At one of New York City's best hospitals at the moment as my mother undergoes emergency clot-busting surgery for one of her brain arteries.
I had been at her Brooklyn place for a while helping her out with various things. I had caught it almost immediately. One second she had been cooking. When I called out to her to see if she wanted a glass of water, I found her grasping on to the kitchen sink, her face drooped, and slurring incoherently, just glancing aimlessly around the room. I immediately asked her if she recognized me, and when there was no change in her actions, I called emergency services right away. The time elapsed from me discovering her in this state and me calling the ambulance was only 2 minutes. The EMS arrived along with a mobile stroke unit within 6 minutes.
Two CAT scans confirmed that she has had an arterial blockage and she was immediately rushed into surgery upon arrival at the hospital.
CURRENT STATUS: In emergency surgery. I am in the waiting area, holding on for updates.
RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF A STROKE.
They can happen suddenly, as in this case. Literally as fast as the blink of an eye. I had notified the 911 operator on the phone already that my mother had all of the signs of a stroke and they contacted the mobile stroke unit even before arriving on scene.
The F.A.S.T. METHOD is the most efficient way to identify a stroke.
F- FACE DROOPING
Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven or lopsided?
A- ARM WEAKNESS
Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? (In my mother's case, it had been her legs too)
S- SLURRED SPEECH
Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
T- TIME TO CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY
REMEMBER, this condition can happen in the blink of an eye. Trust your instincts. If you feel that something is not right, IT IS NOT. Seek help immediately.
When a stroke is involved, EVERY SECOND MATTERS. Upon the arrival of the mobile stroke unit, powerful medications were administered to her on site to begin dissolving any clots and the mobile unit performed the first CAT scan right outside our home. It is IMPERATIVE that if you suspect a stroke, alert them over the phone right away.
Thank you all for your support. I will keep updating this post in the OP. Stay safe out there and if you are aware that your loved ones are afflicted by a medical condition, keep a wary eye on them all the time. My mother has a history of hypertension and high cholesterol, both controlled and managed by medications and routine physician visits.
UPDATE 1: 9:05 PM 10/14/2019
Just wheeled from surgery to Neurological Intensive Care. Surgery had been successful to relieve blockage. Ischemic stroke, affected area common in '60% of Asian women'. Due to the fact that the blockage had started developing gradually over time, small blood vessels had grown and threaded themselves around the affected section. Those are what had saved her from more serious complications as small quantities of blood had still been able to flow during the blockage. Surgeons' prognosis: Full recovery of motor functions likely. Speech may be a bit more difficult. Currently in NICU. Under sedation.
UPDATE 2: 11:30 PM 10/14/2019
Settled into room in NICU. Sedation worn off app. 50%. No intubation, just nasal O2 and vitals monitor. She is concious, though groggy. Recognized me and understood that she has had surgery and will be monitored by NICU staff. Her speech is still slurred though she has shifted on her own to a more comfortable position on the bed. She remembers I have work in the morning and urges me to go back for the night. Just spoken to all of the staff and exchanged contact info. I am going to try to catch some sack time now...
UPDATE 3: 10:30 AM 10/15/2019
Received a call at work from the NICU. Seems like they were looking for someone else and called me by mistake, but I took the chance to ask them how my mother is doing. She is stable, a bit weak on the right side, and is scheduled to be moved from NICU to the stroke unit later on in the day.
UPDATE 4: 5:30 PM 10/15/2019
At bedside. Speech aphasia is very apparent. Cannot swallow, therefore nasal feeding tube. Mental status fully alert and clear. Tries to speak but gets tangled on certain words. Right arm weakness also pronounced. Only minor lifting of arm achieved under nurse's guidance. Right eye has trouble following movement commands. Neurosurgeon on duty has informed me that her condition has showed improvement from last night.
UPDATE 5: 2:30 PM OCTOBER 16, 2019 - PRESENT
She has been transferred to the hospital's dedicated stroke unit to begin the process of rehabilitation. Currently, her speech has showed a slight improvement from the previous day. Still on nasal feeding. Right leg able to lift and hold with effort. Right arm still mostly unresponsive. Stroke ward room: 4 other patients in various stages of recovery. One is ready to go home. I have been explaining this to my mother and encouraging her to focus on nothing else except her recovery, citing the room's other occupants to make my point. Nurse station is actually located IN the room instead of a central unit in the hallway, so conditions are constantly being monitored.
UPDATE 6: 7:20 PM OCTOBER 18, 2019
My mother's speech has reached almost 70% coherency over the past 2 days. She has also passed her swallow test and is cleared for a puree diet. Nasal nutrient tube removed yesterday. MRI and other full body physical exams scheduled for the next couple of days. So far, neurosurgeons have cleared her for acute rehab at a nearby hospital-based facility. Still extremely limited movement in right arm and leg. Almost not perceivable at all, but speech has shown definite improvement. Encouraging her to talk and continue improving her speech.
UPDATE 7: 11:00 AM 12/11/2019
She is out of the nursing facility today. Her insurance is transitioning her to managed home care and we had been setting up the process for the last couple of days. She is able to walk with a cane, and with my assistance, she completed the 3 flights of stairs up to her apartment with barely an issue. She had to be reminded to put her strong leg out first when using stairs. Currently, her right foot and right arm below the elbow is still lacking full function, a decisive improvement from when she had first entered the facility. Her managed care will be providing her with an aide for when my GF and I are both away. In home nursing assessment is scheduled for tomorrow.
