Mum stroke

[katyzz]

My mum suffered a brain stem stroke on 16 April after a bilateral knee operation. she is 74.

Saddest part is she wanted this operation so that she could be independent.  She is now
bedridden and the stroke affected her eye muscles or something like that so she cant open her eyes
cant move, has a trachea, a peg and a urine catheter.( for her bed sore)

What is the best place for her to be.  Some of her children have placed her in a nursing home where I believe she may receive semi professional care but I fear for her emotional health.
Will she ever be able to open her eyes or have the trachea tube or peg removed?

[painkiller99]

If you want your family to have an active part in your mother's therapy, you could bring her home and employ the services of a private nurse.  In this way, she will be receiving professional care and will have family support available at all times.

The answer to your second question would really depend on the severity of the stroke that your mother has suffered, as well as the therapy that is currently being given to her.  Consult your mother's neurologist to get answers regarding the prognosis of her condition.

[katyzz]

Thank you for your feedback.  We did have mum at home for 3months from July to Oct with a private nursing aid.  This was too expensive.  We learned how to do suction and feeding through the peg.
There were many scary and distressing moments for us as well as despair.
During this time mum had to return to hospital for peg infection and knee swelling.
Recently from the home she was sent to hospital for lung infection which lasted 2 weeks.

In the earlier months we spend countless hours with doctors and nurses from Neuro, Rehab, Ortho

We still dont understand what test or how we can test to see if mum can breathe on her own or swallow on her own.  I am writing from Malaysia and there is no medicare or anything like that here.
Mum is not a pensioner and never worked in her life. Dad was not a pensioner and passed away years ago.  So every penny comes out of our pocket.

With regards to the eye the orthopedic  surgeon (who caused the stroke in the first place by advicing that it was alright to do have a bilateral knee operation for  a 74 year old )  tried to explain it by saying the stroke affected her eye muscles.  He cannot tell if she can see if we lift her eyelids.  He says only she can indicate whether or not she has vision.  It is hard to get individual doctors to speak to as it is a sort of teaching hospital and in one ward there are about 6 different docs most of whom are housemen.
Mum was at a Government hospital and there was no one doc in charge of her.  She has been admitted to various wards at various times.  Some of the nurses suction by inserting the entire length of the tube into the trachea.  This is painful to see as mum coughs and appears to be in deep pain.  Some insert only a quarter of the tube into the trachea. At home I tried to do as little suction as possible .  II cant bear to visit mum in the nursing home and havent been for 2 weeks now.
If you can offer any advice on trachea, stomach peg, suctioning etc it would be appreciated.  I harbour secret hopes of bringing mum home.