, we planned on day trips - there are so many things to do, so many places to see. As long as we're together, we have fun. That is what's most important! I know that we're like a lot of families here at Lightning-Strike .

To make a long story short, on the 21st, 22nd & 23rd we spent time bicycling & walking/hiking. We enjoy spending time outdoors & being active. After our 6 mile walk on the 23rd, he was more than a bit tired. This was extremely unusual for him. Ben is several years my senior and is in fantastic shape . In addition to fatigue, he was extremely hot and a little short of breath - his temp was 101.2. His heart rate was 104 - 108 and blood pressure was normal - low. I wanted to go to the emergency room, but he wanted to "wait a bit".
After a restless evening, we went to the emergency room in the morning.

Initial diagnosis was Pericarditis & bilateral pneumonia ! His heart rate, which has always been on the high-normal side, was extremely high. His blood pressure was low.

Fast forward a bit -->> He was admitted, chest x-ray showed bilateral pneumonia & echocardiogram showed a pericardial effusion. On Thursday at around 7:15pm, I went in to see him for a visit and saw that he was very short of breath. The nurse said that his heart rate was increasing & blood pressure was very low.

A cardiologist & thoracic surgeon walked into the room & said that this had become a cardiac tamponade (I think that's the correct term) & needed to take him to the Intensive Care Unit & drain the fluid from around his heart - (called a pericardiocentesis). There was no time to discuss this -- we started praying and asked that God please work through the surgeon's hands.

The cardiologist came by the ICU waiting area and said that Ben came through the procedure quite well, that 650 ml of clear yellow fluid was taken off of his heart. She said that had this not been done he could have died during the night .

I am just about ready to go visit with him. The surgeon came in this morning to remove the catheter. As for what caused this, we don't know just yet. They are testing him for everything. We pray that it's a virus. Some of the other possibilities are very serious.

I haven't slept all that much. I'm very sad that Ben is not here at home where he belongs. I miss him so very, very much!! Ms. Lucy & Mr. Yoster really miss their daddy, too.

That saying, "when it rains - it pours", is really quite true.
My mother, (who has chronic heart conditions, diabetes (eats sugar!), neuropathy of her feet, etc..., etc...), was in the hospital twice this month. It was decided that she needed intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, basic life skills therapy - so, she was admitted to a rehab center.
Well, she didn't like the place - didn't want to stay there. Aesthetically the place was not wonderful, but I was told that their rehab program was first-rate. From my heart, I pleaded with her to "PLEASE let go & let God have the steering wheel for awhile because what you are doing is not working -- you keep doing the same things & expect different results all the time".
Well, against medical advice, she signed herself out.

Believe it or not, she arrived home & called me on my cell phone right at the exact minute that we found out Ben had to go to the ICU to have the pericardiocentesis! I just couldn't believe it -- I can't believe her.

Well, writing this post has taken me over 1 & 1/2 hours - it's 11:15 am on Saturday, October 27th. Perhaps I should have written all of this in a diary, but, I really wanted to let you all know that I am reading most all of your posts.
Some of you are celebrating, some of you are very sad and beginning your journey of grief, some of you are mourning a painful anniversary date.
I feel sad that I'm not able to share in whatever you are going through at this time, but please know that all of you are in my heart.

God Bless all of you & your families. I will keep you informed as best I can with regard to my husband, Ben -- the person that I love most in this world .

Wishing you peace, love, good health & happiness,

Denise

denise, oh my... you have alot on your plate right now..and your thinking of us. thank you for sharing your story.
it sounds to me like a virus. pneumonia can instead of going directly into the lungs can sometime deposit into the sac around the heart. its sounds like this is what it did, clear yelowish fluid is a good sign any other color may have been more of an infection. removing the fluid was the right thing to do, takes pressure off the heart.
hopefully the have him on antibiotic to stave off any further infections? please keep us posted and i wish for a speedy recovery for ben and for you and the furkids.
you are in my prayers and my thoughts
my best to you. get some rest if you can.
love
michelle

Denise,

I'm so sorry for all you are going through...this last year has been very much like that for us.

I won't make this a long post, I know you are pressed for time, to say the least. We
will be remembering you in our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted when you can.

