Update: sort of...

Thanks everyone for patience and prayers! And for the love! We finally found something out.  We had begun to have very mixed feelings. Though our hope was no news would be good news, there was also a possibility that he had fallen through the cracks. Yesterday the silence was broken! We heard from both our amazing cardiac rehab nurse and the Dr.Yay!  We will have more info after Barry's appt on Nov 14th.
We're still waiting to actually see the echo images ourselves. Both nurse Kathy and the Dr took a great amount of time to listen to our questions and update us as well as can be done over the phone. It appears that either the "second clot" never was or that it has resolved! Either way it is great news!  The original clot is still there (we think) but details on that will come on the 14th. The cough, chest discomfort & tingly fingers are still needing discernment. Prayers about this and the remaining clot are still welcome.

The PTSD is still a bit of a challenge too! We're coming up to the anniversary of the heart attack & we're all feeling a variety of feelings right now. As we look back on the past few years, we realize we are still feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the events we've experienced, beginning with Barry's dad's first stroke and progressing through the death of three of our four parents plus our own health emergencies, especially Barry's brush with death. We are processing these feelings and encountering quite profound realizations and an intense, sometimes painful amount of growth. While this is all good, it can be exhausting!  The realities of raising our family, paying the bills, maintaining present jobs while we each build new careers, and pastor a small church plant, really add up. We're tired to the core. 

We have some needs in addition to body/mind/spirit health issues. Barry needs his real estate career to take off. Construction is still too dangerous for him.  There is an amazing opportunity if the client follows through. He has a meeting with hopeful lead on Monday at three. Prayers please!!!!  God can do this! Terri needs to have the energy & focus to get her business through its current development stages. She needs to continue to press through the personal & professional challenges to break through some barriers to make her business profitable.  We need to replace a car that was stolen three years ago. We have four kids who still need a mom & dad (even if they can appear pretty independent at times!) Each of our kids have had their own challenges brought on by these events and the general peril encountered while growing up! 

This list is long and yet we have SO MANY blessings! Yet even in the constant counting of our blessings we need and have greatly benefitted from your prayers & love. We at times feel God swoop in in response to what we know are the prayers of the saints. 

Recap: second clot not a concern anymore/PTSD still a challenge
Still on Coumadin, still having uncomfortable, unexplained  symptoms
Dr appt on Nov 14- 1 year anniversary coming up!
Business/career/financial/material needs
The family!
VERY IMPORTANT!!! Monday @ 3pm- possible real estate client meeting
We are blessed & grateful to God & each of you!
Thank you!  More to come....
Barry & Terri

Two clots, an echo & a coming anniversary

Tomorrow at 11:30 Barry has an appt for an echocardiogram to check in on the clots. We're hoping for a miracle! Why not! A sweet friend who's been praying for Barry says they will be smoothed out and no longer a problem. :)  I would so love to report back that her prayers (and ours) have been answered and we welcome you to pray for complete healing and miracles too. This would be a clear miracle since a year worth of anticoagulants resulted in yet another clot and its been only about a month weeks of trying to thin the blood further. God can do this. We hope he will. In all things we want His best!

Another issue for prayer is the PTSD shock is still a problem. When barry gets startled by a loud noise or sudden event, he still has a lot of pain & the adrenaline rush results in a night without sleep. He needs healing in this area too. Terri has some natural healing methods that she knows can help this but many of them can't happen with the meds he's currently on and the clots in his heart. So we need God at work & another solution.

Finally, we have begun to notice the whole family is feeling a little anxiety surrounding the year anniversary of the heart attack. Not only is it soon to be the anniversary of the heart attack, that anniversary is right before one of our most exciting times of the year: Barry's birthday, our wedding anniversary, and thanksgiving are all within a week of the cardiac anniversary event!  We're just a little on edge around here.  They tell us it's a big deal. We're beginning to believe it.

We would appreciate your prayers on these things!  Thank you!

Not One but Two!

