ISO had a stroke

[cronewitch]

Friday my iso called and said he was on the floor and couldn't get up. I asked if he could call 911 since it would take two hours for me to get there. Medics came and took him to a hospital and they transferred him to another bigger hospital Friday. Today they are sending him to inpatient rehab. They said the word aneurism but he doesn't know what that is. His right half quit working. Now his right hand is working pretty good and his knee works, yesterday his toes moved. He is 72 with high blood pressure, smokes, overweight and eats bad food, and refused to take medicine. He is scared, can't smoke in the hospital and probably not in rehab, thinking of quitting. He wants to go to his doctor and apologize for not taking blood pressure pills, he thinks the doctor really meant it. He is considering eating healthier cutting back on deep fried seafood. He might cut back on drinking too.


I will be staying with him after rehab until he is able to be alone. I will be presenting him with vegetables with meals, he likes them just prefers deep fried seafood. Deep fried mushrooms aren't actually vegetables, French fries aren't vegetables, raw veggies and steamed veggies are vegetables. I am washing his ashtrays and putting them and lighters away and any cigarettes so until he can drive to a store he can't smoke. He really would like to quit and being scared and having a few weeks smoke free might do it. 

[Wisconsin Beth]

I hope he recovers well.  And fast.  And make sure you take care of yourself too!

[weltschmerz]

I hope he makes a full recovery. Get him some nicotine patches to get him over the hump.

[weltschmerz]

Quitting cold turkey is damned near impossible.

[cronewitch]

Jul 29, 2019 13:58:51 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I hope he makes a full recovery. Get him some nicotine patches to get him over the hump.

They put them on at the hospital but he quit wearing one, said only has the urge to smoke a couple times a day and not really bad. He really thinks quitting is a good idea and this break is the perfect time to quit.

[CCL]

Sorry to hear this happened to him. Hopefully he can make a full recovery. Aneurysms can be dangerous. Are they planning any surgeries?

[bean29]

I hope your iso has a speedy recovery and is successful at quitting.  Their advertising campaign now is "Every Try Counts". 

Good for you presenting the healthy foods.  DH's family uses lime on corn instead of butter, it is very good.  They also use lime cucumbers.  

[TheOtherMe]

Mom quit smoking while hospitalized with pneumonia.  They used a nicotine patch to help her.  

Before she was released, she told dad and me to get rid of all of the cigarettes, ash trays, etc., so we did.  Dad even knew where the "hidden" cigarettes were so we tossed those also.  

A couple of years later she told us she went to find one of the hidden cigarettes one day and was so mad that they were gone.

She never smoked again.

I hope he recovers well and please take care of yourself.  That is so important.  

[Deleted]

I hope he recovers.  And you are a nice person to stay and take care of him. 

[raeoflyte]

Jul 29, 2019 13:57:25 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I hope he recovers well.  And fast.  And make sure you take care of yourself too!

[finnime]

I hope he has a full recovery, and that you aren't drained by taking care of him. Quitting smoking will be a huge contributor to his future health.

[Happy prose]

Good luck to both of you.

[taz157]

Jul 29, 2019 13:59:22 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Quitting cold turkey is damned near impossible.

My dad quit cold turkey to help save his marriage to my mom. My parents still divorced but he never smoked again (it’s been 30 years or so since he quit).

[Anne_in_VA]

I hope your iso has a full recovery.  It is wonderful of you to stay with him during his recovery.  

[plugginaway22]

Best wishes to him. A health scare is the most powerful motivator for breaking bad habits.

[Pants]

I’m sorry this happened, crone. Wishing you both well.

[dannylion]

Sorry to hear about your ISO's stroke.  I hope he makes a full recovery.  From my parents' experiences with strokes, regaining function so soon after the event is probably a good sign.  I hope he benefits from inpatient rehab and continues to improve.  

[debthaven]

So sorry to hear this Crone. All the best to both of you.

