Prayer Request for Zarate family

Update from Joy February 7:

So sorry that it has been several days since the last update! Our last few days have been a whirlwind, but we are finally settled in the Florida panhandle for the next several weeks. We haven't had internet working, so I finally managed to sneak away and am sitting in a Barnes and Noble bookstore and enjoying their free WiFi.

Vic is doing steadily better although he still tires quite easily. I can't tell you though how wonderful it is to be back together as a family. It is such an important thing! Vic will start seeing a hematologist and a cardiologist here locally on Monday and then hopefully we can get some more concrete answers.

Thanks again for everyone's support! We have felt so loved and cared for through this challenging time.

FL friends: we are up for visitors, though a little at a time. Please send me a message or a text and we can make plans.

Update from Joy February 1:

We are enjoying staying in a non-ICU environment. Vic is resting better, eating more, and regaining some strength. He was able to walk down the hallway slowly. This was nice because, for once, I was trying to keep up! I stayed with him in the room last night and that was very reassuring for him. I slept more than he did and he joked that we are getting back to normal since he is normally a light sleeper. Doctors are saying perhaps he will get out Monday. They would like his blood levels to be within the correct limit before leaving, but they also want him to get out of the hospital as soon as possible because the longer he stays, the higher the risk of him getting an infection. Everything is going very well though.
Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

Update from Joy January 30:

Good News! Vic Zarate's procedure worked. They redid a CT scan and it shows a significant improvement. It shows that almost the entire clot dissolved except for a small portion in his right lung. The other issue besides the breathing is how the clot was affecting his heart. For that, they need an EKG. They tried to repeat it earlier, but the sound waves that were being emitted by the catheter in his heart was disrupting that. They will repeat that in the morning and the doctor expects that it will also show good news. They removed the catheter and now he has to lie still for another 6 hours to make sure that the vein they went in through doesn't start bleeding. Since he is on blood thinners, bleeding can be a major issue. When they removed the catheter, the dr. had to keep pressure on his leg for about 20 mins.

We think they will continue to monitor him for about 24 hrs. and then hopefully he can be moved out of the ICU and into a regular room.

Thanks for all the support!

Update from Joy January 29: 

Vic is in a procedure right now. They are doing a catheter and are injecting a clot-busting med straight to the clot in his lungs to try and break it up. I am just waiting for the doctor to come and update me. As soon as I know something more, I will update again. Lots of hurry up and wait.

Update again: he is done with the procedure. He has catheter placed and also a screen to prevent anymore clots from his leg going to his lungs. He is hungry! And awake and talking.

*****

I met Joy when I lived at Eglin. She is my age but with SIX children. She was having her last when I had my first! Anyways, they are not military, but he manages a military BX in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Please read her prayer request below. Her husband Vic had a pulmonary embolism and is in Miami now. I will be updating you on any and all prayer requests I put on my blog.

So..Vic Zarate has a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs). Due to the remote location of GTMO, he had to be flown off the island on an air ambulance. We are in Miami at Jackson Memorial hospital in the MICU. Vic is doing very well and is stable. I'm with him but the kids stayed behind with some friends. I will update when I know more. For now, please pray for all of us.