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Psalms 9:10 Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
On Sunday, January 24th, Chris woke up and began getting ready for church. As he was getting ready, he told his wife, Aimee, that he was not feeling well and had a headache. His initial concern was that he had COVID-19, so he decided to stay home from church and rest in bed. Around lunchtime, Aimee checked in on him and that is when she noticed him standing noticeably disoriented and unable to speak. She immediately called 911 and an ambulance transported Chris to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center. At the hospital, it was quickly discovered that Chris experienced a stroke and that a blood clot had formed deep in his brain. In order to prevent further strokes, he was given an IV injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA).
God, we are thankful that you provided for Chris by keeping Aimee nearby at home to call for help in a timely manner and provide the essential care that was needed. We are so grateful that Aimee was by his side for the remainder of the day and evening providing him comfort and overseeing his care.
Based on the initial CT scan and MRI, it was determined that Chris experienced more than one stroke with at least one in the days leading to his hospitalization. The doctor informed us that there is a dissection in one of his carotid arteries. For now, the care workers are focused on making sure Chris stays anti-coagulated. The dissection is located far down the neck and close to his heart, which puts him at high risk and less likely to allow surgery as an option.
On Monday, January 25th, Chris awoke in ICU with minor improvements to his abilities to communicate through speaking or writing. Chris was able to respond to questions with hand movements or nodding and appeared to be alert. While he is responsive, he was still noticeably hesitant as he formulated thoughts in his mind. In addition to being alert, Chris is able to move both sides of his body. A huge blessing was seeing a picture of Aimee with Chris smiling in his hospital bed during the day. In the evening, Chris had another CT scan and is scheduled to have an MRI in the middle of the night. Based on his CT scan, the doctors decided that Chris did not have any bleeding in his brain and can be moved out of ICU into a regular hospital room. The scan showed two strokes, one frontal and one temporal.
God, we are thankful for the physicians and nurses that you provided to care for Chris. We were told by a family friend that his hospital has a very good neuro team on staff. We also give you praise for protecting him during his tPA treatment and keeping his brain from bleeding.
On Tuesday, January 26th, Chris received an MRI in the morning. The general doctor said there were no surprises found on the MRI, but that his brain is still swollen. As the swelling goes down, there is a chance his speaking could come back on its own. Due to the swelling, they do not know how much damage has been done to his brain cells. Overall, the doctor is very hopeful. During a visit from the occupational therapist, Chris was able to walk - his strength and coordination look great. Praise God, today has been a great day.
Prayer request - please pray for continued healing of the blood clot in his brain. Also, please pray that Chris continues to strengthen his ability to communicate, that he quickly regains his ability to eat again, and that his spirit and the spirit of those around him are lifted.
We will try to continue posting updates in the coming days and encourage you to keep Chris in your daily prayers throughout his recovery. We know that this journey will strengthen our relationship with God and each other.
I just completed my 2nd week back at work at Bell. I've been working part time while I also go to speech therapy. Yesterday was my last day of therapy. I will miss the friends I made there. For the next couple weeks, I will be building up to full time at work.
Work has been really good. I almost feel normal. It was a little emotional for me walking in on the first day of work. But my coworkers made me feel at home again in no time. They’re the best. It was kind of like, “Happy to see you. How are you?... Now get back to work.” I wouldn’t want it any other way! My desk was remarkably untouched, which was actually comforting. I feel for the most part I’ve been able to jump right into work mode. I haven't really noticed any anxiety and mental fatigue during the work day. My only impairment has been speaking and typing, as expected. It just takes me a little more time. This makes keeping up with email even tougher. But work is actually helping me to improve.
At the end of April, my neurologist will check my carotid artery to see how it has healed and whether flow has resumed. I will provide another update at that time.
Thanks for caring about me and my family. I continue to thank God and my Lord Jesus Christ for restoring my health. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
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