End of May Update, Lots of excitement waiting in June.

May was off to a great start in terms of my goals for 2016, but it ended with whimper for a few reasons.  However, I am happy to say, I am still on pace to reach both of my goals.

In terms of my bike miles, I have reached 857 miles on the bike, which has me on pace to complete about 2064 miles by the end of the year.  What's the problem, you ask?  Well, June is going to be a very busy month and I had hoped to build in a bit more of a buffer as I will be out of town a lot and thus will not  likely have easy access to a bike.  That begins tonight as we make our way toward a mini vacation to Connecticut and New York where we will celebrate the wedding of Amy's cousin Caitlin...woohoo!  The second event is next weekend in Cleveland.  Only this time, I'm not (likely) going there to go to the Cleveland Clinic.  I'm going to support Team Ohio in the Transplant Games of America.  Many new friends that I have made through volunteering will be participating in a variety of events (Olympic style).  I will participate in the 5k walk that is open to everyone.  Until I am transplanted, I can't participate in other events, but I look forward to a great time cheering like crazy for my new friends and meeting many more new friends in the process!

As for my goal of reading 16 books in 2016, I have made significant progress in that department.  I had a lull in March and April due mainly to March Madness and fantasy baseball season kicking off.  May allowed me to get back to reading a lot again.  So here is my current reading list:

1. Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
2. Heart - Dick Cheney
3. The Real McCoy - Hal McCoy
4. Mercy in the City - Kerry Weber
5. And God Said Play Ball - Gary Graf
6. The Magic Stings of Frankie Presto - Mitch Albom
7. The Gift of Peace - Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
8. Bossy Pants - Tina Fey (almost finished)

I have always been a fan of Mitch Albom's books sinec Tuesdays with Morrie.  I wouldn't rate this as his best, but I liked it a lot as it has sort of a Forrest Gump feel to it, except in terms of music.  The gift of Peace is a book I have read before.  It holds a special place in my heart because the first time I read it was when I was flying home from Oklahoma at Thanksgiving shortly fter my mom was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  I truly had no idea what the book was about when I picked it up off the shelf.  I just wanted to have something with a spiritual bent to it to read on my trip home.  It's one of many of those instances where God gives a glimpse to you that lets you know that you aren't alone in a difficult situation.  At any rate, I read it again to be reminded of the message as I have a number of friends who are battling cancer right now.  I mailed a copy to one of my friends, but I have another in case anyone would like to borrow/have it.  It's an easy read.

After that, I decided to go with something a little more light, so I asked Amy for a recommendation and have found myself laughing out loud at some of the stories in Tina Fey's book, bossy pants.  I should finish it on this trip.

I had my three-month follow up in May and all was good.  I am not due back until August now.  Unfortunately I had to get, yet another new controller.  The one I got in March was working fine, but shortly after I got it, I noticed one of the battery ports was loose.  I didn't have any real issues as a result, but they decided to change it out while I was in the office.

In recent days, I have had an issue with my driveline site.  At first, I was finding small amounts of dried blood on the gauze when I would do the dressing change.  That escalated yesterday when I discovered I had bled through the gauze.  I have remained in close contact with my LVAD team in Cleveland and they decided to have me checked for infection, event though they feel it is highly unlikely that I have one.  They are proceeding with an abundance of caution.  We will still be able to take our trip.  If needed, they can call in a prescription for me or direct me to a medical center near where I am.

Please keep my friends battling cancer in your prayers, and as always, please keep us in prayer as well as my future donor and his or her family!

End of April Update

Somehow it's May already.  The biggest win of the month was completing the Strides for Life 5k here in Dayton.  I finished dead last, but I finished.  Thanks to all who cheered and encouraged me.  Amy and I also got to participate in the Cincinnati Reds Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. As another Donate Life Month event, we got to spend time in Life Connection Green Chair Sit In at Cox Media (Channel 7, Dayton Daily News).  It was a fun month volunteering and helping promote organ and tissue donation in Ohio!

Here's my progress report on my new year's resolutions.  I hit a lull in the middle of the month that nearly knocked me off my pace for reaching 2016 miles.  I had a cold/allergies that knocked me for a bit of a loop and kept me off the bike for nearly a week.  I rallied to end the month with 675 total miles completed on the bike for the year.  My pace requires 667, so I'm actually a little ahead still.

In terms of reading, April also didn't see much movement, but I had a pretty good buffer there to reach 16 books.  I am about halfway through "The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto," by Mitch Albom.  This is the same book I had just started at the beginning of the month.  It's a fast read.  I just didn't pick it up much until near the end of the month.  Fantasy baseball gained much of my focus for the last half of March and the first half of April.  Hopefully I'll get back on a bit of a speedier pace from here on out.

My current list is as follows:
1. Seabiscuit - Laura Hillenbrand
2. Heart - Dick Chaney
3. The Real McCoy - Hal McCoy
4. Mercy in the City - Kerry Weber
5. And God Said Play Ball - Gary Graf
6. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto - Mitch Albom (about halfway)


It wasn't my best month, but the fact that the year is more than 1/3 complete and I'm still talking about it is a win.

Healthwise, April was fine.  I felt a fair amount of fatigue, which was probably more related to my cold/allergy/sinus problem than anything else.  I must admit, I haven't done much walking since the Strides for Life 5k at the beginning of the month.  I will need to get back to it as I am signed up for two more walks this summer.

Spoiler alert, May will not hold the same good news from the health front.  I received a call today letting me know I was back in Atrial Fibrillation.  My home monitor tipped them off to this change.  I don't particularly feel any different, so lets hope I can continue to do my biking, as well as get out and walk more.  I've got to get ready for a couple those 5k's this summer!

That's about all I have to report for now.  As always, please keep us in prayer as well as my future donor and his or her family.

End of February Update

Tracking my progress on my 2016 Resolutions. Here we are two months (60 days) in and I'm am still ahead of pace. 

For my 2016 bike miles, I've reached 337 miles in the first 60 days of 2016. That's 6.5 miles ahead of the pace needed to reach my goal.

For my reading goals, I am at 4.5 books. Here is my list so far:

1. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

2. Heart by Dick Chaney

3. The Real McCoy by Hal McCoy

4. Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber

5. And God Said Play Ball by (in progress)

I also read The Yogi Book. I'm not counting this toward my goal as it is mostly a collection of his sayings with a brief explanation of them. However, I must admit, I did take my time in soaking in the wisdom of many of his statements. Many of them were just "oops" statements though and reminded me of some of our Conversations from Casa de McEntee.

In terms of my health and my situation of waiting, not much has changed. February was in some ways a difficult month. I found myself busier than usual, and honestly a bit frustrated and exhausted from this. I made two trips to Cleveland for various appointments. Those trips seem longer and longer each time. The good news is, I don't have to return until May. The bad news is, either my controller for my LVAD or some batteries continue to malfunction. I had gone six days without disconnect alerts, but they returned on Leap Day. This is disappointing as I had been asked to try using a shoulder bag instead of the lap belt I wore for a year and a half. I have not enjoyed the transition, but am getting used to it. Now that the disconnect alarms are returning, I fear I will have to go back to Cleveland to figure out the next step. Thus my 3-month vacation will be cut short.

I am continuing to volunteer and also to help my Dad with our genealogy. Although I enjoy these things, it requires lots of driving. So I suppose all of these good things together have caused me to become a bit frustrated at times. I have to remind myself, that I still have congestive heart failure and sometimes I need to give myself a day or two just to recharge my batteries. Fortunately I have been able to do that in the last couple of weeks.