A hard reality
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Hubby's uncle in MD had a stroke yesterday, and he's in the hospital. It's not clear yet how bad the stroke was, but he's having trouble speaking, etc. He's always been such a vibrant person with a tremendous sense of humor. He's a retired inner city high school principal in Baltimore. If that isn't a testament to his inner strength, I don't know what is. They are still very active, and just last year moved to a new house to be closer to their daughter and grandchild.
As if the stroke is not bad enough, his family can't come visit him now because of the pandemic. That part alone is a hard reality, and makes me want to cry for them. They're such wonderful people, and the last ones of that generation of hubby's family.
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@brenda said in A hard reality:
Hubby's uncle in MD had a stroke yesterday, and he's in the hospital. It's not clear yet how bad the stroke was, but he's having trouble speaking, etc. He's always been such a vibrant person with a tremendous sense of humor. He's a retired inner city high school principal in Baltimore. If that isn't a testament to his inner strength, I don't know what is. They are still very active, and just last year moved to a new house to be closer to their daughter and grandchild.
As if the stroke is not bad enough, his family can't come visit him now because of the pandemic. That part alone is a hard reality, and makes me want to cry for them. They're such wonderful people, and the last ones of that generation of hubby's family.
I'm so sorry, Brenda.
Are there people in the area that can visit him?(It's something we're dealing with here, too, though not to that extent. My wife's family is moving next week and her dad is at extremely high risk. They're pissed we're not going up to help them, but they live in Long Island. It's just too much of a risk, for them and for us. And if anything happens to my folks down in FL, we won't be able to get down there. It's something I worry about.)
@Aqua-Letifer
His wife and daughter live right in the area. It's because of the pandemic that visitors are not allowed at this time. -
Damn.
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So sorry to hear
Often people can have remarkable recoveries after strokes, not every symptom you see today is necessarily permanent, the nervous system has remarkable adaptive properties.
@bachophile
Yes, I am aware of that, and that's why his recent house move and activities are noted. I think those all work in his favor right now, as does his good nature and attitude. Thanks, bach. -
So sorry to hear. Please extend my best regards.
To add to what bach said, even in adulthood the plasticity of the brain is amazing.
One of the nurses I worked with had a stroke about 3 months ago. Difficulty with speech, motor control, etc.
Took about 2 weeks, but she's 90% recovered, from what I hear.
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So sorry to hear this, Brenda. Not being able to visit is very tough.
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Well, the plus side is that if you're able to walk, you'll get to go home when the hospital is so busy.. He's a strong one, and it pays to stay active. He's already walking well enough to go back to their single-storey house. His speaking is still an issue, but that's improving, too. He loves to talk as much as I do, so his odds are good that his speech will get better over time.
Really, I think he'll do better at home than at the hospital now, as long as he's past the critical time of having another stroke episode. The first day or two are often when a second stroke can occur.
I haven't heard what physical therapy he will need, or anything else like that. It's probably too soon to know. As Bach and George said, the brain is pretty amazing and can show improvement in remarkable ways. Until it's clear what he really needs for PT, that won't be decided yet. Fingers crossed for him, and so relieved to have him back with family.
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And thank you all for being so kind. It stinks to get bad news and not be able to go help due to the distance. While hubby and I were talking about whether we could make it to a funeral out in MD (if things turned out that way), Uncle rallied and got moving under his own power again. With the way things turned out, now that all strikes me as rather funny. Uncle would be the first to laugh about it, too. He loves irreverent humor like that.
Reminds me of that old Ole and Lena joke. (Probably because Uncle loves Ole and Lena jokes.)
Ole is terribly sick in bed, sicker than he's ever been. The delicious aroma of home baking from the kitchen gives him the determination to get out of bed to go have a bite of whatever just came out of the oven that smells so wonderful.
As he reaches for a cookie, his wife Lena slaps his hand. "Don't touch those, Ole! Those are for your funeral!"
Thanks for holding my hand through that first night. You people are the best!
