Family member suffered major stroke

[louiebird]

I was hopping for some words of encouragement and any advice for my MIL. My 59 yr Father-In-Law had a massive stroke on Sunday night. His entire left side paralyzed (slight movement in foot but no feeling). We don't know the extent of speech/memory loss yet due to the sedatives given.

MIL called 911 within seconds of seeing the stroke occur. He was at the hospital w/in 20 min. (MIL didn't waste time looking for a needle! Tkx tloonya) Meds didn't touch the clots after 1 hr so doctors went in surgically to bust up the clots. Now that we are 48hrs from initial stroke there has been no improvement.

Do any of you out there have experience with watching a loved one recover from stroke? How quickly did you see improvement?

[Deleted]

louie - I am sorry to hear about your FIL. He is pretty young to have suffered such a major event. I think at this point, it is going to be tincture of time and patience and a lot of rehab down the road. But, depending on the type of stroke and extent, people can make great strides in recovery.

[Tennesseer]

Louibird-seek out the moderator mmhmm on the P&M board. She was a hospital nursing supervisor with many years of helping and treating patients. She is a good source. She maybe on-line now too.

Copy your post and PM mmhmm the post if you want a bit of privacy.

Best wishes for your FIL.

[mmhmm]

It depends on the person and the extent/location of the stroke, louiebird. Measureable improvements can progress over 6 months, or more. Therapy is invaluable. Once your FIL is awake it will be easier for the medical team to evaluate his condition. I'd expect passive range of motion (passive ROM) to be being performed now. This is really the hardest time because you don't know what's going on. It's easy for me to sit here and type "Be patient", but it's not an easy thing to do. Best thing is to communicate with the medical team (doctors, nurses, therapists, etc) and with the patient. Hold his hand, talk to him, and assume he hears you. Let him know those who love him are there.

My best wishes to him for a speedy and full recovery. Please, keep us posted.

*Thanks, Tenn. I'm here and hoping for the best on this one!

[Deleted]

Sending good thoughts for your FIL and karma to you for making an awesome needle joke at a very difficult time.

[Cookies Galore]

I'm so sorry to hear this! My Mom had a minor stroke last year when she was 59 as well. She just turned 60 a few weeks ago and is doing great. But, of course, it all depends on the extent of the infarction. My Mom had a series of small strokes in her cerebellum and seeing her in the hospital scared the shit out of me. She didn't have insurance then and still doesn't, and I dread the day something else happens to her. I cant go through that again.

Seeing your loved one helpless in the hospital is awful, but I agree with mmhmm. Hold his hand, talk, be there for MIL and others, and please talk to his medical team! I assume that since my Mom didn't have insurance that's why the ER doctor seemingly ignored her symptoms. He thought she had vertigo and just kept her for observation. Her lip was drooping and she couldn't talk! She also lives in the boonies and took 40 minutes to get to the hospital. I remember my brother and sister (who live closer) called me around 10 at night on a Monday, I got up there Tuesday morning and she still hadn't been seen by the attending physician. I kept asking the nurses questions, but they only had what the ER doctor wrote and didn't seem to listen. We finally saw the physician around 4 in the afternoon and he finally listened to us when we told him her symptoms. She got an MRI the next day (ER CT scan did not pick up anything) and that showed that she had a series of strokes. It was an awful experience, so I hope your FIL has much better care.

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear OP!

My grandmother had a stroke at 81 and like your FIL her left side was paralyzed. She did not give her all to therapy so was bed ridden for 5 years till she passed.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[taz157]

Sept 4, 2012 21:24:52 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

My best wishes to him for a speedy and full recovery. Please, keep us posted.

[dannylion]

So sorry to hear of your FIL's stroke. Sending good thoughts for him and your family.

