jakama
11-08-2006, 11:53 PM
Hi Everyone, My dad who is 81 had a massive stroke 7 mths ago. Before his stroke he was a very healthy active man who loved and lived life.
Night beofre stroke he had watched tv with my mum and sister went to bed with no worries. My mum found him on the floor next morning so we dont really know what happened. He was in a real bad shape and the drs told us it didnt look good. we were called in after 2 weeks to say our goodbye's. By some miracle he didnt leave us but was left in a bad way. He was paralysed down his left side, he was blind in left eye, couldnt swollow, and had no bladder or bowel control. He had heart rate of 150 to 180 24/7 which was what drs thought would be the thing to take him as they told us it was like he was running in a marathon for 1 mth. after the mth of being like this the hospital told us he had to leave and we had to put him in a nursing home. it killed us but we had no choice. i should say he could speak but didnt make much sense. some days were better then others he would know us all today and forget tomorrow. after 1 week in nursing home he said to me how do they know i cant sit up if they dont let me didnt have the heart to tell him they had tried but that he couldnt so we oragnised a bed type chair where he layed but was propped up some. Every time i went and saw him i said dad try to move your arm try to move your leg on his right side he could move it a little. I told him dad if you wnat to have a chance of getting better keep trying and worki it day and night. he did. within 4 weeks he was using his right side on command fairly well. He had a speech therapist work with him and within 6 weeks he was swollowing kinda again i worked with him daily and every meal saying ok dad swollow dad swollow and we then went to just getting him to swollow on demand even if he had no food in his mouth. fianlly the feeding tube was removed. within a mth he was eating well. again we kept propping him up more when we went to visit nursing home never did a thing really. he was getting some sensation now that he wanted to go to teh bathroom so with a lot of effort and the nurses hating us we made them take him when he asked. I rang around and got him into a rehab hospital for a 1 mth trial i begged and told them he was not liek most 80 yr old and to not give up on him as he would do all he could to walk. after 2 weeks he had taken 4 steps and so the journey of hard work began. Today he has been released back to nursing home an dhe isnt great but he can walk with a stick with someone on his left side holding him , he now has 90% control of his bladder and 100% of his bowel. He cant go to bathroom alone so i take him something i never thought i would be able to do but again you do what you have to when you have to. he is eating like a horse and no more mashed food. He cant walk for long distances but he can now get from the car into the house and from within house to teh bathroom or bedroom. He nor us have ever given up. Life is nothing like it was for him beofre the stroke but he is not dead either. he is still in nursing home but we can take him out for outings to home which he loves. he can with our help look at his garden and have a home cooked meal sitting at table with the family. His mind is not real sharpe on some thing sbut other things it is amazing. he has about 10% vision in his left eye now and in the last week he is trying hard to work his left arm a little and as i tell him little by little with our love and his want we will get there. If it shouldnt happen then it gives him something to aim for and keep his mind working while being stuck in that nursing home.
So dont give up hope dont take what drs say as gospel. Just keep loving and showing it . never take a day for granted. I feel blessed in some ways that we have been given this opportunity to have some real good quality time together. As i always loved him always wnated to be around him but took it for granted he would be there tomorrow. we were close to tomorrow never coming. I think this is a good positive story which is why i posted. God bless you all.:wave:
Night beofre stroke he had watched tv with my mum and sister went to bed with no worries. My mum found him on the floor next morning so we dont really know what happened. He was in a real bad shape and the drs told us it didnt look good. we were called in after 2 weeks to say our goodbye's. By some miracle he didnt leave us but was left in a bad way. He was paralysed down his left side, he was blind in left eye, couldnt swollow, and had no bladder or bowel control. He had heart rate of 150 to 180 24/7 which was what drs thought would be the thing to take him as they told us it was like he was running in a marathon for 1 mth. after the mth of being like this the hospital told us he had to leave and we had to put him in a nursing home. it killed us but we had no choice. i should say he could speak but didnt make much sense. some days were better then others he would know us all today and forget tomorrow. after 1 week in nursing home he said to me how do they know i cant sit up if they dont let me didnt have the heart to tell him they had tried but that he couldnt so we oragnised a bed type chair where he layed but was propped up some. Every time i went and saw him i said dad try to move your arm try to move your leg on his right side he could move it a little. I told him dad if you wnat to have a chance of getting better keep trying and worki it day and night. he did. within 4 weeks he was using his right side on command fairly well. He had a speech therapist work with him and within 6 weeks he was swollowing kinda again i worked with him daily and every meal saying ok dad swollow dad swollow and we then went to just getting him to swollow on demand even if he had no food in his mouth. fianlly the feeding tube was removed. within a mth he was eating well. again we kept propping him up more when we went to visit nursing home never did a thing really. he was getting some sensation now that he wanted to go to teh bathroom so with a lot of effort and the nurses hating us we made them take him when he asked. I rang around and got him into a rehab hospital for a 1 mth trial i begged and told them he was not liek most 80 yr old and to not give up on him as he would do all he could to walk. after 2 weeks he had taken 4 steps and so the journey of hard work began. Today he has been released back to nursing home an dhe isnt great but he can walk with a stick with someone on his left side holding him , he now has 90% control of his bladder and 100% of his bowel. He cant go to bathroom alone so i take him something i never thought i would be able to do but again you do what you have to when you have to. he is eating like a horse and no more mashed food. He cant walk for long distances but he can now get from the car into the house and from within house to teh bathroom or bedroom. He nor us have ever given up. Life is nothing like it was for him beofre the stroke but he is not dead either. he is still in nursing home but we can take him out for outings to home which he loves. he can with our help look at his garden and have a home cooked meal sitting at table with the family. His mind is not real sharpe on some thing sbut other things it is amazing. he has about 10% vision in his left eye now and in the last week he is trying hard to work his left arm a little and as i tell him little by little with our love and his want we will get there. If it shouldnt happen then it gives him something to aim for and keep his mind working while being stuck in that nursing home.
So dont give up hope dont take what drs say as gospel. Just keep loving and showing it . never take a day for granted. I feel blessed in some ways that we have been given this opportunity to have some real good quality time together. As i always loved him always wnated to be around him but took it for granted he would be there tomorrow. we were close to tomorrow never coming. I think this is a good positive story which is why i posted. God bless you all.:wave:
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