Last post Wed, May 07 2008 2:47 PM by mitskev. 10 replies.
My 87 year old grandmother suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke nearly eight months ago. One week ago she actually waived at me and spoke. Since then she has developed an infection and has been mainly unresponsive. The most frustrating part is that most people want to write her off because of her age. I know every case is different but, I would like to hear from anyone who has been in a similiar situation. Thanks!
How foolish of anyone to want to "write off" an 87-year-old who's tough enough to survive a massive stroke!I, too, had a massive hemorrhagic stroke (in 2001), but I was only 36 at the time.
I'm no doctor, but I think the fact that your grandmother was able to recognize you, greet you and speak to you after the kind of hit her brain took indicates that she's still got a lot going on in there.
I'll pray for her; hopefully once she gets past this infection that is currently keeping her down, she can start on the road to recovery.
If it's any encouragement, I had one setback after another following my stroke: kidney surgery, appendicitis, unexplained vomiting.I *was* a lot younger than your grandmother, but she sounds like one tough cookie!
Please keep us posted.
Carla N.
Thanks for the enccouragment. Also, it was eight weeks ago that she had the stoke not eight months. Anyway, she's being moved to a nursing home today so we're keeeping our fingers crossed.
jessdan1999: Thanks for the enccouragment. Also, it was eight weeks ago that she had the stoke not eight months. Anyway, she's being moved to a nursing home today so we're keeeping our fingers crossed.
Let me preface this post by stating that I was only 36 when I had my [massive hemorrhagic] stroke, so feel free to ignore me if you like. I was put into a nursing home about four months after my stroke, and when I found out where I was going, I bawled like an infant. I thought my life was completely OVER.
Not so. I got the most consistent and intelligent therapy in the nursing home that I'd had yet, and was only there for four months before I was rehabilitated enough to go home, with only my elderly mother to help me.
I hope the nursing home into which your mother is going is equally helpful for her.
Please continue to keep us updated.
You speak of most people ? Your relatives, friends, the medical professionals nurses and doctors ? Well let me address this ...
Your relatives need a good talking to. This is one of your parents Mom. She is not to treated like old newspapers. She still has feeling although she may not outwardly show them. She may even choose not to show them. In either case this treatment is outright despicable. She has aright to a quality of life anyone who lives well into their eighties deserves.
If its your friends - what can I say but hasta la vista baby ! Your allegiance should always be to your family, not so called friends.
If its the medical professionals you've dealing with - well, shame on them. All life is precious and you should express to them you do not appreciate their attitudes and for them to keep their feelings to themselves. They should respect your grandmothers quality of life and she that deserves it her respect without you reminding them about it - what if it were their Grandmothers!
I'm sorry but age should have nothing to do with her treatment, not to mention her respect to living.
mitskev: She has aright to a quality of life anyone who lives well into their eighties deserves. .
She has aright to a quality of life anyone who lives well into their eighties deserves.
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What a total waste of time and money! This guy told me flatly, without performing any sort of evaluation or examination, "It's been a year since your stroke; you've reached a permanent neurological plateau, and any attempt at further therapy would be a waste of time!"He went on to say, "You're doing pretty well; you can talk, you still have your smile, you can feed yourself, you can get on the toilet, you can read ..."He repeated that to attempt to make any further gains would be a "waste of time."He was WRONG!He got my Irish up, and shortly after that debacle, I started walking with a quad cane. I've made numerous other gains since then.
All this ranting is essentially to say: Medical professionals, no matter how "smart" they and others think they are, are sometimes just plain wrong, and I think it's foolish to write anyone off, no matter what his/her situation.
Most doctors are only guessing, thats why they call it a medical practice! I was a mechanic in my professional career and if I screwed up I had to make it right at my on expense on my own time! if a Dr screws up they shrug their shoulders and say oh well, so I guessed wrong! I will only charge you 50,000,and IF the patient is still alive,they charge 100,000 and try to get it right the next time! My own Dr told me they only make educated guesses and if they are lucky they get it right. I will get off my soap box now. I hope your grandmother makes a full recovery!
Please don't surrender... the fact that we know more about the moon than we do the human brain and human movement should warrant careful consideration when being given a prognosis and expected quality of life., Recovery is possible ..
Plateau in physical recovery merely defines their experience and knowledge base (there is protocol as well the primary goal is to help a survivor adapt to what is available after stroke and within the timeframe of that magic number 1-2 years post ...what it's NOT able to do is work to regain function they've been educated/conditioned to believe it's not possible). check this website out www.progressivestrengthrecovery.com
Good luck
I vote corporal punishment for these "Don't Know It All" idiots. Pants down - assume the position - for every stpuid statements and thoughtless comments they make. I however insist on doling out the stupidity punishment. It irks me that these guys are younger than I too - they really don't know the aches and pains I'm going through. Right after my stroke I told my MD about the general allover pain that keepme up at night. His solution - if you can't tell me exactly where the pain is - I can't help you. He assumed I was just trying to obtain pharmacy grade pian killer drugs - sooo not true. The pain sudsided eventually, by itself - no thanks to him.
mitskev: Right after my stroke I told my MD about the general allover pain that keepme up at night. His solution - if you can't tell me exactly where the pain is - I can't help you.
Right after my stroke I told my MD about the general allover pain that keepme up at night. His solution - if you can't tell me exactly where the pain is - I can't help you.
The cream of it was that AFTER I had diagnosed my own ailment, and my mother literally bullied a doctor a full foot taller than she into ordering the appropriate tests, the doctor still congratulated himself, telling my mother, of all people, "Aren't we glad I ordered that CT scan?"My mother, who is not a violent person, expressed(unfortunately not to the doctor himself) a desire to cave in the man's skull.I recovered from the appendectomy just fine, and now I don't have to worry about my appendix any more.
Make sure to say happy Mother's day this Sunday to your mom. And if your Mom's no longer here - you can just think loving thoughts in her memory. like me. Mom's are the greatest !
