To all my business clients, friends and family:

It’s been several months since I last reported on the status of my health after going into the hospital last September with a diagnosed “congestive heart failure”. If you don’t have time to read the details, in two words: I’m improving!

Now, for some details:

My cardiologist did an echocardiogram of my heart yesterday, and they just called to say that my “ejection fraction” (EF) continues to improve – 20% in Sept, 25% in Nov, 35% in Jan, 45% in April and as of  July 18^th I am up to 50%. Wahoo!!!

My associated PT/INR score (which measure how thick or thin is my blood) has remained in the 1.2-1.5 range ever since September. Recently we upped my Coumadin to 7mg and then 8mg, and that seems to have made major improvements, as my PT/INR last week was up to 1.9.

In June I had a full blood workup done, and generally everything was in range or just slightly above normal limits. My A1C keeps falling (down to 6.4). My “bad” cholesterol is still a bit high, and my glucose went up slightly (got to stop eating those bad things!).

I was told last September that it would take a year for me to recover, and they appear to have been correct. I continue to walk a mile every day (generally around 8pm or after), and recently my wife has started to join me J

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement.

KW

To all my business clients, friends and family:

I saw the cardiologist on Tuesday, and they did both an EKG and a cardiac ultrasound. It actually took them longer to hook up all the cords for the EKG than actually running the test!

I received good news when they called me today with the results of my ejection fraction (EF), which is a measurement of how well the heart is pumping. Keep in mind that the EF for a normal heart is 55% to 70%.

In September when I was in the hospital, my EF was at 20%. By November it had only gone up to a whopping 25%. In January, as I was able to start walking, it moved up to 35%. And now in April it’s up to 45%! They told me from the outset that this would be a 6-12 month process to get my heart pumping within the normal range. I suppose that as with most goals in life, the last mile is always the hardest. So, if it took me 7 months to get from 20% to 45%, it may take me another 3-6 months to get it up to 55%.

Thanks for the prayers!

KW

To all my business clients, friends and family:

It’s been almost two weeks since I last contacted you on my health condition, and I wanted to give you a quick update.

It’s been two weeks todays since I was discharged from the hospital. I’ve been in regular, almost daily, constant contact with my primary doctor, and have had two check-ups with him. An EKG and more blood work indicate things are stabilizing with the meds I’m taking. He said my lungs sound clear. I have an appointment with a second cardiologist this Thursday to get a second opinion on the health of my heart. Long term prognosis looks good.

What I did not expect was how tired I would still be two weeks later. This is, in part, because I am still unable to get a full night sleep. But on a positive note, I’m taking short 10-15 minute daily walks outside, and have been able to drive myself around to the pharmacy and the doctors. But it doesn’t take much effort to wear me out.

I am so itching to get back to work and to get out to see all of you as soon as possible – but I still need to take “baby steps” on my road to recovery.

I can work remotely, so if you do have issues or problems, please do not hesitate to call me. I thank you for your understanding, and I appreciate all the emails I’ve received offering me prayers and best wishes.

KW