Stroke

[JustJoel]

Mark woke up yesterday and the entire right side of his body was weak. He couldn’t stand or walk without assistance, his right hand was a useless appendage, his speech was just a little slurred and he was having trouble controlling his bladder. I got him to the ER, and he finally saw a doctor this morning, who wasn’t very forthcoming with information.

Turns out he’s had an ischemic stroke. That’s a clot, not a hemmhoragic, or “wet” stroke.

I will, of course, research this on my own, and I imagine we’ll be consulting with several medical professionals over the next few weeks, but I was wondering if any of you had or have any personal experience with this, particularly with regard to diet (since this a cooking forum!).

If you have any advice, please share it. The only other time I’ve dealt with this issue was with my mom, who had a massive “wet stroke” in ‘14. She was near comatose, and spent the rest of her life in hospital. She couldn’t even eat, so I really have no experience, as I never cooked for her again.

 

[Dawgluver]

What a frightening experience for you and Mark, JJ! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Someone with knowlege will be here soon to help you with your dietary questions.

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm so sorry to hear that! How awful. I can't believe it took a full day for a doctor to see him. How is that possible?

I think it's best to get diet advice from his doctors and possibly a registered dietician connected to the hospital or possibly a rehab facility, depending on how severely he was affected. Even if someone here has such experience, it may not be relevant to his situation because how a stroke affects individual people varies so much.

 

[Kayelle]

+1^ to what GG said.


I'm so sorry, and I just wanted to add that I'm shocked how long it took for him to be seen. I was under the impression that clot buster drug must be given within an hour of a blood clot stroke. Are we missing something?
You must be so worried {{{Joel}}}!

 

[Andy M.]

Joel, so sorry this happened. Mark's doctors will provide the best advice. Right now he just needs your support.

 

[Cheryl J]

Joel, I'm so sorry to hear this. Hoping for a full recovery for Mark. Please keep us posted.

 

[JustJoel]

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I just brought Mark home. He couldn’t stand it at the hospital: they weren’t doing anything for him, and were doing everything they could to bilk him and the insurance company out of $$. But the neurologist said he could go, so go we did. The doc confirmed this morning that it was, indeed, a stroke. An ischemic stroke, which is a clot, not a bleed. I thought it was rather odd that they didn’t give him any blood thinners, just a scrip for Lipitor.

If you’re ever in Las Vegas, and, God forbid, need immediate medical attention, steer way clear of Spring Valley hospital, no matter WHAT the EMTs tell you!

 

[Kayelle]

Thank you all for your kind words and support. I just brought Mark home. He couldn’t stand it at the hospital: they weren’t doing anything for him, and were doing everything they could to bilk him and the insurance company out of $$. But the neurologist said he could go, so go we did. The doc confirmed this morning that it was, indeed, a stroke. An ischemic stroke, which is a clot, not a bleed. I thought it was rather odd that they didn’t give him any blood thinners, just a scrip for Lipitor.

If you’re ever in Las Vegas, and, God forbid, need immediate medical attention, steer way clear of Spring Valley hospital, no matter WHAT the EMTs tell you!

Joel, did you ask about that?????

 

[msmofet]

{{{HUGS}}}

 

[GotGarlic]

I thought it was rather odd that they didn’t give him any blood thinners, just a scrip for Lipitor.

I'm curious whether you asked about that, too. If there's one thing I've learned from having a chronic illness for thirty years it's that you have to advocate for your own medical care. I'm lucky to have excellent, thorough, caring doctors, but don't be afraid to ask questions and be persistent.

My advice would be to follow up with a neurologist affiliated with a medical school. Because they teach students and residents, as well as do research, they keep up with the latest standards of practice.

 

[buckytom]

Prayers sent for Mark's speedy recovery, Joel.

 

[JustJoel]

Joel, did you ask about that?????

Yes we did. The doctor said none of the blood thinners, just Lipitor and aspirin. I don’t trust that doc at all, though. When he’s not doing rounds at the hospital, he runs a clinic exclusively for headache treatment. I think he might have done his post-doctorate work in neurology in some banana republic.

Our insurance company is helping us to find a good neurologist.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Yes we did. The doctor said none of the blood thinners, just Lipitor and aspirin. I don’t trust that doc at all, though. When he’s not doing rounds at the hospital, he runs a clinic exclusively for headache treatment. I think he might have done his post-doctorate work in neurology in some banana republic.

Our insurance company is helping us to find a good neurologist.

JJ, did you mention your concerns about this doctor to your insurance company?

