REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Little did I know when Nords posted his "My Stroke of Insight" book report last month that I would have an opportunity to gain real world experience dealing with a stroke victim.
Ten days ago my FIL, a widower age 89, suffered a stroke. Up to that time he was living independently and in a stroke of good luck (pun intended) my BIL was visiting him at the time and was able to immediately summon medical help. He was taken to a small town emergency room and a couple of hours later was transported to a regional hospital with a specialized "stroke ward".
He suffered significant damage to the left side of his brain. His right side is paralyzed, he cannot speak other than a mumble, and cannot swallow. After a week in the stroke ward battling aspiration-induced pneumonia and heart problems, he improved enough to have a PEG tube surgically implanted so the gastric feeding tube could be removed from his nose. He became significantly more alert, and visibly frustrated and depressed about his situation. He spent much of Wednesday trying to figure out a way to get out of bed. Fortunately he was unsuccessful.
Late Wednesday he was discharged from the hospital and transferred to a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility. It is a short term, transitional facility designed to begin the rehabilitation process with a structured, intensive program - think geriatric boot camp. He is expected to be here for one to four weeks, when he will almost certainly go to a nursing home. Whether it is one with continuing rehabilitation services or not will depend on his progress in the coming few weeks.
It is very interesting to attempt to look into the mind of someone who has always been fiercely independent and self-reliant and attempt to understand what they must be feeling as they become aware they are now totally dependent on others - and cannot speak.
A little background: FIL is part of a vanishing breed - the American cowboy. He came to TX from Ohio in 1937 (age 18) and found a job "where it was warm, I could ride a horse, got fed and got paid. I though I'd died and gone to heaven." He worked on ranches for 71 years, with a break of 10 years or so during the 1940's when he worked as a welder. (A back injury suffered while breaking horses prevented him serving in the military so he worked in the shipyards as a welder building Liberty ships.) He didn't "retire" from ranching until he was almost 88. Unhappy after "doing nothing" for more than a year, last fall he talked a local rancher into hiring him to feed his cattle. After three weeks of handling 10 bags of feed every day, each weighing 60 lbs, he admitted he couldn't do it and "retired" again. Did I mention FIL is 5' 6" and weighs 130 lbs? Tough as nails - I saw him do 150 sit-ups - at age 75!
This is the guy who, earlier this evening when we walked into his room and asked how he was doing, closed his eyes and turned his head away from us. The guy who smiles at many of his visitors, is somewhat cooperative with the nursing staff, but either ignores or looks away when DW or I walk into the room or talk with him. (We've always had a good relationship with him prior to this.) The only consistent response we've gotten from him is when we tell him we're leaving and will be back in a little while. He attempts to speak and the tone is not pleasant - easily interpreted as "I don't care if you never come back, just let me die." But who knows.
The next few days and weeks will be interesting I suspect. DW has been with FIL daily since he suffered the stroke. BIL returned home on Saturday but will return on Sunday to spend next week with his dad and allow his sister a break. Unfortunately she plans on spending much of her down time researching and visiting nursing homes.
If any of you have experiences with elderly family members who suffered strokes, I would appreciate any insight and advice.
Ten days ago my FIL, a widower age 89, suffered a stroke. Up to that time he was living independently and in a stroke of good luck (pun intended) my BIL was visiting him at the time and was able to immediately summon medical help. He was taken to a small town emergency room and a couple of hours later was transported to a regional hospital with a specialized "stroke ward".
He suffered significant damage to the left side of his brain. His right side is paralyzed, he cannot speak other than a mumble, and cannot swallow. After a week in the stroke ward battling aspiration-induced pneumonia and heart problems, he improved enough to have a PEG tube surgically implanted so the gastric feeding tube could be removed from his nose. He became significantly more alert, and visibly frustrated and depressed about his situation. He spent much of Wednesday trying to figure out a way to get out of bed. Fortunately he was unsuccessful.
Late Wednesday he was discharged from the hospital and transferred to a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility. It is a short term, transitional facility designed to begin the rehabilitation process with a structured, intensive program - think geriatric boot camp. He is expected to be here for one to four weeks, when he will almost certainly go to a nursing home. Whether it is one with continuing rehabilitation services or not will depend on his progress in the coming few weeks.
It is very interesting to attempt to look into the mind of someone who has always been fiercely independent and self-reliant and attempt to understand what they must be feeling as they become aware they are now totally dependent on others - and cannot speak.
A little background: FIL is part of a vanishing breed - the American cowboy. He came to TX from Ohio in 1937 (age 18) and found a job "where it was warm, I could ride a horse, got fed and got paid. I though I'd died and gone to heaven." He worked on ranches for 71 years, with a break of 10 years or so during the 1940's when he worked as a welder. (A back injury suffered while breaking horses prevented him serving in the military so he worked in the shipyards as a welder building Liberty ships.) He didn't "retire" from ranching until he was almost 88. Unhappy after "doing nothing" for more than a year, last fall he talked a local rancher into hiring him to feed his cattle. After three weeks of handling 10 bags of feed every day, each weighing 60 lbs, he admitted he couldn't do it and "retired" again. Did I mention FIL is 5' 6" and weighs 130 lbs? Tough as nails - I saw him do 150 sit-ups - at age 75!
This is the guy who, earlier this evening when we walked into his room and asked how he was doing, closed his eyes and turned his head away from us. The guy who smiles at many of his visitors, is somewhat cooperative with the nursing staff, but either ignores or looks away when DW or I walk into the room or talk with him. (We've always had a good relationship with him prior to this.) The only consistent response we've gotten from him is when we tell him we're leaving and will be back in a little while. He attempts to speak and the tone is not pleasant - easily interpreted as "I don't care if you never come back, just let me die." But who knows.
The next few days and weeks will be interesting I suspect. DW has been with FIL daily since he suffered the stroke. BIL returned home on Saturday but will return on Sunday to spend next week with his dad and allow his sister a break. Unfortunately she plans on spending much of her down time researching and visiting nursing homes.
If any of you have experiences with elderly family members who suffered strokes, I would appreciate any insight and advice.
