Don Fisher

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On Thursday, February 3, Don checked into UK Hospital for a Carotid Endarterectomy for Occlusion and stenosis of the right carotid artery. This is a procedure to clear out the plaques which were obstructing blood flow to his brain. The plan was for him to have surgery, and go home the next day. There were a few hiccups with the procedure, but overall his prognosis was good. Don was in recovery, and was even able to eat a small meal. He started experiencing numbness on the left side of his body, which of course was feared to be a stroke.  He was then moved to the intensive care unit. Thankfully, the CT scans showed no evidence of stroke. His overnight stay was probably going to turn into two nights, and the new plan was for him to come home on Sunday. But then--he simply wouldn't wake up. While able to answer a few basic questions and respond to stimuli, he simply could not bring himself to a waking state. It is believed that he is experiencing Hyperperfusion Syndrome, which is a very rare phenomenon (0-3%) that can manifest itself up to several days following a carotid procedure. Essentially, it is brought on my the sudden increased blood flow to the brain, and in the most serious cases can lead to a semi-comatose state, which is what has happened to Don. There unfortuantely is no timeline for him to wake up, so we simply must just wait and pray.