Also, I agree 3000 times with GG, you are your best advocate! Be a pest if you have to, it's your body, your health, your money!!

Ask questions, make tons and tons of phone calls, and above all else, keep very detailed notes, ie dates times whom you spoke with, etc.

I keep a spread sheet of EVERYTHING!
I keep copies of blood work, you name it!
I can tell you the 5 W's of everything back 25 years
Doctors and hospitals see me coming and they don't mess around ... "O-oh, here comes Mrs So-and-so, she means business"

Hang in there friend and hugs for both of you

 

[GotGarlic]

Yes we did. The doctor said none of the blood thinners, just Lipitor and aspirin.

And did the doctor explain why? Mine always do.

 

[JustJoel]

JJ, did you mention your concerns about this doctor to your insurance company?

Also, I agree 3000 times with GG, you are your best advocate! Be a pest if you have to, it's your body, your health, your money!!

Ask questions, make tons and tons of phone calls, and above all else, keep very detailed notes, ie dates times whom you spoke with, etc.

I keep a spread sheet of EVERYTHING!
I keep copies of blood work, you name it!
I can tell you the 5 W's of everything back 25 years
Doctors and hospitals see me coming and they don't mess around ... "O-oh, here comes Mrs So-and-so, she means business"

Hang in there friend and hugs for both of you

We lodged a formal complaint with the insurance company against both the doc and the facility, and yes, we are documenting everything!

 

[JustJoel]

And did the doctor explain why? Mine always do.

No, he didn’t. He was in too much of a damned hurry. That too was noted in our complaint.

 

[GotGarlic]

No, he didn’t. He was in too much of a damned hurry. That too was noted in our complaint.

I'm glad to hear that you're keeping that doctor accountable and I hope Mark gets better soon. Best wishes to you both.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

For now, until you can get a dietary consult and swallow eval on Mark...only give him thick liquids, shakes, V-8, stop if he is having trouble swallowing or he is choking. Scrambled eggs are a good choice, too. Nothing hard or crumbly, no straws. Gosh, what am I forgetting????


Small spoonfuls only, make sure he is clearing his mouth of all food before the next bite.


Until you know how he is swallowing move very slowly, nothing too thin that he can't cough up. More than 24 hours of being unable to eat, get him to a different hospital. He will quickly dehydrate in your heat.


In case you are wondering...I am an RN in real life and work Geriatric rehab. I am quite hesitant in giving you this advice, but it is better than anything you have received in the way of help from the medical community there. Not knowing Mark's ability to swallow has me scared and worried for you two.


If you need anything or have questions about what you are reading just PM me and I will help as best I can over the Internet. I would trust Mayo clinic advice over most sites.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Sorry to read this, Joel. I hope you two are able to find satisfactory medical support and get answers quickly - as well as all the other help you need going forward.

I don't know if my experience with a family member who experienced strokes will help, but my aunt had a history of strokes. She had TIAs, some more severe than others, but always came around. And she kept coming around...until her death at age 96. She never seemed to experience any long-lingering effects, either. In fact, it took her longer to recover from a broken hip at age 90, but recover she did.

Good luck.

 

[larry_stewart]

Sorry to hear about this JJ,
With the script for Lipitor, it seems that the doctor is concerned about his cholesterol level. Aspirin will thin the blood to some extent by preventing the blood to clot. The treatment will likely depend on if they thing it is a cholesterol issue, blood clotting issue, or a combination of both. Not sure why the doctor couldn't take time to explain what was found in the lab results , and why he (or she) prescribed what they did. Problem with emergency care is they are concerned for the moment but not necessarily the long term. They focus on stabilizing the immediate situation, then on to the next. Not saying it should be like that, but thats the way it typically is ( Im sure there are exceptions).

I went to the hospital a few years back. They gave me a diagnosis, and when i asked them to explain it to me, they told me to google it lol. I was like , really ???

If cholesterol is the primary concern, then a special diet to reduce cholesterol levels, exercise, weight loss .... are all typical recommendations ( along with cholesterol reducing meds).

That being said, it is important to get a team of docs , you feel comfortable with, to review the findings/ lab results. They will likely do more tests of their own and come up with a conclusion and a detailed plan of action to restore his health.

Hope you find this team of docs and hope even more that Mark has a quick recovery.

Just as a note, I am not an expert on strokes so please take what I and the others are saying as concerned friends with past experiences, not as pure fact. Most important thing you can do, is find a team of docs that you trust ( which is exactly what you seem to be doing).