Mom's Heart

Hello all,

We are in the midst of great flux in our family. Jessica Just arrived in Ghana Monday (she will be there for 3 months) and Justo is leaving for Ecuador on the 30th (for 9 months). At the same time, we found out just a couple of weeks ago that Mom has heart problems.

She started having pain when walking or doing activity last November. Since then it has steadily gotten worse. On Labor Day when David was home, she was having difficulty walking even slowly for any distances when we tried to do a walk. This led to going in to the Dr. about two weeks ago. They discovered she has Atrial Fibrillation.

She had an echo cardiogram done, and they discovered her heart is functioning at only 20%, which is very low. They did an angiogram today and confirmed no blocked vessels. The doctor suggested that most likely the heart has been in atrial fibrillation for a long time, and thus has accommodated somewhat by enlarging. At this point that is about all we know. Due to the time this has seemed to be going on and how poorly it is functioning, there is definitely a need for some treatment.

The main prayer requests:

Wisdom for the doctors, which tests are necessary, exact treatment procedures to suggest when the problems are pinned down.

Wisdom for Mom, what things she can do, how much to cut out of her schedule.

Wisdom for Dad, balancing Dr.'s appointments with his work.

Update:

So far there is no new news. Mom's next appointment is on this coming Tuesday, October 7. About a week ago we felt led to switch cardiologists. Mom continues to feel pretty good, despite being a little low on energy. Pray for real wisdom in diagnosing the cause. At this point the biggest concern is whether the atrial fibrillation is causing or caused by the cardiaticmyopathy. We covet your prayers!

Family Pictures

Yes we had a bit of fun while we were at it. Enjoy!

Now, what is wrong with this picture?