On Thursday August 10, Rich went to his daughter Sara’s house to pick up grandchildren Ella (6) and George (3) to embark on a day of fun and frivolity as is typical of his days spent in Minneapolis. Rich has been living in Santa Monica California for the past 2 years but returns to Minneapolis monthly to visit Ella and George and their parents.
On the morning of August 10, daughter Sara noticed Rich was having difficulty getting words out, and fortunately took him directly to Fairview Southdale ED, where we was admitted immediately.
Below is a summary of the events and diagnosis to date …
Rich had bleeding in a vessel in his brain. A name was later put to this – a Hemorrhagic Stoke. The bleed occurred in the portion of his brain that affects his speech. A name was later put to that- Wernicke’s Aphasia, then revised to general Aphasia.
The swelling and bleeding in the brain seem to have stabilized and they are waiting for the fluids to be absorbed.
During routine blood work, an enzyme was detected, and more tests followed – an EKG, an echocardiogram and a TEE. These tests revealed a nasty infection on his Mitral Heart Valve. The name for this – Endocarditis. Luckily the valve itself is not damaged, but the infection is a tough one. They are treating it with a long course (6-12 weeks) of antibiotics, as surgery would be too risky.
On Thursday 8/17 an MRI showed that he had 2 additional strokes caused by the infection, but it also that the bleeding in the brain has gone down. In addition the antibiotics seem to be working as the infection is out of the blood stream.
We are taking it day by day. There are good moments and less good moments. The good moments give us hope and we cherish them.
As you all know, Rich is a very loving caring person and your love and friendship mean the world to him.
This is Vicki (Rich's significant other of 25 years); Rich’s daughter Sara and I will share authorship of this site and will post as we have updates to share. We are thankful for your friendship and for our community of support!
Read More (
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/richreeder/journal/view/id/599717d28b5cd303385468f2)
