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