Mack and Sadies mom,
Dayna

Denise, good job for recognizing ER was the way to start. My best to you both, you're in my thoughts. ~Kimberly

take your time Denise, we will leave the light on for you. best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Dear Denise,

All my thoughts and prayers are with you and Ben. I am praying for him & wishing for nothing but a good outcome. You are the sweetest person.......please know that no matter how long you have to be away, we love you and are here for you. Whenever you come back, your friends are here. Always know that.

Love,

Kim

Denise,
I am thinking of you and wishing all goes well for you and yours.

Cleo 1

Denise I am sending you my strongest wishes for everything to go well and that all of this may already behind you. You know, more and more there are viruses around, and they do all kinds of strange things, my husband had unxeplained vertigo for almost 9 months, apparatenly it was a virus but we were really worried during all that time. Quite frankly, probabilities are that this is what it is. Let's all summon our darlings who watch over us from above to help us get through this for you, for you and Ben and family :we all want and hope for a quick recovery for you. Hugs while the angels make their magic and you give your all to Ben and family. We are all praying for you. TAke CARE!

OH MY GOODNESS, DENISE! As Michelle said, all THIS going on, and you're thinking of US!?!? You're quite a lady! I join my prayers with everyone else's here in intending for Ben to make a speedy and steady recovery and get back home where he belongs! ........AND for everything else to settle down, too, for heaven's sake! You need a BREAK from all this worry! Hoping all the BEST will be coming to you and yours, starting NOW. ((((((HUGS)))))) all through this!!

Denise,

I am truly sorry that all of this is happening in your life right now. Prayers go out to Ben that he regains his strength and they can deal with what is wrong. Save your strength now and deal with the situation you and Ben are facing. Don't worry about the group. They will get along fine here with each other. Just concentrate on Ben and your mom. Be sure to pace yourself and get a lot of rest so you will be in good health yourself during the next month. Take care and hugs.


Ken Albin

Denise...you have helped me in the past on this site and I want to say that I will pray for You & Yours. Please funnel your energy into your current situation and not here. You will need to conserve your emotional and spiritual strength. We will wait for you.

God Bless

Denise, I'm so sorry that your husband is ill. I hope and pray all will be well with him. My heart goes out to you and your family.Take care k9pal

Dear Denise,

I am sending love and positive thoughts your way and hope that your Ben is doing better already.... I am so very sorry for your trouble..

(and we admit, we love our people as much as our pets)!

wishing miracles and magic for you and yours....

Sharon

To all of my wonderful friends, both new & old:

Thank you all so very, very much for your prayers at a time which was horribly dark -- God Bless all of you

Ben came home after 6 days in the hospital - I cannot tell you how extremely grateful I am. (I know that you all understand).
He did return back to work a bit early, but.....after two days, it became obvious to him that he really wasn't feeling all that strong, so he took the remainder of that week off.

We've been to the cardiologist for a follow-up as well as the internist. He was told that because his heart did receive some damage (to the myocardium), that he needs to take it very easy for 3 months. No big hikes, no cycling, etc.....
There will be time for those things later....right now, walking a slow mile or two is okay, as long as his heart rate doesn't go too high. (I WILL be watching him like a hawk ....)
Here in the northeast, it's getting colder. This will work to our advantage .

We are just sooooooo very, very grateful, for everything. There are so many things to be grateful for. You know, other than all you wonderful people here at LS, I just never hear many people (in day to day life) say how grateful they are for things....
To be alive, to enjoy a beautiful day, to have a roof over your head, to have a warm pair of shoes, to have food to eat..... I think you all know what I mean.

Again, many thanks to all of you who read my post and responded, and also to those of you who said prayers - I send blessings to all of you and to those you love .
All of you are wonderful & caring people.
It really is a privilege & a blessing to be in your company here at LS.

Much peace, love, good health & happiness, always.

Love, Denise, Ben, Ms. Lucy & Mr. Yoster xoxo

Denise, thanks so much for the great update, all will go well now. By the way, Dean Ornish says you can actually reverse any heart dammage with a vegetarian diet, I have his cookbook which is pretty good as far as the recipes go! We're still a bit meat eaters but have changed a whole lot and my husband's health has improved, he was borderline diabetes and high cholesterol, both are way better. If you choose meat, choose grass fed, those corn and soya feeds are not healthy. Anyways, keep well, and , TO YOUR HEALTH! I needn't add Take care

great to hear Denise...keep hubby on the straight and narrow (you know how men can be

Hi Denise,
Did the docs ever figure out what started it?
How's mom?
~Kimberly

Oh Denise!