Hi all
Here's the latest...
Some of you may have seen that the echo yesterday was a little bit of a challenge. The dye they put into Barry to light up the image wasn't very cooperative. Apparently the doctor got enough info to make a determination. He discovered we weren't seeing one clot that got bigger.  Instead he told us Barry has developed another clot. This while on three meds to thin his blood!  Apparently the doc wanted his numbers to be between 2 & 3 and the Coumadin clinic was keeping him between 1 & 2. So this new clot developed. The clot is another "mural thrombus". These develop when the heart muscle doesn't move in an area due to dead or at least immobile heart muscle.  Typically if it stays put and the ejection fraction  (EF-measurement of how well the heart is pumping) is good, no one gets too excited. If it doesn't stay put it can be very dangerous. So the blood thinners are important. They also carry a level of risk of their own. Bleeding can occur if there is injury. So they've told Barry he can't get hurt. Great thing to tell a guy in construction huh!  Well that's all old news for us.

What's new is the fact that we now are dealing with two clots when we had hoped the one original one had resolved or healed. So we've got some challenges ahead. The good news is he has minimal pain & that unexpected pain is what prompted the study that found the new clot.

Here's how we'd like you to pray:
1. Complete & total healing miracle! (We can ask!)
2. Safety from side effects from any of the meds including bleeding injury or complications.
3. No new clots forming/existing ones healed.
4. Continued strong heart pumping (PRAISE-CURRENT EF IS GOOD AT 45!) to avoid heart failure.
5. That Barry can keep feelings of stress at bay!  They say keep heart rate below 100 & stress low. He's got some PTSD that also needs healing.
6.  Speaking of stress- for God's provision and figuring out the make a living/pay the bills thing. Real estate is picking up so that's good but he needs a house to list and sell! (Anyone need a realtor? ). Construction work needs to be supervisory/sales not labor- too risky!
7. For peace & strength for all of us!  This is stressful on the kids too!

Praises: Yay!
There is no evidence of another heart attack
Barry's heart is pumping well
He feels great most of the time
Real estate career is ready to go!

Not the best of news but what a beautiful sunset!

Barry had his echo & a day of heart monitoring to see if we could learn why he's developed a cough @ chest discomfort. He heard back on the echo & unfortunately the blood clot in his heart is larger not smaller! This is even tho he's been on triple Anticoagulation therapy. Doc wants to know why so he's ordered another echo this time w contrast. That's Monday at 11:30am.

Please pray for us to have a peaceful weekend with no emergencies or concerns. We need rest. Thx for praying!

Update to the update!

Echo tomorrow @ 1. Heart monitor hook up right after.

Barry's feeling pretty strong but cough is worsening & making him sore. Thx for praying!

Will update when we know more

Thx! Love to all!

Update

Since the last update we've had a quick visit to the ER & two days of real estate open house & a missio dei community dinner. Yep we're pretty exhausted!

The cough & chest sensations have worsened or at least become a bit worrisome. So since a very busy weekend was ahead, we went in at 1am Saturday morning to the ER. Since barry doesn't present heart symptoms the way most do, they tell us to come in rather than second guess if something might be wrong.
They monitored, poked, prodded & tested. Only significant finding at that time was low potassium. So they gave him some potassium & referred back to his regular docs. So next thing is a full echocardiogram (ordered but not scheduled yet) & a heart monitor (also ordered but not received yet). Prayers welcome!

Got a lead from the open house but doesn't seem to be viable at this point but he's just getting started & is loving the work! Prayers for that welcome too!

Barry is taking the waiting & questioning what's up pretty well. Terri not so much. Not worrying about all this has proved quite challenging for her. Again prayers welcome!

Thanks! Will post again when we know a little more. Love to you all!

First open house and closing in on the 1 year anniv of Barry's heart attack!

First things first! Please pray for Barry. His first open house is tomorrow & Sunday! Selling a house right now would be awesome! :D hey we can ask! Jesus said you don't have cuz you don't ask. Well we're asking & asking you to pray as well. Thx!

