Hello all,
This one is pretty detailed so I'll start with a synopsis and those who want all the details can read on.
We went to pick up the coumadin for Barry today and in the process found out a little more news. Once again we have been impressed with the time and attention our Dr. has given us. He showed us where the clot actually is and explained it a little more. We also saw the nurse who is overseeing Barry's rehab process. She was very empathetic and has been actively praying for us. How terrific is that!? I have a connection with her through my work. I love how God works out details like this!
In a nutshell, he has a clot in the heart (kind of like a scab on a wound) and it needs to stay put or dissolve safely over time. We also don't want other clots to form! So they're adding one more blood thinner to his chemistry set of meds. His pump is doing pretty well. No heart failure at this point. When Barry can return to work (and to bringing in income!) is still at least 3 months out. I'm sure you can guess how to pray! Thanks!
The best news is that for the most part he feels great. He's pretty much doing everything they tell him. He's getting a little stir crazy at times but knows he's got to do this right so he's doing his best to listen to the docs and to my nagging- er advice. We get little surprises from time to time that raise more questions. I (Terri) still am not handling that well. God and I are still at work on matters of fear and trust. Prayers for me and us in that regard would also be welcome. Thanks to all of you. This is a tough journey but no tougher than many of our friends are going through in their lives. We do appreciate your support and love for us--and all those prayers!--terri
Details:
More about the clot. It's inside the heart and is essentially like a scab. It is rather large and is in an area of the heart where it isn't moving as dramatically (and healthily) as the rest of the heart. More about the pump in a minute. Back to the clot... If this clot stays "laminated" to the wall of the heart and gets absorbed over time as it heals, all is well. If for some reason it cracks, or breaks and more clots form on top of it or build it up, that's not so good. If it breaks loose, it could be life-threatening or very debilitating to wherever it might land, lodge or hit. So prayers that it all stays stable would be awesome. The Coumadin (Warfarin) has benefits. It will hopefully prevent more clots from forming and thin the blood to the degree that it won't stick anywhere. Since Barry's already on two other blood thinners, this is a triple threat against clotting but it also creates a situation where he can have bleeding complications that could also be very serious.
Since Barry is a building contractor, not a guy who sits at a desk, this complicates his return to work. Doctor says he doesn't want Barry returning to work until they get past the coumadin/blood clot stage of his recovery. We welcome your prayers for provision, future career opportunities, etc.
Now for the pump update. The doctor said the good news is that his extraction factor is in a good range and above the 30-35% that represents heart failure. Except for the area of the heart where the clot is seems to be moving much better! We're happy about that!
The last thing we discussed was his heart rate and blood pressure. His BP is being kept pretty low by the meds. The blood thinners may drop this even a bit further. Barry's heart rate is much higher than it ever was before the heart attack. His resting rate is around 80-85. Prior to the heart attack it was in the high 50s or 60s. When he exercises or moves around it goes up pretty rapidly so we were concerned about how much it could go up before there was a problem. Doctor gave us a number to stay below so now he knows how hard to exercise on his walks.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Post Christmas update & the Echocardiogram results...
We had a great time with family and friends at Christmas. We had Christmas dinner with our good friends and neighbors (thanks!): Christmas goose, prime rib, chestnut stuffing and Shannie's flourless chocolate cake! That night we had a little scare. Rosie (our dog) was "guarding" Barry by sleeping at his head where he was taking a little nap on the couch. Someone came to the door and she abruptly and loudly barked right by his ear! This was a very startling event and it took Barry's heart quite awhile to settle down. That made Terri a little freaked out too! Eventually things settled down and he was fine of course. But it's not a comfortable thing to startle 5 weeks after a major heart attack! When we saw the doctor yesterday he explained this was normal. He will have a bit of PTSD for awhile due to the shock of having had the heart attack.
The next day we went as a family to Monterey for the trip we'd planned for Thanksgiving but had to postpone because of a little issue known as Barry's heart attack! Barry was able to do some light hiking and we even spotted a whale. :)
Yesterday was his first echocardiogram since leaving the hospital. We got the results today. There's some good news and some not so good news after Barry's echo. The doctor says his heart muscle function has improved significantly. It's not completely recovered but it is in a good range for this early echo. I can't exactly repeat the percentages but it was good news.
The less than good news is that he has developed a clot. This is not abnormal. It's similar to developing a scab on an injury but it does mean he has to go on more significant blood thinners. This raises the possibility of bleeding and makes it a little more dangerous for him to actively work construction. Our hope is this will only be for three months and that the clot will dissolve safely or at least not build and break loose. That could be quite serious. So please pray that the clot will not build or break loose!
We'd also appreciate prayer about the coumadin. He will need to be really careful about any potential bruising or injury. Since Barry's typical week of work always consisted of various cuts, bruises and scrapes, we're wondering what work will look like for him in the near future. We'd like to see him find his way out of such physically difficult work anyway but this might be forcing the issue into an earlier timeframe than we were expecting.
Prayer for continued healing, protection, safety, wisdom, and provision would be appreciated! Thanks for praying about these things!
Blessings!
The next day we went as a family to Monterey for the trip we'd planned for Thanksgiving but had to postpone because of a little issue known as Barry's heart attack! Barry was able to do some light hiking and we even spotted a whale. :)
Yesterday was his first echocardiogram since leaving the hospital. We got the results today. There's some good news and some not so good news after Barry's echo. The doctor says his heart muscle function has improved significantly. It's not completely recovered but it is in a good range for this early echo. I can't exactly repeat the percentages but it was good news.