I've been away, and I hadn't even known what had happened. I'm so sorry to hear what you've been going through but so thankful to hear that Ben is doing better.

I bet Lucy and Yoster are wonderful nursing assistants ! But I'm sure you're the best nurse. You all are just what Ben needs right now.

You're all in my prayers--especially Ben.

Keep me posted, and I'm sorry I have been out of touch !

Much love,

Kathy, Dolly, Cubby, Sunny, & Farmey

Hi Everyone:

God bless everyone here at Lightning-Strike, as well as those people & furkids (and all animals) whom you love. I have been around lurking, but I haven't had much time to post.
My thoughts and prayers are with every single one of you, even when I am not on the board.
I know that many of you are grieving the loss of a very special family member, and I KNOW how extremely difficult it is to lose that earthly bond. Perhaps some of you might be going through difficult things in your life as well, whatever they might be.


My darling Ben had a reoccurrence of pericarditis, this time it was "constrictive", and was hospitalized in the ICU on December 27th. He was home for New Years Eve, thank you God!! We have to make sure that his pulse does not go above 100 bpm for any length of time; He was extremely careful the first time, and I was watching him like a hawk - this time will be no different! We are praying that this will resolve with two very strong anti-inflammatories that the doctor prescribed. He will be having another echocardiogram at the end of this month, and we'll see his cardiologist again. We're all staying very positive that he will get better and that his future echocardiograms will show a normal heart.
He may, at some point, need to have a "pericardial stripping", but we are living one day at a time. Yesterday has gone and tomorrow is not yet here - Today IS the only day we need to be concerned about, right?

Another sad thing to tell you all is that my dad passed away Wednesday, the 16th @ 12:30am from respiratory & cardiac issues. It was a lengthy illness, though everything seems to be going so very fast. He was "young" (77) in terms of age, but because of his many illnesses, he looked 10 years older. He fell out of his wheelchair at the nursing home on Friday night, started having trouble breathing - my mom and older brother saw him first. Ben and I saw him on Saturday/Sunday, and he was really struggling to breath. His temp was 103.
We decided to get Hospice involved, and he became much more comfortable under their care. My poor dad was becoming extremely agitated, appeared to be hallucinating. I don't know how, given his declining condition, but his hand/arm strength was so strong, that when someone held his hand he'd squeeze it amazingly hard.
My two brothers, my mother & me spent all day Tuesday sitting right beside him and talking with him. I left at 9:30pm, and my older brother called me at 12:35am with the news. I feel somewhat numb, not sure how I feel.
The wake is late afternoon today into tonight, and he will be buried tomorrow. (Burials aren't done on Sundays and Monday is a holiday).

When Ben was in the hospital, our kids Ms. Lucy & Mr. Yoster were very sad that their dad wasn't home. Our precious kids were truly a HUGE comfort to me. I know that you all probably feel the same -- all of our kids are amazing. They 'just know' when something is wrong & know exactly what we need at different times in our lives, and for that I will always be grateful to them . We couldn't love our kids more !

Thank you to all of you who have read my post - it really helps me to be able to write down my feelings here.

We wish all of you and those you love much peace, love, good health & happiness always.

God Bless You all!

Love, Denise, Ben, Ms. Lucy & Mr. Yoster xo

My sympathies Denise, losing your father is a very hard time for you to go through. I'm so grateful that you gather your strength by counting your blessings that you have your beautiful little family of Ben and the kids, may they continue to bring you the same comfort you give others. Your dad's love will still be with you, in your heart, safe and comforting for you. Take care.

My condolences my freind. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Dear Denise,

Please accept my deepest condolences on the passing of your father, and for the recurrence of your husband, Ben's, heart problem. This must be very hard for you both to endure, all at once. It's not easy having our parents leave us, either, especially at an age we would nowadays consider 'well before their time.' I'm so sorry.

Let us hope that the comforting, well-intentioned purrs and loving attention of your furry family members aid Ben in a sure and steady recovery, and continue to lend you the best of support as well during your grief. (at least we know for a fact that these precious beings do help lower blood pressure and ease tension, just by their very presence!)

Again, I'm so sorry life is being so very difficult for you and yours of late. My thoughts, best positive feelings and prayers are with you and Ben.