[busymom]

Wishing you both the very best!  What a blessing that he's getting a 2nd chance.  

[jerseygirl]

Hoping he will live healthier now!
What does ISO mean?

[Deleted]

He might be able to quit this quickly.  It seems to be a function of body chemistry; my late husband really did quit cold turkey.  He said that he just postponed his morning cigarette till after he had coffee, then postponed it again till after lunch... and never smoked again.  He kept a pack in his glove compartment for years.

Your friend is fortunate that he got attention early.  Recovery can take a long time but sometimes there's still improvement 18 months later.  A dear friend had a stroke at 64; he didn't smoke but was overweight, had a stressful job, didn't watch what he ate and didn't manage his high BP even though he knew it was an issue.  He also turned out to be diabetic.  He had a stroke while alone in a hotel room and for the better part of the day he couldn't reach the phone to get help.  He finally maneuvered enough to call but I'm sure that affected his ability to recover.  Still, he's now down to a normal weight and the difference in his speech between a month after the stroke and now is dramatic- he's much more fluent.  Sadly, he'll never work again.

Good luck to both of you.

Jul 29, 2019 19:02:01 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

What does ISO mean?

Insignificant Other. When you're past a certain age (and I am), "boyfriend" sounds kind of silly.

[Deleted]

I wish the best for both of you on your journey.  He can do cold turkey and sounds like he's motivated for it.  Having the carp scared out of you will do that.  And this is a great time for him to embrace other food options.  As others said, please take care of yourself

[ners]

Sorry to hear about your ISO medical issue.  Wishing him a quick and full recovery.  cronewitch   make sure you take care of yourself.  

[cronewitch]

I talked to the rehab place and they said around two weeks. You can't make a man eat veggies but if they are cut up and near his hand he will snack. I will be serving lean protein and veggies or he can make his own food.


Don't worry about me, I am healthy pretty much and won't over do. He isn't demanding so if he isn't walking much I will bring him things and he can sit in one place all day. I am running his rumba now and washed his litter box to take to my house. I will leave his house clean enough he isn't embarrassed if people come home with him. I got an amazon dot for my birthday so if I fall and can't get up I can have it call people. He may get one as a gift well present after I quit taking care of him.


When he got his phone he had trouble calling because his right hand didn't work. 

[laterbloomer]

I'm glad to hear you are doing okay and taking care of yourself. Sending good vibes to the two of you.

[NastyWoman]

How scary Crone. I hope your ISO has a quick and complete recovery. 

Don't forget tto take care of yourself while taking care of him. 

[cronewitch]

He walk with a walker not being strapped to anyone.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Jul 29, 2019 14:03:04 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

Jul 29, 2019 13:58:51 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

I hope he makes a full recovery. Get him some nicotine patches to get him over the hump.

They put them on at the hospital but he quit wearing one, said only has the urge to smoke a couple times a day and not really bad. He really thinks quitting is a good idea and this break is the perfect time to quit.

I’m sorry, Crone.....

It sounds like your ISO might be an situational smoker, like my dad.  He quit cold turkey and didn’t have any issues until he found himself in a situation where he always smoked (like drinking a beer).  He is right, now is a good time.

[bobosensei]

Sorry crone.  Hope he recovers fully.  Like others said a health scare is the best way to get him to stop smoking and eating better and drinking less.  Take care of yourself too.  Taking care of someone full time is tough.

[chiver78]

hugs, crone. that's a scary call to take.

as far as the smoking, my mom spent a week in CCU for something unrelated to her smoking, at which point her Dr came in to her room specifically to discuss what she was picking as her "quit date". she laughed him almost out of the room and said I haven't smoked in a week, why the hell would I want to start up again now? the hard part of withdrawal is over! she stayed smoke-free for a few years until her mother was dying in the hospital. anyone in the family who had ever smoked were rotating going for walks off hospital property to light up over those 2 weeks.