A close family friend suffered a stroke.

[Retread]

We see Russ every day at supper time, like clockwork at 5pm. When he didn't show by twenty after, we pretty much knew something was wrong. Went to his house. His car was in the driveway but no lights were on. I have a key to his house so I went in to check. He was on his bedroom floor and had dragged the covers off the bed to cover himself. All I saw was one foot sticking out from under the covers and feared the worst.

As I called to him, he began to stir. (Big sigh of relief from me.) He was cognizant and able to speak, although his speech was somewhat slurred. He was unable to get off the floor even with my help. Called 911 and he was taken to the hospital. There they performed xrays and mri and diagnosed a stroke. He's having a procedure right now to attempt to remove a blood clot.

If you believe in the power of positive thought, send one his way and let's all hope for the best.

Thanks.

[bigballofyarn]

My thoughts and prayers are with you, him, and all of his friends and family. I hope that peace and good health will feel hear my demands, and then give him so much renewal that he is able to heal the entire world with his blessings. I hope that he will recover quickly, both mentally and physically. He is strong and better things are coming. Best of luck.

-Christina

[wildmaven]

I'm so glad you were able to be there for him, as the sooner treatment begins, the more likely they'll recover. That must've been awfully scary for you, so kudos for taking the proper action. Please let us know how the procedure went. (((HUGS)))

[Shaliza]

Dec 23, 2020 20:20:13 GMT -8 Retread said:

We see Russ every day at supper time, like clockwork at 5pm. When he didn't show by twenty after, we pretty much knew something was wrong. Went to his house. His car was in the driveway but no lights were on. I have a key to his house so I went in to check. He was on his bedroom floor and had dragged the covers off the bed to cover himself. All I saw was one foot sticking out from under the covers and feared the worst.

As I called to him, he began to stir. (Big sigh of relief from me.) He was cognizant and able to speak, although his speech was somewhat slurred. He was unable to get off the floor even with my help. Called 911 and he was taken to the hospital. There they performed xrays and mri and diagnosed a stroke. He's having a procedure right now to attempt to remove a blood clot.

If you believe in the power of positive thought, send one his way and let's all hope for the best.

Thanks.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I will definitely keep him in my thoughts and prayers and hope for a speedy recovery. *hugs*

[HoudiniDerek]

I'm sorry to hear this, but it's great to know you were able to find him and likely save his life. Sending you all the best of thoughts.

[Retread]

UPDATE:

The doctors successfully performed the procedure to remove the blood clot.

Bad News:
He's lost feeling and most of the motor activity in the left side of his body.

Good News:
He's alert, articulate and in general good spirits, although his speech is slightly slurred. Some of the feeling and motor activity is beginning to return. He's now able to eat and swallow with quite a bit of difficulty but we're hoping that will improve with time. Not sure how close to 'normal' he'll eventually get or how long that will take. But progress is progress, right?

2020 sucks harder than a Hoover plugged into a 220v outlet. But it could have been much worse, so I'm very thankful it wasn't. Yeah, spending Christmas in hospital is the pits. But better there than in the morgue.

Thank you all, for the kind words and prayers. I'll keep you up to date on his progress over the coming days and weeks.

[Shaliza]

Thanks for the update. Hope your friend continues to improve with each passing day. That's hard when there's paralysis on one side of the body. Hopefully with PT and rehab they will be able to help him with this. Will continue to keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

[endo]

I'm terrible with things like this, but I'm very glad to hear how well he's doing. You're a good friend, he's lucky you were checking on him.
I hope he continues to improve.

[Retread]

Update-2:

Russ has regained some of the strength in his left arm and a substantial amount of strength in his left leg. He was able (with assistance) to stand, walk a few steps, and sit in a chair. They were hoping to move him from the ICU to a 'step-down' unit, but no beds were available in that unit this afternoon. So maybe tomorrow.

Bottom line: Progress is.

[elli]

I'm happy to hear that your friend survived. Hopefully, with some physical therapy, he can regain some of that motor control. It's really fortunate that you thought to go check on him.

Sending good vibes!

[Retread]

Update-3:

Russ was transferred to a hospital closer to home last night. He's in a stroke rehab unit so he'll get physical therapy a few times each day. Took a duffel of clothes, undies, socks athletic shoes, personal grooming, etc to the hospital last night. With the covid protocol in place, I wasn't permitted to see him and deliver the bag personally. But I checked today and he did receive it.

They expect he'll be there for roughly three weeks. Being stuck in hospital with no visitors is not cool but he's likely to make progress faster there than if he came straight home.

[Shaliza]

Dec 31, 2020 9:50:36 GMT -8 Retread said:

Update-3:

Russ was transferred to a hospital closer to home last night. He's in a stroke rehab unit so he'll get physical therapy a few times each day. Took a duffel of clothes, undies, socks athletic shoes, personal grooming, etc to the hospital last night. With the covid protocol in place, I wasn't permitted to see him and deliver the bag personally. But I checked today and he did receive it.

They expect he'll be there for roughly three weeks. Being stuck in hospital with no visitors is not cool but he's likely to make progress faster there than if he came straight home.

Thanks for the update. Hope your friend continues to improve each day! 


             

[elli]

Dec 31, 2020 9:50:36 GMT -8 Retread said:

They expect he'll be there for roughly three weeks. Being stuck in hospital with no visitors is not cool but he's likely to make progress faster there than if he came straight home.

Are you able to call and talk with him? Or maybe a video call!

[Retread]

Dec 31, 2020 12:40:19 GMT -8 elli said:

Are you able to call and talk with him? Or maybe a video call!

Yes, they gave us a phone number that goes directly to his room. But there are limited opportunities to call him. They have him in therapy for about three hours every morning and three hours every afternoon. But I see that as being a good thing.

I don't do video calls and neither does he. I called him on the phone this evening around 7pm and we spoke for about fifteen minutes.

[📚 Dianne 📚]

Dec 31, 2020 18:17:36 GMT -8 Retread said:

Dec 31, 2020 12:40:19 GMT -8 elli said:

Are you able to call and talk with him? Or maybe a video call!

Yes, they gave us a phone number that goes directly to his room. But there are limited opportunities to call him. They have him in therapy for about three hours every morning and three hours every afternoon. But I see that as being a good thing.

I don't do video calls and neither does he. I called him on the phone this evening around 7pm and we spoke for about fifteen minutes.

HUGS to you and him.