First, let me say how I thank God each day for Jon, this place, and all of you. I have been a reader of the site for the past several months and whenever I have had a concern, it almost always seems to be the topic of conversation and I find either an answer or emotional support through all of you.

Before CHF

I am 49 years old and have been married to a wonderful man, Garry, for 7 years. My two sons from my first marriage are Ed, 28 (married to Lisa) and Greg, 25. Both live on their own, however Greg did leave Aiko, his German Shepherd-Russian Elkhound behind and he is now my best buddy. He seems to sense my every emotion.
     I also have 3 stepchildren and 8 step-grandchildren from my previous marriage; We remain very close. One stepfamily lives close, so we see them frequently but the others live out of the area so visits are much less frequent. My husband has a son and a daughter who are both married with one child each and they live in Pittsburgh.
     I am a native of southern California growing up in the same home until I was married and have lived in my current home for the past 28 years. This is highly unusual for anyone in California. For the past 17 years, I worked for a small dental supply company as a Regulatory Affairs Manager but it closed last December so I am now retired. The layoff was a blessing in disguise as it came right on the heels of my illness and I must say that I am really enjoying being home; It's the first time since 1974. My husband is also enjoying my being home, as he was able to give up the role of head cook and now spends more time in his garden.

My CHF

In July of 1997, Garry and I met with a contractor in Colorado to begin the process of building our log home for our retirement in September of 1999. I thought it odd that I was having difficulty breathing, especially since we had spent 8 years of vacation time planting over 300 trees on our property NorthWest of Boulder and I never experienced any problems. Little did we realize at the time but our 10 year dream was about to to crumble due to the altitude & CHF. Upon our return home, I developed a cough and after two months of driving my co-workers crazy, I went to the doctor. After a chest x-ray and an EKG she told me she suspected heart problems. An echocardiogram confirmed her diagnosis and she sent me to a cardiologist the very next day.
     I am truly one of the lucky ones, to have an internist who diagnosed my illness so quickly even though I was a new patient. What was to be an outpatient angiogram was scheduled for several days later; It turned into a 4 day stay with a Medtronic Jewel II defibrillator implanted for a rapid heartbeat and a diagnosis of Dilated Cardiomyopathy. My father passed away at age 48 of cardiomyopathy. Each of you can relate to the emotional roller coaster I have been on since then. My EF upon initial diagnosis was 30% and is now up to 43%.
     I had difficulty communicating with my primary cardiologist (for the cardiomyopathy) from day one, and after 8 months, I now see only the cardiologist who implanted the defibrillator. Dr. E is a 36-year old eccentric genius with a warped sense of humor who specializes with the "electrical problems" of the heart. I like him because he listens, really listens, to me and doesn't mind my multi-pages of questions when I see him every 3 months. When Dr. E was scheduled to give a presentation on defibrillators to a group of cardiologist in Napa Valley at the same time we were on vacation there, I volunteered to be his "show & tell." He said no, it's too boring but let's get together for lunch instead. He wrote down the name of the hotel and gave it to me. Now there's a good doc. My defibrillator has only gone off one time, an interesting experience I'd rather not repeat.

My Meds

My Faith

My mouse pad reads "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26) and it is my faith in God that is often the only thing that keeps me going. Fortunately, I am a long time Christian (United Methodist), so from past life experiences I know that God will carry me through this too. In a recent prayer service I cried out in anguish, "Please God, why aren't you letting me live?" His immediate answer was "because you never asked." So my daily prayer now is asking and thanking Him for life.

My Interests

Garry and I enjoy camping at the beach in our antique trailer (I did my time doing the tent camping thing). We also have a get-away place where we spend the majority of our weekends and vacations. Spending time there does a lot for my emotional and spiritual health as "The Ranch" is a beautiful oasis in a remote spot in the high desert of Southern California where I can spend time in prayer, meditation and relax away from the chaos of the world. It is a wonderful family place in the middle of nowhere. Reading and needlepointing Christmas socks for my grandchildren are also high on my activity list.

Update Update Update Update

August 18, 2000 - My son Ed's - age 31 - wife Lisa is pregnant Lisa and due 11/30/2000. My other son Greg is newly married to Annie. My EF has risen to 52% and Gary and I now camp at the beach in our new trailer; the antique one got traded in a few months ago. <g>

Sharon Parker -- May 22, 1998

All information on this site is opinion only. All concepts, explanations, trials, and studies have been re-written in plain English and may contain errors. No one here is a doctor. No information on this page should be used by any person to affect their medical, legal, educational, social, or psychological treatment in any way. This web site and all its pages copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Jon C.