Hello all,
This is Terry's daughter, Holly, updating from the Cleveland Clinic. I'm sorry if you've been hoping to get updates on here and there haven't been ...Read more
Hello all,
This is Terry's daughter, Holly, updating from the Cleveland Clinic. I'm sorry if you've been hoping to get updates on here and there haven't been any! Dad forgot to give me the password before surgery, but I managed to figured it out on my own (guess I know my dad pretty well to be able to guess his passwords!)
It has been a long week here at the clinic. Day's surgery happened Friday morning, and we were told it went very smoothly. However, on Sunday when we arrived at the hospital we were informed that dad was experiencing some symptoms indicating he had a stroke. After a CT scan, it was confirmed that he did have a stroke, near the back left side of his brain. It is believed the stroke happened during surgery. One reason they did not recognize that the stroke had occurred was because some of the symptoms he was experiencing as a result of the stroke were masked by symptoms that were completely normal post-heart-surgery. He was quite groggy, and very sleepy so his main symptom of the stroke - vision loss - was not something we noticed initially. It was only after he was more alert that red flags were raised.
Fast forward to today... Dad is going to be released around 10 today, and will be transported in an ambulance back to MI to a stroke rehab facility in Kalamazoo. The main deficit he's facing right now is vision loss - he's basically lost vision on the right side of both eyes. He's also still a bit weak on his right side, though there has been improvement with that daily so doctors are very positive that the work he does in rehab will continue to help that. He has been up and walking around, can snap fingers, eat using silverware etc. Cognitive function appears to not have been affected too severely - he speaks very clearly and remembers most things. There are some words he struggles to get out, but just like the weakness, doctors thinks this will continue to improve with therapy. He will be in this rehab facility for about 3 weeks working with PT, OT, speech therapists, ophthalmologists and probably others for around 3 hours a day. They will work with him to improve his functions, as well as work with him on ways to manage if he doesn't regain everything. The doctors at the Cleveland Clinic have been very positive and hopeful about his recovery but the key things we've been told is that it takes time.
Obviously we've been dealing with a lot, but we've been trying to stay positive. I know dad is overwhelmed thinking about what will happen if he doesn't get back to "normal", but we just keep telling him he has to work hard in rehab and trust that God has a plan. We know that many people have been praying for us, and even through all of the stressful times we've had this week it has been felt. The daily improvement we've seen from dad gives us hope that he will just continue to get better each day.
I will try to update more as we learn more about what he will be doing in rehab. If you would like, you can also friend me on Facebook (Holly Florian) as I have been posting a lot of updates on there.
Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers,
Holly
Everything is good to go I have an early check in for surgery at 6 am I know I'm in the best of hands. I need to thank everyone for their prayers. I thank God ...Read more
Everything is good to go I have an early check in for surgery at 6 am I know I'm in the best of hands. I need to thank everyone for their prayers. I thank God for each one of you. I will have my daughters update everyone after surgery. Thanks. Terry
Not a very fun day. First I woke up with sinus drainage and a little sore throat. We decided to drive to the clinic and use the valet service. We are only a ...Read more
Not a very fun day. First I woke up with sinus drainage and a little sore throat. We decided to drive to the clinic and use the valet service. We are only a 10 min. walk but didn't want to chance that after the catheterization. We arrived way early and sure enough they were way behind. My cold was now making me pretty miserable. Good thing we had the valet service because we didn't leave the clinic until 11pm. The nurse told me as long as I don't have a fever my cold shouldn't be a problem so that is a little reasuring . My test have all been real good so that is reasuring also. Tomorrow I meet with the surgeon and get the details of my surgery