The Stroke

November 30, 2011: Woke up a little late. Kind of nice to be allowed to sleep in. What I didn't know is why I was allowed to sleep in. Rolled out of bed and looked down the hallway, waving at my husband before slipping in to the bathroom. Took my time in there, slowly waking up and enjoying the quiet. Came out of the bathroom and asked my husband where my coffee was. I didn't really get much of a response out of him, except for "I don't feel so good". So I asked him what was wrong. He merely pointed at his phone and said "I can't do it". That was strange. Since when can he not use his iPhone. It's a permanent attachment to his hand! He just kept telling me that he had a headache and was seeing lights. So I'm thinking migraine. No biggie! He had several of them in the past month, so it was nothing new. But what concerned me was that he couldn't get his words out. He wasn't making any sense. I knew right away what was happening. He was having a stroke. So I asked him to look at me and smile. No facial paralysis. But he still couldn't communicate very well.
So, you might say, "Take him to the hospital!!" Well, I thought about that, but we didn't have any insurance. This was gonna be real expensive, especially if it's just a migraine. But the longer I heard him and watched him, the more I knew this was serious. So I told him that, if we had insurance, I would have called an ambulance by now. That was the clincher. Time to go.
The following is a collection of my facebook posts from day 1 until I got too tired to keep track anymore.

      'Okay, so it's been a long day. Marc is resting, I'm supposed to be getting some sleep. I don't think that's gonna happen. The diagnosis is not a pretty one. A dissected carotid artery. Completely blocked with a blood clot. Evidently the inside of your blood vessel has layers "like a tortilla". Evidently one of the layers tore away, forming a flap that caused blood to stop flowing to the brain, causing a clot, causing a mild stroke. Thank GOD it was only a MILD stroke. The good part is, two other people stroked out on the same morning so the hospital ER was full of Neurologists! So Marc was seen immediately upon arrival. Other than a bad headache and confusion ( he still doesn't know what month it is or how old he is) and he forgets what happened and keeps asking. But he sure feels LOVED! Thank you for all the prayers and the calls and texts. He is not completely out of danger, but he is is GOD'S hands. And I'd rather be in GOD's hand any day!'



     Day 2: The day started with Marc looking pretty tired and weak. His head hurt, but he was better than yesterday. After noon he got pain meds which knocked him out! He slept about 3 hours and woke up feeling great. His words were flowing freely like there was nothing wrong. His visit with Pastor Tim was wonderful and he loved it! After dinner, though, his headache returned and with that great confusion. To the point where he was unable to make even a simple sentence. Hard to see him be this way, and I know it's frustrating to him to not be able to communicate. So the lesson for today was: Marc needs to rest. So I'm hoping tonight he gets LOTS of good sleep so his brain can heal.





     Day 3: started out okay. Wonderful visitors, sponge bath, walking unassisted. However, lunchtime proved to be a little challenging. Evidently when Marc sat on the edge of the bed his heart rate increased to compensate, setting off alarms. Soon after my precious husband was unable to communicate with us. It was frightening for all of us. Long story short, no further damage, but looks like a small piece of the clot broke off. Causing the disruption in his ability to speak. But it was only temporary, thank god! Please continue to pray that the clot would dissolve and that the artery would heal. Thank you for your kind words and prayers.



     Day 4: Marc is doing much better today. They are moving him out of icu tomorrow. Still no word as to what they are going to do with the large clot. Hoping to hear something.


     Day 4 part 2: just when I thought it was safe to sleep the hospital called. Please pray for Marc as he just had another piece of the clot break off causing problems again.
(needless to say, they did not move him out of ICU)


During this time I was too insane to post anything. The doctor came in Sunday morning and told us that they were gonna send him home because there was nothing more they could do for him there. Are you frickin' kidding me? My daughter, who was with me, said "That's NOT gonna work!!" I asked the doctor what I should do if he had another stroke when he got home. He said....don't bring him back in because there is nothing we can do. The feeling I experienced and the visuals going through my head were NOT cool.


     Dec 7th: As I sit by Marc's bedside holding his hand while he sleeps he wakes up and catches me crying. He says to me ,"I'm not done yet. It's not time for me to go". It does all come down to whose report will we believe. The doctors report tonight was not a pleasant one but she was honest and frank, which I appreciated. I am thankful for faith-filled friends and family that believe for me when I am weakened by a long day. Love you all. Pray for my children.



     Day 8: there has been an improvement in Marc's condition. His speech has improved and the nurses and doctors have been able to stabilize his blood pressure. Other than a slight headache and being really tired he is having very few symptoms. He is not allowed to get out of bed. So 8 days in bed is taking it's toll on his tolerance level. He wants to get up and get moving but that's not gonna happen for a while. They don't even let him sit on the edge of the bed and dangle his legs as his blood pressure drops too much. BUT, it is definitely better than a few days ago. Healing is taking place!!!


     Day 11: Marc is still in ICU. He slept off and on for the last 2 days thanks to the combination of drugs he is on. The docs are trying to get the right combination and levels that ensures blood flow to the left half of his brain. FYI: 10 days on Dopamine is bad. His heart rate and BP were not liking it. So he is down to thinners and meds to keep him going. He had an "event" last night that knocked out his speech. It's called "expressive aphasia" (look it up) and it's frustrating for him because he can't tell you what's happening or how he feels. He has SO much to say and can't find the words he wants. The doc came in and answered lots of questions for us. (Hardest answer: Yes, he will have a major event at some time. No, we can't do anything about it) SO, we need a miracle. 99% of patients can benefit from all the procedures and drugs that help. Marc is the 1% that nothing can help. GOD specializes in 1% cases. So, we put him in the hands of the Master Physician and we wait.


     Day something or other: Marc has been taken off all IV drugs as an experiment to see if his body/blood pressure will self adjust. Despite a few events (speech, facial, hand, arm, leg numbness, which did subside) his body has maintained a satisfactory blood pressure. IF he can keep it in a high enough range he MIGHT get to go to a regular room by Monday or Tuesday. Woo-hoo. But, he is having withdrawals now with severe headaches that they are treating, so it's looking up from the bottom right now. My biggest concern, and his, is the events that he is having that are a little un-nerving, to say the least. Frustrated and scared seems to be the mood. Yet, we continue to hope in God.


He came home a few days later.