September 18

Hi,

It was just about a year ago that Denny started feeling tired and weak. At the time we thought it was the reaction to the radiation and chemotherapy. Little did we know that it would become a chronic condition that seemed to get worse with every setback, i.e. blood clots, pneumonia, shingles, etc. Although he hasn't had any chemo since May, the condition remains and it seems he has experienced a minor setback over the past three or four days. Dizziness has returned and the weakness has intensified, so he is feeling pretty bummed.

A sleep study done at Mercy Medical Center last night did not show any signs of obstructive sleep apnea. I was really hoping that it would have been as simple as that, but the technician said she was surprised at how good his breathing and sleep patterns were throughout the night. Today we saw Dr. Meena, who suspects that Denny may be suffering from pulmonary hypertension, an opinion shared by the pulmonary specialist Den saw two weeks ago. All of the answers should be revealed next Friday, when we will spend most of the day at St. E's while he has an eco-cardiogram, a CT of his heart, and another MRI of his brain. We will get the results of all of those tests the following Monday. It sure seems like a long time to wait now that he's experiencing so much dizziness again.

The good news from his appointment today is that, on paper, Denny is pretty healthy! All of his blood work is completely normal, so Dr. Meena won't be ordering
labs for another month. His appetite is good and he doesn't have any pain at all, so we are thankful for that. Usually there is chest pain/discomfort associated with pulmonary hypertension, but he hasn't been "typical" with anything else medical, so nothing surprises me.

The State Street house has a new family calling it home, so that saga is over. We are so grateful to all of our friends who helped with that renovation: Sarah Simon, Kathy Bates, Mike Mauthe, Dan Riordan, Lori Schuh, Adam Bates, the Voss and Lingg families, and the wonderful service group from Texas. Chip did a ton of work and is going to oversee things there so Den won't have to worry about that, Dave came home and painted with me, and Shannon took good care of her dad while I was gone so much of the summer. So, thank you, everyone -- we will never forget your gifts of time and talent. Really, that house has never looked better.

Enjoy what is predicted to be another beautiful weekend. Thanks for staying with us throughout the last year. Your thoughts and prayers help keep things positive!

Love,
Carla