The less than good news is that he has developed a clot. This is not abnormal. It's similar to developing a scab on an injury but it does mean he has to go on more significant blood thinners. This raises the possibility of bleeding and makes it a little more dangerous for him to actively work construction. Our hope is this will only be for three months and that the clot will dissolve safely or at least not build and break loose. That could be quite serious. So please pray that the clot will not build or break loose!
We'd also appreciate prayer about the coumadin. He will need to be really careful about any potential bruising or injury. Since Barry's typical week of work always consisted of various cuts, bruises and scrapes, we're wondering what work will look like for him in the near future. We'd like to see him find his way out of such physically difficult work anyway but this might be forcing the issue into an earlier timeframe than we were expecting.
Prayer for continued healing, protection, safety, wisdom, and provision would be appreciated! Thanks for praying about these things!
Blessings!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Barry 3 weeks post procedure update!
Hi all,
It's been 3 weeks today since our lives dramatically and suddenly changed! Barry's angio-stent procedure was 3 weeks ago and it's awesome to be this far along in recovery. He is feeling stronger and better every day. He's been able to do a little work (mostly office, phone and even a small fence repair). He's walking further. The cold still affects him pretty strongly so longer walks at night are a challenge. His doctor told him he could have decaf! Yay! He's doing well on limited fat and salt but really missed coffee!
Tuesday was his first appt with his cardiologist. It's the same one he saw when they brought him to emergency. We are really pleased with him. He and Barry have a great rapport. He listened to Barry's heart and felt it sounded really strong! YAY! He also showed us bits and pieces of the procedure they did to repair the artery. The first image/video he pointed out, appeared to be missing the main artery on the front of the heart (at least from just past the blockage you couldn't even see it)! Then he showed us the process they went through of expanding the artery and clearing out the blockage. It was amazing to know that was Barry's actual heart we were looking at, not a re-enactment or documentary of a similar case. It was really him! Once they had finished the procedure he showed us that the artery was now visible and blood was flowing again as it should through the artery!
We don't know how much of the heart was damaged. When the first echo was done before he was rushed to the ER, the whole front of his heart was not moving. That's when the Dr. and the team literally RAN him over in a wheelchair to the ER and waiting heart team. On the 27th of December, he'll get another echocardiogram and they will hopefully see if his heart has healed or how much tissue was destroyed by the lack of blood flow and the myocardial infarction he suffered. Our prayer (yours are welcome and appreciated!) is that the heart was only badly stunned and will have healed by this appt or at least show great progress toward that end. Each night I ask God to bring into Barry's body a heart like the one "seated with Christ in the heavenlies," one that is perfect! The theology of this might be a little fuzzy but I know God knows exactly what I'm asking for and will do his will in restoring Barry exactly according to God's plan. We have many examples of people pleading with God for something they long for. I'm leaving this in God's hands but asking for miracles too!
Each of us and our many friends express daily many times how happy we are to have Barry with us! Thanks to all of you for the prayers! Please continue!
terri for all of us Renfros (especially Barry!)
It's been 3 weeks today since our lives dramatically and suddenly changed! Barry's angio-stent procedure was 3 weeks ago and it's awesome to be this far along in recovery. He is feeling stronger and better every day. He's been able to do a little work (mostly office, phone and even a small fence repair). He's walking further. The cold still affects him pretty strongly so longer walks at night are a challenge. His doctor told him he could have decaf! Yay! He's doing well on limited fat and salt but really missed coffee!
Tuesday was his first appt with his cardiologist. It's the same one he saw when they brought him to emergency. We are really pleased with him. He and Barry have a great rapport. He listened to Barry's heart and felt it sounded really strong! YAY! He also showed us bits and pieces of the procedure they did to repair the artery. The first image/video he pointed out, appeared to be missing the main artery on the front of the heart (at least from just past the blockage you couldn't even see it)! Then he showed us the process they went through of expanding the artery and clearing out the blockage. It was amazing to know that was Barry's actual heart we were looking at, not a re-enactment or documentary of a similar case. It was really him! Once they had finished the procedure he showed us that the artery was now visible and blood was flowing again as it should through the artery!
We don't know how much of the heart was damaged. When the first echo was done before he was rushed to the ER, the whole front of his heart was not moving. That's when the Dr. and the team literally RAN him over in a wheelchair to the ER and waiting heart team. On the 27th of December, he'll get another echocardiogram and they will hopefully see if his heart has healed or how much tissue was destroyed by the lack of blood flow and the myocardial infarction he suffered. Our prayer (yours are welcome and appreciated!) is that the heart was only badly stunned and will have healed by this appt or at least show great progress toward that end. Each night I ask God to bring into Barry's body a heart like the one "seated with Christ in the heavenlies," one that is perfect! The theology of this might be a little fuzzy but I know God knows exactly what I'm asking for and will do his will in restoring Barry exactly according to God's plan. We have many examples of people pleading with God for something they long for. I'm leaving this in God's hands but asking for miracles too!
Each of us and our many friends express daily many times how happy we are to have Barry with us! Thanks to all of you for the prayers! Please continue!
terri for all of us Renfros (especially Barry!)
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