Post by stargazer on Jul 27, 2014 19:43:01 GMT
UPDATE - she is home 
. Slight pain in her leg, on the same side as the black eye so it probably got a bump as she collapsed, still got the black eye but other than that she is completely back to normal. Luckiest people around
This is going to be long.
Yesterday my Dad (86) called me from a supermarket car park to say my mum (82) had collapsed & they'd called an ambulance. I rushed to be with them. She was not obviously injured but was distressed & incoherent. After a very, very long wait for the ambulance they rushed her (& I) to hospital. It had become clear that she had had a stroke.
My dh brought my Dad along & looked after him (he is diabetic), eventually bringing him home to eat, get medication etc while I stayed with Mum who was becoming increasingly agitated, not answering questions, thrashing about etc, so much so that they tried to scan her head to confirm the stroke & were unable to do so as she couldn't be still. Reluctantly they sedated her (didn't want to take unnecessary risks) & were able to get the scan which led to further confusion as it didn't show any immediate signs of the stroke she must have suffered. Finally the radiologist was able to spot a tiny bleed (less than 9mm) but she was presenting with symptoms that seemed much worse than that.
She was unable to communicate but very determined to get up, which I realised was because she wanted to go to the toilet! This was a good sign as she was showing good motor functions (literally hauling herself off the bed, it was taking all my effort to keep her safely there) & was able to understand the need & control it. The fight to get a catheter in is not something I want to go through again though...she is STRONG & I am still covered in scratches. Also, she was able to say a few words, although she still wasn't making any sense. After that she did calm down & managed to get some sleep.
By the time she made it to the ward last night it was clear that I was "familiar" to her as she would do things for me (like open her mouth) that she wouldn't do for the nurses but she didn't know who I was. Her speech was pretty clear but she was obviously confused.
She suffers with a condition that can make swallowing difficult & they warned me that stroke can further compromise this. They promised to do a swallow test when they could but put her on fluids in the meantime.
When I left last night & came home to see my dad (they live with us) I was able to tell him that I thought that her motor functions & speech had come back but that she was clearly confused & only time would tell. This morning we heard that she had seen the neurologist & he was "happy" with her but she was clearly confused, that she was "up" & had had a wash & that the swallow test had been completed successfully & she was eating.
I took my dad over to see her this afternoon & tried to warn him how upsetting it might be if she didn't recognise him etc, we were counting our blessings at all she could do. When we walked into the ward, she looked up & BEAMED at us & honestly that would have been enough progress for me...but first of all she asked me why she was there, what had happened & what day it was & it became clear that that was ALL she didn't know & once we filled her in she retained that information. She is AMAZING, if she didn't have a huge black eye I wouldn't believe it had happened & I still have the scratches to prove that it did! I truly cannot comprehend how we are so lucky (especially looking around at some of the other patients). She can walk, her co-ordination is great, speech is as clear as day & cognitively she's all there (she even corrected my Dad about a couple of things!). She will have to see several specialists tomorrow (physio, neuro etc) but they are already talking about when she can come home.
I am so, so grateful that it looks like she's the luckiest person I know (& we are too), she is a fantastic, loving, generous person who deserves it though. Hug your loved ones today. I know how fortunate I am that I can.
. Slight pain in her leg, on the same side as the black eye so it probably got a bump as she collapsed, still got the black eye but other than that she is completely back to normal. Luckiest people around This is going to be long.
Yesterday my Dad (86) called me from a supermarket car park to say my mum (82) had collapsed & they'd called an ambulance. I rushed to be with them. She was not obviously injured but was distressed & incoherent. After a very, very long wait for the ambulance they rushed her (& I) to hospital. It had become clear that she had had a stroke.
My dh brought my Dad along & looked after him (he is diabetic), eventually bringing him home to eat, get medication etc while I stayed with Mum who was becoming increasingly agitated, not answering questions, thrashing about etc, so much so that they tried to scan her head to confirm the stroke & were unable to do so as she couldn't be still. Reluctantly they sedated her (didn't want to take unnecessary risks) & were able to get the scan which led to further confusion as it didn't show any immediate signs of the stroke she must have suffered. Finally the radiologist was able to spot a tiny bleed (less than 9mm) but she was presenting with symptoms that seemed much worse than that.
She was unable to communicate but very determined to get up, which I realised was because she wanted to go to the toilet! This was a good sign as she was showing good motor functions (literally hauling herself off the bed, it was taking all my effort to keep her safely there) & was able to understand the need & control it. The fight to get a catheter in is not something I want to go through again though...she is STRONG & I am still covered in scratches. Also, she was able to say a few words, although she still wasn't making any sense. After that she did calm down & managed to get some sleep.
By the time she made it to the ward last night it was clear that I was "familiar" to her as she would do things for me (like open her mouth) that she wouldn't do for the nurses but she didn't know who I was. Her speech was pretty clear but she was obviously confused.
She suffers with a condition that can make swallowing difficult & they warned me that stroke can further compromise this. They promised to do a swallow test when they could but put her on fluids in the meantime.
When I left last night & came home to see my dad (they live with us) I was able to tell him that I thought that her motor functions & speech had come back but that she was clearly confused & only time would tell. This morning we heard that she had seen the neurologist & he was "happy" with her but she was clearly confused, that she was "up" & had had a wash & that the swallow test had been completed successfully & she was eating.
I took my dad over to see her this afternoon & tried to warn him how upsetting it might be if she didn't recognise him etc, we were counting our blessings at all she could do. When we walked into the ward, she looked up & BEAMED at us & honestly that would have been enough progress for me...but first of all she asked me why she was there, what had happened & what day it was & it became clear that that was ALL she didn't know & once we filled her in she retained that information. She is AMAZING, if she didn't have a huge black eye I wouldn't believe it had happened & I still have the scratches to prove that it did! I truly cannot comprehend how we are so lucky (especially looking around at some of the other patients). She can walk, her co-ordination is great, speech is as clear as day & cognitively she's all there (she even corrected my Dad about a couple of things!). She will have to see several specialists tomorrow (physio, neuro etc) but they are already talking about when she can come home.
I am so, so grateful that it looks like she's the luckiest person I know (& we are too), she is a fantastic, loving, generous person who deserves it though. Hug your loved ones today. I know how fortunate I am that I can.
