Here we go again...

First it was Christopher’s brain injury in April of 2010 and then seven months later, my multiple massive Pulmonary Emboli. Now it’s Nick’s turn.

He traveled to Antigua, Guatemala four weeks ago for a seven-week work assignment and we were fortunate to spend a week with him there for a family vacation! He noticed fairly soon after arriving in Guatemala that his breathing was quite labored while running but he assumed it was due to the high altitude. He’s used to running at sea level in Los Angeles and Antigua is at 5,000 feet. As the weeks progressed, he found it difficult to simply walk a block and by yesterday, walking from one room to another was enough for him to become out-of-breath. So he saw a doctor at a local clinic who said it sounded like he possibly had a Pulmonary Embolism but he sent him home with several syringes of Lovenox, an anticoagulant.

By the time Nick called us yesterday afternoon to talk about what was going on, he had contacted his medical insurance company and informed them of what was happening. Paul called Vivienne Newman, Christopher’s ICU doctor who put us in touch with a Pulmonologist at Stanford Medical Center. Our thoughts were that we wanted to get Nick out of Guatemala and to the States as quickly as possible so that he could receive proper medical attention. But both Nick’s insurance company and the Stanford Pulmonologist gave the same instruction to Nick… “Get to the hospital immediately!”

So Nick’s house father, Carlos drove him to the nearest hospital in Guatemala City and he arrived around 6:00 pm last night. They admitted him and began the process of running tests. They did and EKG, a contrast CT scan and a full blood panel. Within an hour and a half he had a definite diagnosis of Multiple Pulmonary Emboli. He has a large clot in his right lung and several small clots in his left lung. They gave him another injection of Lovenox, started him on Coumadin and moved him to the ICU where he is on complete bed rest. He will be in the ICU for at least 48 hours and then in the hospital until he is at a therapeutic level on the Coumadin.

Paul arrived in Guatemala at 6:00 this morning and I know both he and Nick were glad to see each other! After speaking with the Doctor, Paul said he feels comfortable having Nick at this hospital. It sounds as though he is receiving great care and there is no need to get him to the States at this point.

An ultrasound was done on Nick’s legs this morning that showed 2 blood clots. There is a small superficial clot which is inconsequential but the doctor also found a massive 2 ½” to 3” diameter deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. Not only is the size of concern, but also it seems to be moving very slowly with the flow of blood to his heart so they need to watch this one very carefully. He will continue to be on complete bed rest in the ICU until the clots begin to dissolve which will be monitored via CT scans. If the clot continues to move and becomes a threat, they will need to do surgery to insert a screen to keep the clot from breaking loose and reaching the heart and lungs. Surgery is unlikely at this point, though and the hope is that he will soon be at a therapeutic level on his Coumadin and will be released from the hospital by the end of the week.

Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes! Our God is a great God! He has blessed our family in ways we never imagined possible and we will continue to put our trust in Him. Please continue to pray for Nick’s recovery and for safe travels for Paul and Nick when they return to the States.