From congenital heart defect to cardiogenic shock,
open heart surgery and a defibrillator at age 68 to endurance Athlete at age 76.
Always remember to pursue the dream and
live the journey
[The Story of my Heart-segment 19]
Calamity Strikes
THEN,
ON TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2011 disaster strikes. At 9:45 p.m. our son-in-law Andy
calls from Germany where they live. Our daughter Jacqueline is in the hospital
with a ruptured brain aneurysm and is in surgery. We are in shock. Marlis
leaves for Germany the next day. Along with worrying about Jacquie, we’re also
concerned how this calamity could possibly affect me and my heart condition. Only
time will tell. I keep swimming and pass 400 miles. This is exciting. Who would
have thought, except perhaps me, that I could swim 400 miles after heart
surgery? Marlis and I speak on the phone almost daily. We’re both still shocked
by these events; I’m feeling almost numb. There is no telling what may happen
next. While Marlis spends eight hours a day at Jacquie’s bedside, I find solace
in the pool. I, too, fly to Germany at the end of July. In between hospital
visits I visit friends and swim in German pools in the north and south. Even
here, Gibraltar is constantly on my mind.
When
in the hospital, I often sit with my head on the side of the bed next to
Jacquie’s, holding one of her hands while Marlis holds her other hand across
the bed. Jacquie has been in an induced coma since the surgery. The hardest
emotion to deal with is feeling totally helpless—not being able to do anything
to help her except communicate with divine providence. I return home at the end
of August and continue my swim program. The chlorine problem is still driving
me crazy and I decide to Google for chlorine allergies. Someone with extensive
similar problems claims a certain nose clip solved it for him. Reading his comments,
I tell myself, “Perhaps the chlorinated water in my nose is causing it.” I
purchase the suggested nose clip and lo—and behold, it solves the problem, a
simple solution to end a long ordeal. On October 25, 2011, the surgeons
reinstall Jacquie’s skull section they had removed. They actually have to
squeeze the brain back into the skull, which takes additional time. But
apparently everything went well. In the morning of October 27, Marlis calls me.
Her first words are, “We have sound!” We’re so excited I almost come unglued. Marlis
explains that Jacquie has started to form words. The first word, she thinks,
was “Mom.” She tried to form other words, but it doesn’t work yet. They just
come out garbled. Important, however, is that we had actual sound for the first
time in four months. That afternoon I see Dr. Coletti for a brief, routine
checkup. He is happy with how things are progressing and agrees I can reduce the
pee pills (diuretic) to only twice a week. When I tell him I’m weaning myself
off the depression medicine, he wonders why—especially with the current stress
I’m under with Jacquie. Because I’d been on depression medication for years,
but having an aversion to any kind of drugs, and because I gained so much
mental balance from swimming, I thought it was time to get off it. Looks like I
was not thinking well because he highly recommends otherwise. Another problem I
find hard to deal with is the short-term memory loss Dr. Coletti warned me about.
This was caused by the excessive time I spent on the heart lung machine.
Pumping blood through the heart-lung machine may harm blood cells and thus create
clots. It may also provoke inflammation, which can harm the brain. Sometimes I
stand in front of a person I’ve known for a long time, but can’t recall his or
her name. These are problems I can deal with—I’m happy to still be alive.
If you like this
story and have a moment to spare, I
would really appreciate a short review. Your
help in spreading the word is gratefully received.
©
Johannes Lisiecki
We
would love to hear, your story!
