Nicholas' Hospitalization - 1

After spending 36 hours in the ICU, Nick has been moved to a regular room at the hospital, which is a good indication of the positive progress he is making toward recovery from his Pulmonary Emboli. He was on complete bed rest the entire time he was in the ICU and was being monitored around the clock. He is relieved to be out of there although it was of great comfort to know that he was being watched so closely.

We continue to be pleased with the level of care he is receiving at the hospital in Guatemala City. He is still receiving injections of Lovenox every 12 hours and is likely going to be on Coumadin for the rest of his life. Twenty-six years old is very young to have blood clotting issues and a Pulmonary Embolism.

We know that there is a genetic predisposition to clotting disorders on my side of the family as my mother has a history of blood clots, my brother, Scott had a PE when he was 49 years old and my other brother, Ken has had multiple blood clots. Our plan is to work with a Geneticist to determine what the gene or mutation is that causes the clots. If Emily and/or Christopher test positive for it, we can then get them on preventative care.

Yesterday afternoon Nicholas had an Echocardiogram and they found that the right side of his heart is quite enlarged. This is very common when having a Pulmonary Embolism as the heart becomes strained. His doctor feels that with time, his heart will return to its normal size.

Nicholas was in good spirits when I spoke with him an hour ago. He walked around a little bit (to the restroom and then over to the window) and became winded after that tiny amount of movement but this is to be expected. He will gradually be able to increase the distance he is able to walk as the clots dissolve and his blood oxygen level improves. His heart rate is still high (also to be expected) but his blood pressure is very good.

He will likely remain in the hospital until Saturday. He needs to be at a therapeutic level on the Coumadin before they will release him. He is not sure if he will stay in Guatemala City or go back to Antigua to recover for 10 days before flying back to Los Angeles. He will need to have his blood tested daily to determine his INR (International Normalized Ratio), which is a universal number that indicates how quickly the blood clots based on his PT (Prothrombin Time). Once his INR remains at a consistent level (which takes months), he will be able to stretch out the amount of time between blood tests, eventually needing to go only once a month. I still go every other week (1 ½ years after my Pulmonary Embolism) because my INR tends to fluctuate quite a bit but it has simply become part of my routine and I think nothing of it. I am just thankful to be on Coumadin and have peace of mind that the likelihood of forming more blood clots is extremely low.

Thank you for all of your notes of encouragement and for your prayers! We are so very grateful for all of you and thankful for God’s blessing on Nick’s life.