Denise,

Our thoughts and prayers are with you all there. You all deserve a few years with no major problems or losses after all that you have been through. I'm not going to tell you that I know how you feel about losing your dad because every situation is different. I do know that when I lost my parents it was a life altering experience. I hope you and Ben regain a sense of balance there and the pain of loss can be dealt with well. You have been such an angel to all of those here on the site that you and Ben certainly deserve all of the good things that life has to offer. Take care and feel free to blow off steam here any time you need to.

(Sorry if this email isn't all that coherent. It's been a long week teaching.)
Take care,

Ken

It sounds like you have had a lot on your plate to deal with. When our loved ones are sick or dying it can be mind boggling enough dealing with one issue before another one comes along.

I am so sorry about the passing of your Dad and the illness of your hubby. Not only are they both in God's hands, but you are as well and I will be sure to include all of you in my prayers.

I do completely understand the realm of overload of the worry that goes along with these things. First my Dad died and then a few years later my Mom died (both of them in their fifties), and if that wasn't enough my Grandfather died 2 weeks after I buried my Mom.

Through each hardship I have had to endure during my lifetime, I have found it makes me a better person because of it. Our Lord will only give us what he knows we can handle.

The good news is that one day we will all be together again in a much better place.

Peace, comfort, and love is what we send to you from our home.

Denise,

I just read your post. I am so sorry for the loss of your Dad. You're going through so much right now. I hope Ben is doing better. This board has been a blessing for my family and I can't help but care about you. Know you are in my prayers, and I pray that life will get better for you and your family. Please take care of yourself.

Michelle

My deepest sympathy for the loss of your father. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Ben. You have always been a light in the darkness for those needing a little comfort, hopefully our words may offer you a little comfort when you need it as well.
Your old friend,
Chloe'smom

Hi Everyone!

It has really been such a long time since I've been around and I really apologize for that.

Knock wood - things are going pretty good around here. We (well, Ben ) has an appointment at the cardiologist this Wednesday, so we are hoping (and have been praying A LOT), for some extremely wonderful news. He desperately wants to get out there hiking & eventually bicycling. But first, he does know that he will need to take things slow.

It has been 2 & 1/2 months since my father passed away, and.....I really believe that I have been coming along okay. I think that because he was in a nursing home for about 6 - 7 years, that that was something that "helped" me, in a way... And, his health was really deteriorating, and had been for quite some time.
We still miss him, and sure, there are times when I think of him, (for example: Just the other day when we were having whole wheat english muffins, we put on some (DELICIOUS ) strawberry-rhubarb all natural spread. I said to my husband that this would have been something my father would have enjoyed. I do think of him often.

To EVERYONE here who has answered my post(s) I want to say "THANK YOU VERY MUCH", and give you all a hug.

As well, it really feels nice to be back here at Lighning-Strike. There are lots of new members, too!

Much peace, love, happinesss & good health to you and all those you love

Love, Denise, Ben, Ms. Lucy & Yoster xoxo

POSITIVE WAVESIt's so lovely to hear from you and to see that your world is surrounded with love and positive waves. Keep well you and all of yours, hope you get all this leisure time to spend as you wish, hopefully a lot of it here You are great Have a wonderful week

Denise, I'm so glad that things seem to be settling down some for all of you. Surely, you could all use such a break! Funny....I was JUST wondering about how things had been for you last week....and now here you are to update us!

I'm happy for you that you're already able to be feeling a bit of ease about your dad's passing, and sharing warm memories about him with Ben. Good for you! That's real progress in your process.

And once again, don't worry about us; no apologies necessary. Your first priority is your family and no one would begrudge you doing whatever you have to do with and for them. (not that you're not missed here when you're away)

Warmest wishes back to you and everyone you love, and here's hoping Ben's check-up will go swimmingly well! I'm sure his zest for living will be helping him a LOT.

Denise! I am so glad to see you post again. It is always a bright spot in my life to see your enthusiasm. Life can really deal some blows at times but somehow we survive them and even learn from them. I wish you both all the best and hope the checkup goes great.

Take care,
Ken Albin

all the very best wishes
Eva

good to see you back and good luck to your DH

Wecome back Denise. The beauty in seeing each other even when much time passes is that we just pick up where we left off and talk as though we never stopped. Even if we don't see somebody for a long time we still think of those we miss seeing here.

Hope to see you again soon.