Dad's just had a massive stroke

[washy21]

Hi

I'm terribly upset. My dad has just had a stroke. He's 72 and is currently in hospital virtually asleep full time. We know that it is caused by a blood clot stemming from Atrial Fibrillation and it has affected his left side (No vision, left arm and leg)

The doctor has painted a very bleak picture which was very devastating and right now at this moment it just seems that there is no hope.

Can anyone re-assure me that if he survives there is some hope for quality of life. It's all a bit much at the moment and the future is too much to contemplate.

Thanks

[jenny11]

My dad had a stroke 4yrs. ago when he was 80. They gave us little hope for him and if did survive would be paralyzed completely on right side. When he woke up, he didn't know anything. Had a fight to get him rehab. Finally they gave it to him in hospital for 1 month. We stayed with him in hospital and learned how to try to walk him. We used a squeeze ball to strength hand, bought flash cards for alphabet, numbers and words. Worked with him full time for 15 months. He is soon to be 85 yrs. old.
He now lives alone, drives short distances, walks the mall everyday, buys his own groceries, does his own laundry and minor house keeping. He does not talk real well and has some trouble thinking what he wants to say. He cannot write or cannot read much or remember it. Everyone who knows his previous condition says he is a miracle. Don't give up hope. We have a great God.

[Nayme]

I´m writing from Argentina and your post gave me hope.  I would like to ask you if when you say that your dad "didn´t know anything" you meant for exemple to watch but not recognizing or understanding orders.
I´m terribly sad because my dad had two month ago a severe stroke on the left side of the brain. Now he is paralized on the right side and although he watch us and follow us with his eyes, he seems to be in another dimension.  He can´t understand orders and can´t smile or to show sadnnes either.  

Thank you,

[caregiver222]

Never give up hope. The life-force is a magical entity. Nor should one be overly concerned if the stroke patient seems to stare into empty space and not notice you. My sweety is nearing 103 and for almost a year after age 100 could not smile nor show facial expression for a long, long time. Her nurse said "she seems to be in another dimension", just as you said. This morning she smiled, opened her arms and gave me an ear-to-ear grin and said "I love you!|. Her physicians and her nurses all gave up completely on her at age 100 and were counting down the days until death. Tonday (knock on wood) her days are filled with laughter and smiles and she enjoys watching television untilo midnight and munching away on bananas. I communicate with her with a dry-erase board, in large block letters. She cannot respond well to verbal communications, but can read the dry-erase board, which she hold in both tiny hands and reads aloud. A lot of touching and hugging is definitely in order. If you are visiting the room you should have your hand on his wrist or shoulder. If someone visits tell them this (outside the room). Lots and lots of television. Feeding requires lots of time and energy. Instead of chemical "thickeners|, if there is a problem in swallowing, I recommend adding organic mashed potato mix to the liquid. If you want to communicate something, try to '"mime" what you want, directly in view. Do this EVERY time. If you want them to walk to the wheelchair, tap them, and let them watch you walk to the wheelchair and sit down. Don't give up! Straightening out the day-night cycle is a problem. During the day have all the lights on in the room and the shades up. If you can, taking the patient out in the sunlight every day is extremely beneficial. The day-night circadian cycle is determined by a light sensor in the back of the eye. Sometimes it can be re-set by exposure to 45 minutes of sunlight or sunlight stimulation between 6 A.M. and 9 A.M.

[hez2]

My dad also had a massive stroke, this past Tuesday October 30th. His is 53 years old. He had another one today on the right side but a different type. It is hard to be hopeful when the doctors don't seem to offer any hope. He has not been responding correctly to pain stimulus but today there was more movement in his toes and his eyes are moving back and forth while closed. It is so hard to see him this way. We were not very close growing up and it has only been in the last two years that I have come back to visit more often. I am left to make the decisions for him even though he has had a girlfriend for the past 25 years. I am hoping he will regain some type of consciousness. Right now he is on a respirator and is breathing very little on his own. I flew over early Wednesday morning and am staying in a hotel near the hospital. I do not know what to do. I feel his girlfriend is going to pressure me to take him off of life support and I don't know who will take care of him if he does show signs of improvement if she is unwilling to help him with rehab. They have no insurance and limited means. Where can I go for help?

[caregiver222]

He has had two strokes within a short period of time. This suggests to me his condition was not stabilized. As for his girlfriend pressuring to take him off life support, it is far too early to even consider such a decision. If he is on a respirator make sure that the "bubbler" is not filling his lungs with water. Many RT's have no concept of how to handle a stroke patient. At this point be hopeful. Later on down the line you can re-evaluate the situation.

[hez2]

Thank you for responding. The first stroke they think was caused by high blood pressure it was a hemorrhagic stroke. The second they think was caused when they lowered his blood pressure it was a Ischemic stroke. The first stroke is the most severe and originated in the Putamen ( a part of the basal ganglia). The second is on the right side and I've been told it controls spatial concepts. He has started to move more today and instead of only having posturing movements he has started to bring his arms up in a more normal response. He has tried to cough a couple of times and I have noticed some water which looks like condensation in the breathing tube. I will ask about the "bubbler".