Secondly, we are coming up on the 1 year anniversary of Barry's heart attack.  Soon Barry will be lined up for tests, an ECG, & a long chat with the cardiologist. At that point they will assess the state of his heart recovery, the status on the blood clot and determine if some of his current meds will be safe to stop.  His biggest hope it that the clot has stabilized and isn't considered a threat any longer and can come off the blood thinners.  This would be a HUGE answer to prayer and really be an encouragement to him.

Barry is having a really hard time getting enough rest.  The busy demands of the family, making a living, learning and starting a new career are all wonderful things.  Pray he can prioritize what's truly important and pace himself in the daily routines of life.

He'd been plugging along pretty well but in the last two weeks has developed a cough that might be cardio related. So we're waiting to hear back from the doc about that. Please pray as you feel the Lord leading on that. Of course Terri's worried & yah she knows that isn't helping anything.

So that's it for now short & sweet. Praying for miracles & grateful for so many blessings!  So thankful for all of you supporting us in love and prayers!--barry and terri

Barry update/Terri traveling

Quick update: doc upped one med. said things as expected. Come back in Nov at 1yr post MI/stent unless concerns arise. They'll check in on clot then. Still 3x anticoagulant therapy so no risky jobs or activities. Still dealing w a little PTSD-type sensitivity that brings on pain when startled.

Real estate application submitted. Waiting for test date. Praying & studying for license test. And market to pick up once licensed!

Terri off to Colorado to see her mom who is very ill. First time away from barry since heart attack.

God is good. Trusting him by the minute!

We're in LA!

Hi all! Just a quick update on barry since its been awhile.
1. We're on a work/ministry trip this weekend for the NDOP (national day of prayer) on the CBS studio lot, learning more/networking at the Biola media conference & hanging out with some amazing people who are creatively using their gifts and talents to influence the entertainment industry & reflect their Creator in their creations. Lots of meetings, lots of eating (important we make wise choices!), driving in traffic, lots of social & physical energy expended! Barry took the energy tank a bit low last night but hopefully will bounce back this morning. Prayer for wisdom in eating & pacing the energy please.
2. Awaiting a blood test that will tell us how the meds are doing w the cholesterol today, including one that may reveal more of the why heart disease w no warning other than genetic family history. More in that later.
3. Big praises on a physical fitness level-Barry's begun jogging and strength training. Looks great!
Thanks for praying!

Somebody was praying!

Wow! When you guys pray stuff happens! Here's an update:
We asked for prayer about the dr decision. Answered! Dr. Allogiamiento (sp?) has "brought him into the fold" (His words). He's Barry's new doc & is amazing!

Prayer about the last real estate course: Answered! Barry passed it with no panic, no racing heart, or high anxiety & it was the hardest test in the whole course. Next up: studying for the state licensing test.

Prayer about Terri's new business plan: great start! Offer today to take on two clients as a hcg coach, something I'd been planning anyway. Hopefully will work out well for all of us!

Doc reported fluid around the heart had lessened so the med is working; clot is stable, not growing or flaking. Tough news is Coumadin likely for a year or more. About those roofs, God? So prayer for career adaptation, safe construction jobs, etc still needed or that the real estate thing would happen very soon & go well right away ( a bit of a miracle but that's ok to ask for!)

There's probably even more answers just waiting in the wings! Thx for the prayers! We love you all!

A Much Needed Update!

Thx for praying and for patience in waiting for this update! We got some good news & some disappointing news today. (If you skim this blog, please be sure to get all the way to the end for an important update for prayer tomorrow morning).

First disappointment: Barry's appt with the dr got cancelled & postponed for a month! Fortunately the cardiac nurse we spoke with (eventually) was the woman, Thui, who had run ahead to ready the heart team when Barry was dying from a heart attack. So she knew his case and cares very much for him. Thui was able to tell us a little about the clot, the Coumadin plan & a little about the fluid around his heart. Which leads to...
Disappointment two: the clot has not resolved. Restricted work/activity (and likely, income) will continue for an indefinite period. There is also still fluid around the heart.

