Going over in my mind the history of Edward from the time he had his first passing out episode May 2 2011. The doctor (older than us) that we had at the time sent him to a cardiologist who said that he was aging (the cardiologist was quite elderly and suggested a return in three months). That summer I found I could not leave his side as I never knew if he was going to pass out. I was already helping him in the garden but now I was out there all the time that he was.
He continued with dizzy spells when he got up from sitting at his desk and light headedness. I took over the driving full time. He was referred to a neurologist who found that there wasn't anything neurologically wrong but did check him out for epilepsy as his father had had grand mal epilepsy. Summer turned into Fall and around Christmas we discovered that he was allergic to a new drug that the neurologist tried. Took him to Montfort and they referred him to their cardiologist which took about six weeks. Now we were getting somewhere. He did a series of tests and the cardiologist then announced that he wanted to put him into the hospital. Ed wanted a week to get ready for that and so back the next week and he did some more tests and then into Emergency with him and he was in triple heart block. Two wire Pacemaker was put in on the third day in ICU at the Heart Institute and then back to Montfort again. He was up and about the next day and he came home.
Back to the hospital cardiologist about three months later and everything was working perfectly. No more fainting spells but he still had the dizziness and lightheadness when he stood up. The cardiologist noted that the Chest XRay had shown a cloudiness in the lungs. Appointment with Dr Willis a respirologist about fourteen months later ((middle of 2014) takes time to get these appointments for just regular cases). He diagnosed sarcoidosis of the lungs at that very appointment and then told us we were one of his last patients as he was retiring that month. He said sarcoidosis is rare and that he had not seen that many cases but was very sure of his diagnosis and referred us on to another respirologist (2015).
Ed was back to driving again which was nice as he hated my driving. The respirologist gave him puffers to use for his sarcoidosis. He still had the dizziness and lightheaded when he got up from his chair. The respirologist did some blood work that alarmed him and he recommended to our Family Doctor that Ed should have a liver ultrasound (fall of 2016). Ultrasound picked up possible cirrhosis. Into the Civic Campus for more scans and ultrasounds.
Referred to a gastroenterologist and that appointment was July of 2017. Continued seeing the gastroenterologist and in 2018 a liver biopsy was done which verified that the liver cirrhosis was secondary to sarcoidosis. Began treatment and it was working quite well. He continued with his walking at stores and the mall and his gardening which kept him up to a good level of fitness which is very necessary I think with this disease. Then COVID-19 hit and the lockdowns. It was very hard for him to convert to exercising at home and I shall always blame it for Ed's condition deteriorating as it did.
We will always miss him. These last ten years were the saddest of our marriage for sure but also the busiest in terms of foreign travel which he loved. I could never watch a husband go through all of that again that is for sure. I shall dedicate my remaining years to my genealogical endeavours. Probably I never would have gotten so into genealogy without Edward but it took a very long time to persuade me to do it for sure (about thirty five years). He studied his family lines for over 54 years. That research gave him great joy and the Ontario Genealogical Society Ottawa Branch was a group that he loved belonging to. The first meeting he went to in the early 1980s was with his cousin Gordon Riddle. He had not attended the OGS in London, Ontario where we lived before coming here but Gordon persuaded him to go to that first meeting and he loved it.
Certainly not comprehensive but overall is the picture that remains in my mind of Ed's medical history over the past ten years. Ed himself created a five page document listing all of his tests and all the doctors and conclusions.
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