Therapy will be the key to whatever recovery he is able to achieve. He is relatively young, so it is more likely that his results from therapy would be better than an older person's. My father had a stroke at age 86 and was determined to get better, so he was very diligent about his therapy and was able to recover and live independently until he passed away just last month. My Dad was fortunate to be in a really good rehab hospital for his inpatient theapy (the University of Maryland Kernan Hospital), so if you have a choice of rehab facilities, seek out the best you can find in your area. I hope your FIL is able to benefit from therapy and improve.

[Opti]

I know very little about recovering from strokes but I know a bit more about Rehab. I work in a sub acute facility which offers physical, occupational, and speech therapies. I have seen people in their 40s to their 90s in therapy. In my experience those with the best outcomes are part luck, i.e. what they need to rehab from, and willingness to work hard when they are there. I have not noticed much of a difference in age as far as improvement goes.

Some of the worst progress I saw was in a 50 year old and frankly some of the ladies in their 90s impressed me with their will to succeed. When I was working temporarily as a Rehab Aide I sometimes tried to bribe patients to coming to Rehab by telling them it was the fastest way for them to get out of the facility. And it is true. While a patient shouldn't push themselves if they are feeling really bad or might fall, a good portion of them feel sorry for themselves and their circumstances and just want to sit in their rooms sometimes literally waiting to die. The ones who do well want to return to their lives especially and even those who need to learn to use equipment like canes or shower chairs to achieve some of what they lost.

Best of luck to you and him. MIL did good.

[Deleted]

So sorry to hear that louie. Best wishes to your family and FIL.

Your MIL's quick reaction and getting him to the hospital fast certainly prevented even more significant damage. I'm sure he feels like total cr*p since he had to have quick surgery on top of the stroke event.

The first few days in the hospital seem to be the worst. Recovery is going to depend on the overall health of your FIL's system, like whether he has diabetes or hardening arteries in addition to the clots. If they have busted up all the clots well then he'll stabilize and get to start on mild therapy (well, after they do many more tests and fun stuff to make sure they totally know what is going on). There are all sorts of interesting cognitive games that family will be able to do with him as well as the traditional physical rehab as a part of his recovery.

Most important at this point is to be positive and supportive. He needs to know that people will be there to help him through his rehab and recovery.

[milee]

Two experiences with people I know having strokes - both appeared dire and both improved and lived good lives.

My MIL had her first stroke a couple of years ago. She had the other type - bleed in the brain, not clot - and the bleed was huge, the size of a grapefruit. She was mostly unconscious in the Neurological ICU for over a week and they weren't sure she'd even live. When she became conscious, she was paralyzed on one side and lost much of her speech. The prognosis wasn't great, but within 6 months, she regained almost full movement and most of her speech. She lost vision in one eye and that has made it difficult for her to read and she still has times where she struggles to find/remember/use certain words, which is frustrating to her. Overall, though, is doing well and even still rides her horse and competes in dressage. Last Christmas, she had a second stroke while at our house opening presents. Unfortunately, the doc tells us that once you've had a stroke you are more likely to have more in the future and that seems to be the case for her. Again, she recovered well and we're glad to have her around.

The other experience was with my 80 something year old neighbor. She'd outlived 3 husbands and lived alone when she had her stroke. Tough lady. Although she did spend many weeks in the hospital and care center, I was there the day when they tried to teach her to use a wheelchair. She cussed them out (using only one side of her mouth as her entire side was paralyzed) and explained that she was walking out of this place or they'd need to shoot her like an injured horse. Sailors would have blushed at the language, but she was right - she did eventually walk out of there.

The brain is an interesting thing. Strokes are serious, but there are many stories of good recoveries. Hang in there and good luck to you and your family.

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear about your FIL. My Dad had a stroke the day before I left for college. He was 46 and it was in his brain stem, so I don't know if they classify it differently because of the location.

I missed his recovery (Mom told us all to go to college instead of sitting around the hospital), but he followed his doctor's orders and by the time I came home for Thanksgiving he was back on the couch watching TV. ;P

I wish FIL a speedy recovery.