Some good news: though still there, the clot has not grown or become unstable. The fluid amount was not alarming to Thui (not sure if cardiologist feels the same way yet).

We would appreciate your prayers for: 1. Wisdom to know if we need to change drs. We've liked dr B but his availability seems to be a concern.
2. Continued healing of blood clot & fluid.
3. Wisdom re income generation/that jobs that Barry CAN safely do would come in. For Dr. Terri (diplomas arrived!) to come up with a great plan for her business to generate more income.
4. Praise for Thui & Kathy, cardiac care nurses who have literally been a Godsend to us!
And for TOMORROW:
Barry will take his last real estate class final. Pray for recall, for calmness, and that he can pass it first try. He will be delayed further in taking the state test if he has to retake tomorrow's test. It's the financial content & is pretty extensive. He has only 2 hours to complete it.

Thx again for your prayers!

Quick update/prayer for Barry

It's been 3 months since Barry's heart attack! He's a miracle!

Barry's been diligently working again but not on roofs thankfully. He's enlisting aid when those jobs come. Right now it's a bathroom remodel. We're very thankful to have work & most importantly that he feels well enough to work. So those are some big praises!! Praise God!

Monday he's got a new echocardiogram scheduled where they will get a look at both the blood clot and the fluid build up around the heart. This will be good since he's been experiencing more of the pressure caused by the fluid. Prayer for this would be so appreciated.

Big prayer on top of that is that he won't catch the horrible chest cold that Michael (& now maybe me too) have been sick with. A chest cold or any bug right now would be very discouraging. Thanks for praying!

Let us know how we can return the favor!
Blessings
Terri & Barry

Barry the bruiser!

Hi all!  Thanks for praying.  Barry's doing pretty well most days.  He's working as he is able.  Today's was plumbing a bathroom.  No climbing on the roof, just under the floor!  Therefore, he's a bit more colorful than usual.  Due to the triple anticoagulation therapy, he's bruising a bit here and there.  Thankfully so far they don't appear to be dangerous!

Most days he's had less chest pain so we're hoping the inflammation caused fluid is reducing.  His coumadin levels have stabilized enough to get checked every two weeks instead of every week so that's one less bruise a week.

Our biggest concern is surrounding the coumadin and the bloodclot.  Our biggest prayer right now is for the coumadin to really only be for three months.  That's what they're hoping and so are we!

Every day we remember what a miracle it is that Barry is alive.  Last week a cardiac care nurse and another doctor mentioned the miracle that he is here. Statistically most blockages in that area of the heart can kill in 5 minutes.  Thanks God for this miracle! Thanks to all of you for the prayer!

Test results and Doctor's orders

Hello!  Last Thursday and Friday Barry had a lot of tests to follow up on the cough and chest pain.  Upside of this meant we got to see the infamous clot in the heart!  It is at the apex of the left ventricle (top tip in the largest chamber).  This is also the part of the heart that is not moving well.  They did see that the clot is behaving and may be slightly smaller.  That's good news!

They determined the chest pressure Barry was feeling was the fluid around the heart which appears to have increased slightly (not great news).  They don't believe it is currently bleeding (this would be a bad thing-so good news here too). They do think that it is probably inflammation that is causing it (not good news).  Normal anti-inflammatories like motrin are a bad idea due to the triple anticoagulation therapy he is on.  They could cause dangerous stomach bleeding or other complications.  So they've given him a different med to try to dry up the fluid around the heart.  They checked out a lot of ugly possibilities and ruled them all out so they felt no need to stick him back in the hospital.  Yay!

They thought the cough was not related to the fluid but was a med side effect and they've given him an alternate to try.  So far so good.

The biggest issue that is stressing Barry out is the doctor's order to NOT go on a roof!  This time of year that is how we put food on the table and pay the bills.  Dr. wants us to check out disability options.  Since Barry has been self employed all his adult life, he has little to no state disability available.  Oh boy!  Prayers surrounding provision and work wisdom would be most welcome!  As well as for continued healing please!

