I'm thankful the '17 season is nearly over and on a serious note that Mrs. BGIF is still on the right side of the grass.
A few weeks ago I bullied her into going to see a doctor about a persistent cough and a general feeling of weakness. She's 62, has CHF and downplayed the cough. While being examined the Dr asked, "Have you had any other symptoms of note?" She paused and replied matter of factly, "Well about two weeks ago, I bent over and when I stood up, I couldn't see out of my right eye for about 10 minutes."
My head almost fell off as I turned toward her than toward the Dr (her brother). His eyes burned through me as he said, "When did you find this out?" "Now," I exclaimed. "Had I known two weeks ago she would have been in an ambulance on the way to the ER." She had experienced no paralysis, no slur, no change in her gait, the common signs of a stroke. The weakness was the only common symptom and that is also common with CHF and Lupus which she has had since a teenager. She was also spacey at times bu, hey, she's an ardent conservative and she was on meds which contribute to memory issues.
Within an hour she was seeing a neurosurgeon. An hour after that she had a MRI of the brain. She was diagnosed with a stroke in each hemisphere of her brain. She went on a blood thinner, Clopidgrel, but within two days exhibited a slew of side effects. The meds were changed and she was put in the hospital for a tests. Good news her arteries and heart valves were exemplary. The not so good news. Atrial Fibrillation had lead to the strokes. The bad news she has idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
They upped her diuretics significantly, cut her salt intake dramatically and she's lost about 35 pounds in the past month (by design) getting close to the 110 pounds she weighed when we wed. She tires easily but is in better spirits of late. I've been trying to convince her to get into a rehab program for stroke patients recommended by her physicians but she refuses claiming she's embarrassed by her lack of visible symptoms, paralysis/slurred speech. I know from the 24 years we've been married that pushing her only makes her back stiffer. Hopefully in the next week or two I will be able to help her see the long term benefits the rehab programs provides. It's a decision she has to reach.
I'm pumped. The news could have been much worse. We take the days one at a time.
I hope each of you have a reason to be thankful for today.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
A few weeks ago I bullied her into going to see a doctor about a persistent cough and a general feeling of weakness. She's 62, has CHF and downplayed the cough. While being examined the Dr asked, "Have you had any other symptoms of note?" She paused and replied matter of factly, "Well about two weeks ago, I bent over and when I stood up, I couldn't see out of my right eye for about 10 minutes."
My head almost fell off as I turned toward her than toward the Dr (her brother). His eyes burned through me as he said, "When did you find this out?" "Now," I exclaimed. "Had I known two weeks ago she would have been in an ambulance on the way to the ER." She had experienced no paralysis, no slur, no change in her gait, the common signs of a stroke. The weakness was the only common symptom and that is also common with CHF and Lupus which she has had since a teenager. She was also spacey at times bu, hey, she's an ardent conservative and she was on meds which contribute to memory issues.
Within an hour she was seeing a neurosurgeon. An hour after that she had a MRI of the brain. She was diagnosed with a stroke in each hemisphere of her brain. She went on a blood thinner, Clopidgrel, but within two days exhibited a slew of side effects. The meds were changed and she was put in the hospital for a tests. Good news her arteries and heart valves were exemplary. The not so good news. Atrial Fibrillation had lead to the strokes. The bad news she has idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.
They upped her diuretics significantly, cut her salt intake dramatically and she's lost about 35 pounds in the past month (by design) getting close to the 110 pounds she weighed when we wed. She tires easily but is in better spirits of late. I've been trying to convince her to get into a rehab program for stroke patients recommended by her physicians but she refuses claiming she's embarrassed by her lack of visible symptoms, paralysis/slurred speech. I know from the 24 years we've been married that pushing her only makes her back stiffer. Hopefully in the next week or two I will be able to help her see the long term benefits the rehab programs provides. It's a decision she has to reach.
I'm pumped. The news could have been much worse. We take the days one at a time.
I hope each of you have a reason to be thankful for today.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
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