[zibazinski]

I only have my dads experience. At the time we were told a severe stoke is easier to recover from. He recovered perfectly, thank GOD. I barely remember those times as I was very young. Trouble is that his mind recovered faster than his body and he became depressed. Mom had to hide the guns that we had in the house. He went in for shock treatments. That's what they had to offer then and he says it made all the difference in the world for him. Now there's rehab and all kinds of meds but this was in the 60s and maybe there wasn't as much options.

[zibazinski]

Nice thing about this forum is there is usually someone who is a fount of information. Take care of you and your family. Prayers coming your way. No offense if it offends you.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Best wishes for your FIL.

My Dad had a stroke almost 3 years ago (5 weeks after my 2nd child was born) this Dec. The brain scans were scary, my sister is a nurse and she translated everything for the rest of us. Dad's blockage covered over 1/4 of his brain. Dad was in the stroke hospital here and getting meds administered promptly. Dad was extremely nasty when in the ER and we were scared he's have a personality shift like you hear about. Thankfully, he didn't.

Dad was home in time for Christmas, he used a walker for another 4 months, then a cane for longer. He tires easily but is probably at 95% recovered. This is probably the best he's going to get. He's on meds for life. He had outpatient therapy for a 6-9 months, 3 times a week at first. Dad did have some speech issues at first and 1 ankle was "locked" for a long time. Mom and the therapists nagged him to pick up his feet when he walked and I think those reminders helped.

And the doctors, nurses and therapists were amazing. I cannot say enough good things about them. Esp. since I have 4 siblings and we were pretty much camping out at the hospital until Dad got moved to his room and the inpatient therapy sessions started. So there were a lot of us coming and going at odd times. Plus Mom was there from pretty much 12+ hours a day.

[973beachbum]

louiebird, I am so sorry you are going through this. I hope you know that lots of people are sending their best wishes and prayers for a full and speedy recovery!

[louiebird]

Thank you all so much for your stories/support. My entire family is trying to stay positive. I won't be able to see him until this weekend and hope to see some improvement by then.

The neurologists officially said he had a major stroke and he would need to be in a long term facility for many months if not permanently. He didn't have a good day today...blood pressures are staying in the 140s and not responding to medications. He also had several unexplained runs of tachycardia. FIL had triple bi-pass surgery 2 years ago and the doctors were amazed by his fast recovery. I can only pray that his inner strength will help his body recover.

Thanks again for all the thoughts/stories.

[Tennesseer]

Only good thoughts for your FIL and family Louiebird.

[Cookies Galore]

[Peace Of Mind]

I too wish good thoughts for your FIL and family, Louiebird.

My step dad had a stroke that paralyzed his left side. He lived another 4 years or so but mom had to take care of him.

My mom had a TIA in her early 60's and suffered some damage to her arm and hand. Therapy worked for her and she had a complete recovery.

[cronewitch]

Best wishes.

My dad had a stroke and couldn't change channels on TV. Mom called the doctor and said she was bringing him in but they said they couldn't see him without an appointment. She drove him to the doctors office and they saw he needed a hospital so sent him to the emergency room. Before he even got to the doctor he was able to tell mom the car in front was a Toyota where he couldn't tell her what was wrong when he couldn't work the remote control. He went to intensive care and they said he wouldn't live the night but the next day he was much better and in a few days came home.

[Happy prose]

Sorry to hear about your FIL. I don't know where you're located, but Helen Hayes Rehab in Haverstraw NY has a great ward for stroke rehab. My dad was there (brain injury, not stroke for him) and I saw many stroke patients walk out. Good luck to you all.

[Nazgul Girl]

Wishing your FIL well. Many people do recover well from strokes, even major ones. He is in the right place now, which will facilitate his recovery. Your MIL did the right thing by calling 911 so fast. Also, I'm glad that other posters' loved ones have been recovering, and sorry for the losses of those who had dear family pass away.

[Chocolate Lover]

good thoughts and prayers for your FIL

Both of my dad's parents had a stroke, within about a week of each other. My grandmother suffered hers on vacation and didn't see anyone about it for a week and lived another 8 years.