I had been at her Brooklyn place for a while helping her out with various things. I had caught it almost immediately. One second she had been cooking. When I called out to her to see if she wanted a glass of water, I found her grasping on to the kitchen sink, her face drooped, and slurring incoherently, just glancing aimlessly around the room. I immediately asked her if she recognized me, and when there was no change in her actions, I called emergency services right away. The time elapsed from me discovering her in this state and me calling the ambulance was only 2 minutes. The EMS arrived along with a mobile stroke unit within 6 minutes.
Two CAT scans confirmed that she has had an arterial blockage and she was immediately rushed into surgery upon arrival at the hospital.
CURRENT STATUS: In emergency surgery. I am in the waiting area, holding on for updates.
RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS OF A STROKE.
They can happen suddenly, as in this case. Literally as fast as the blink of an eye. I had notified the 911 operator on the phone already that my mother had all of the signs of a stroke and they contacted the mobile stroke unit even before arriving on scene.
The F.A.S.T. METHOD is the most efficient way to identify a stroke.
F- FACE DROOPING
Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven or lopsided?
A- ARM WEAKNESS
Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? (In my mother's case, it had been her legs too)
S- SLURRED SPEECH
Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
T- TIME TO CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY
REMEMBER, this condition can happen in the blink of an eye. Trust your instincts. If you feel that something is not right, IT IS NOT. Seek help immediately.
When a stroke is involved, EVERY SECOND MATTERS. Upon the arrival of the mobile stroke unit, powerful medications were administered to her on site to begin dissolving any clots and the mobile unit performed the first CAT scan right outside our home. It is IMPERATIVE that if you suspect a stroke, alert them over the phone right away.
Thank you all for your support. I will keep updating this post in the OP. Stay safe out there and if you are aware that your loved ones are afflicted by a medical condition, keep a wary eye on them all the time. My mother has a history of hypertension and high cholesterol, both controlled and managed by medications and routine physician visits.
UPDATE 1: 9:05 PM 10/14/2019
Just wheeled from surgery to Neurological Intensive Care. Surgery had been successful to relieve blockage. Ischemic stroke, affected area common in '60% of Asian women'. Due to the fact that the blockage had started developing gradually over time, small blood vessels had grown and threaded themselves around the affected section. Those are what had saved her from more serious complications as small quantities of blood had still been able to flow during the blockage. Surgeons' prognosis: Full recovery of motor functions likely. Speech may be a bit more difficult. Currently in NICU. Under sedation.
UPDATE 2: 11:30 PM 10/14/2019
Settled into room in NICU. Sedation worn off app. 50%. No intubation, just nasal O2 and vitals monitor. She is concious, though groggy. Recognized me and understood that she has had surgery and will be monitored by NICU staff. Her speech is still slurred though she has shifted on her own to a more comfortable position on the bed. She remembers I have work in the morning and urges me to go back for the night. Just spoken to all of the staff and exchanged contact info. I am going to try to catch some sack time now...
UPDATE 3: 10:30 AM 10/15/2019
Received a call at work from the NICU. Seems like they were looking for someone else and called me by mistake, but I took the chance to ask them how my mother is doing. She is stable, a bit weak on the right side, and is scheduled to be moved from NICU to the stroke unit later on in the day.
UPDATE 4: 5:30 PM 10/15/2019
At bedside. Speech aphasia is very apparent. Cannot swallow, therefore nasal feeding tube. Mental status fully alert and clear. Tries to speak but gets tangled on certain words. Right arm weakness also pronounced. Only minor lifting of arm achieved under nurse's guidance. Right eye has trouble following movement commands. Neurosurgeon on duty has informed me that her condition has showed improvement from last night.
UPDATE 5: 2:30 PM OCTOBER 16, 2019 - PRESENT
She has been transferred to the hospital's dedicated stroke unit to begin the process of rehabilitation. Currently, her speech has showed a slight improvement from the previous day. Still on nasal feeding. Right leg able to lift and hold with effort. Right arm still mostly unresponsive. Stroke ward room: 4 other patients in various stages of recovery. One is ready to go home. I have been explaining this to my mother and encouraging her to focus on nothing else except her recovery, citing the room's other occupants to make my point. Nurse station is actually located IN the room instead of a central unit in the hallway, so conditions are constantly being monitored.
UPDATE 6: 7:20 PM OCTOBER 18, 2019
My mother's speech has reached almost 70% coherency over the past 2 days. She has also passed her swallow test and is cleared for a puree diet. Nasal nutrient tube removed yesterday. MRI and other full body physical exams scheduled for the next couple of days. So far, neurosurgeons have cleared her for acute rehab at a nearby hospital-based facility. Still extremely limited movement in right arm and leg. Almost not perceivable at all, but speech has shown definite improvement. Encouraging her to talk and continue improving her speech.
UPDATE 7: 11:00 AM 12/11/2019
She is out of the nursing facility today. Her insurance is transitioning her to managed home care and we had been setting up the process for the last couple of days. She is able to walk with a cane, and with my assistance, she completed the 3 flights of stairs up to her apartment with barely an issue. She had to be reminded to put her strong leg out first when using stairs. Currently, her right foot and right arm below the elbow is still lacking full function, a decisive improvement from when she had first entered the facility. Her managed care will be providing her with an aide for when my GF and I are both away. In home nursing assessment is scheduled for tomorrow.
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