Terri's mom is doing well.  Other family members there are still struggling with their own health issues.  Terri misses her dad of course but is comforted knowing he's well and strong and having great times in his new perfect body and singing in Heaven's choir.

Thanks to all for the support, prayers and love!

Barry and Terri

Barry update

Hi everyone. Here's a new update. Barry's had a cough that has some chest pressure along with it. So off we go tonight for some more tests. Tomorrow he'll have another echocardiogram & see a cardiologist His regular doc is out of the office for a bit. Please pray terri won't freak out (too late!). Pray I can rest & feel peace. :) Continued healing for barry. Wisdom & insight for the doctors. Thx!

And then we were rear ended!

So just after I posted my last blog post we were rear ended on Hwy 17!  So far I believe Barry is ok.  I'm at Dominican Hospital with our son Jon who was driving.  Barry was fine initially and just began to feel a little shaky after the adrenaline rush subsided.  He's at work on the commercial shoot and is I'm assuming just fine.  Jon had gone with us to work crew.  He was driving and did an excellent job of avoiding an accident in a tricky situation (rain on wind-y mountain highway known for accidents!) but alas the car behind us didn't stop.  Fortunately the CHP was on scene with another accident (the one that caused this one) and the emergency team showed up in minutes.  They checked Jon out and we determined he didn't need the back board or ride in the ambulance so we got the equipment, food and Barry dropped off at the location and Jon and I headed to the ER.  We're waiting for the doc to read the xrays.

Please pray that this won't further drain Barry or that he won't have any residual health effects from the accident.  Praise God that we were in the truck and that Jon did such a great job of handling the situation!

What a ride we're on!

terri

Commercial shoot

We're on our way to a commercial shoot in Santa Cruz. Traffic is horrible but Barry's not driving so hopefully he's chilling out & saving his strength for the shoot. It will be a fun day for him. He loves acting so hopefully that will be energizing. Please pray for clear thinking, quick memory recall & that his talent will shine. His character requires a fair amount of energy outlay tho. This is also a ministry day for is so prayers that we can be an encouragement to our team are also welcome.

On a ministry related note, a friend of many of our Hollywood friends is in my thoughts & prayers today. Her husband was taken to the ER w meningitis.

Also my family is preparing for my dad's memorial service as I write. I will be there via a letter of sweet memories & on spirit. Prayer for them would be welcome. Pray as God directs & thank you for all the love!

Update

Hello all,
It's been awhile since my last update.  Many things have been the same and this recovery will take some time.  We have been told that the next three months will be a critical time in Barry's recovery.  Many things are improving.  Barry returned to light work (even though the doctor advises against Barry over doing it).  We've seen improvement in Barry's overall strength and stamina.  We're thankful for that!

I'll cut to the chase a bit... Here's what we still would love for you to pray about:
1. Barry's heart recovery: The blood clot in the heart will remain a critical concern for about 3 months.  The doctor has advised against Barry returning to work but unfortunately he has to.  Fortunately the work Barry has recently gotten has been light construction.  Last week however we discovered that he still needs to be really careful not to overdo it.  So we would really appreciate additional prayer right now. Striking a balance between rest and work, recovery and activity can be tricky.  I get hugely worried when Barry over does it.  Please pray for peace for me and that I can continue to grow in trust in God.

2.  Terri's family: Some of you are aware that my dad passed away this week.  Because of Barry's current stage in his heart recovery, I am not able to go.  Prayer for my mom, my sister Paula and my niece Susan are probably the most needed.

3.  Provision--We're not quite sure even how to ask for prayer for this but God knows how to answer.

4. Our family--Our kids are amazing!  They have all been so terrific with all of this craziness of almost losing their dad, and now saying goodbye to their grandpa.  They are doing ok and weathering this stress so well.  We're really thankful and would love to have your prayers include them.

Thanks again to all of you for the many prayers.  We can't express how grateful we are!  You all are in ours as well!

Blessings,

terri for all of us...