Well, Dear Ones,

I have some news to report.  This past Friday afternoon, Mike went to take a nap.  When he got up about dinnertime, his speech was slurred, and he had trouble swallowing at dinner.  He tried to walk, as usual, with the walker, and was very tired and felt like something was off.  In this time of COVID, going to the ER seemed like a dangerous thing to do.  But by Saturday morning, we knew that something had happened.  We called 911 and Mike was taken to the ER at Scott and White.  They did many tests over the two days he stayed there to rule out COVID, pneumonia, a UTI, and blood abnormalities.  It wasn’t until the MRI results came back this morning that we were told he had had a “small stroke.”  

The doctor reported to us that it was an ischemic stroke in the left paramedial pons, and had affected his speech, his swallowing somewhat, and his ability to cough.   He was allowed to come home today, and should be followed up by the therapists, with speech back in the equation.  We are glad it didn’t do more damage, and are grateful to the health care givers who watched over him, especially since I could only visit for a short time, and he could have no other visitors.

His  medicines will go through changes, especially his blood pressure meds.  The doctor wants his blood pressure to get higher in the next five days to. . . ? push the blood through his veins (if I understood that correctly).  The next visit he has with doctors, they will further tweak the meds and possibly add in a blood thinner.  Not much of this makes too much sense to me, since his first stroke was a bleed that would have been much worse had he been on blood thinners.  We’re just having to trust that the doctors, collectively, know what they’re doing!

So it feels like the progress Mike made for ten months has taken a step or two backward.  But we are so happy to have him home, happy that he can still speak, and grateful that there will be help on its way.  Please  keep him in your prayers.  At least I don’t have to buy a house, move, and sell a house this time!  Whew!

Love and Peace, and Good Health to you all!

Jill