hi all

[nannysdad28]

sorry to hear of all the people on here whos loved ones have suffered strokes

Sadly my father suffered what appears to have been a massive stroke 3 weeks ago
it affected both sides of the brain ,MRI scans do not paint  a pretty picture ,he is 76  years old ..

The doctors have said he has suffered irreversible brain damage to a large area of his brain
last week we were told he chances of any recovery were practically zero ,he has had chest
infections and is on anti biotics his 3rd course now ..

He has had the feeding tube removed and is being hand fed and eating some which is good ..
Communication is minimal if at all ,physical damage does not appear to be that much both arms and legs have movement ,not great but they move ..

They have tried to sit him in a chair but his blood pressure has dropped on both occasions ,he responds
to his name but not all the time ,he looks at us and im not sure if he recongnizes us ,he has said the odd
word ,name  and we actually got him smiling last night which was a major high ,but again today he was unresponsive and practically asleep all day .when talking to a Doctor last week she was practically talking end of life care saying
that after this course of anti biotics they would give him no more ,as they were not helping and he would need to fight the infection himself ,and that they would at least ,make sure he is  comfortable ..

Im not sure which way this will go ,he is a fighter and obviously has clung on to life ,what are the chances
of further recovery if severe brain damage has occurred ? My father was a very active man prior to
this happening ,strangely he survived an aneurysm 6 years ago fully recovered within a month and was
leading a normal life ..

The doctors have also said he has suffered some damage to his heart ,does this happen to stroke victims .

Any answers appreciated

thanks Colin




This discussion is related to Stroke Severity.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Truly very sorry Colin to hear this. May his soul rest in peace.

[nannysdad28]

My father passed away tonight .If i were to explain the circumstances
people would find them unbelievable ,All i can say is that he left us
with a massive message the only way he could ...

God bless you all on here ,I am leaving and happy to go ,there is
no way in the world I could be writing this 24 hours ago ,some how
I am ..

[nannysdad28]

My father is now in palative, end of life care,which for those who dont know
is basically a coma ,during which you are not fed or given water in the
hope that you pass away quickly this can take days or weeks depending
on the bodies health prior to this stage ,the patient is  given pain killing and
relaxent drugs during this time ..
What should actually happen is that the patient is euthanised ,this would
end any possible discomfort being felt by the patient and would ease the
extreme anguish the patients relatives are going through ,I fail to understand why this is against the law ,perhaps someone can explain to
me why this is ..

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand and sympathize with you. But in clinical medicine its always difficult to predict an outcome. If at present his symptoms are not worsening, then it could be a positive sign. Also, I assume he could not swallow fluids earlier, if he is doing so now, its an improvement. Next step would be to take things as they come and cherish the time spent with your father. And of course take care to see that any risk factors like diabetes and hypertension are under check. Keep track of the cardiac condition. Wish him a good recovery.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[nannysdad28]

Thank you for your reply ,I do not believe my father was on any medication
following his  aneurysm,sadly there has been no improvement he is now not eating very much at all ,he is pretty much at the end of life stage and
appears to need 24/7 care he is going to be moved to a care home in the near future ,there is very little reaction if any when people are present, this
when he appears to be fully concious ,he just appears to be shut off from
normal life as if he just does not know what is happening ,today my sister
arrived at hospital he seemed to know her for about 2 minutes even appeared to try to talk ,then followed the now normal not knowing
anyone or anything ,if he does mumble it is total giberish ,he seems
to reach a part and can go no further as if he just cant ,

Anitha I am a realistic person and tbh realised the damage that had been done pretty early ,I see no way back ,I do not act like this when im with dad I try to be positive but it appears to me that the damage is irreversable
and may still even be ongoing ,obviously I have no experience regarding
stroke victims ,my father appears to be comfortable ..
I give him water small amounts from a cup he swallows this ok that is
about the only poistive we now have ...

Colin

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Any cardiac disorders can precipitate a stroke. Also, if he was on blood thinners for the aneurysm, sometimes this can cause a haemorrhage in the brain. Sometimes you start with a clot, take anticoagulants and end up with a bleed. The etiology of the stroke is important. For example, a small stroke can be caused by simple dehydration. The human brain has great redundancy. In some cases memory is damaged. In other strokes only partial paralysis may be involved, which may disappear. As to whether or not the patient can be "just like they were", the answer is "probably not", however with a caveat. Some stroke patients do appear to have 100 percent recovery. And many retain a great deal of their abilities. If the "stroke" is stabilized, and there is no further bleeding or clotting I would remain optimistic. Good Luck with your father.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.