No pictures, but just wanted to update this long overdue blog. One month ago tonight we went to fix supper at my father-in-laws like we do every Tuesday and Thursday nights. We came home around 9 and went on to bed pretty quickly afterwards. The next morning I work up around 5:20, took my shower, woke Pete up so he could be shaving while I was in the shower, then we swapped places, well I didn't have to shave, only dry off. He proceeded to get in the shower, I even left the water on for him. Almost as soon as he got in the shower he started saying on my hand, my arm, I can't feel anything, it just went dead. He threw back the shower curtain and just kinda fell out of the shower to the floor. Of course I was scarred to death, but I did ask him if he was serious which he replied yes, but he was talking very slurred and hard to understand, I helped him up and we made it our bed, short distance. All I could think to ask him to do was SMILE, because I remembered if a person had a stroke their face would droop on one side and his did. After some, very little discussion we new it was best to head to the hospital but he refused to let me call an ambulance because of where we live, he thought it would take them too long to find us. So I loaded him up, he could walk, but not steadily so he was able to help.
We got to the hospital in 35 minutes, the orderly came to the door and wheeled him in, the ER staff was on him like......well very fast, very impressive! The had him in for a brain scan in probably 20 minutes, so it had been a little over an hour since the stroke. There was no bleeding in the brain, thank you Lord, and he was a candidate for the shot and medicine in his IV to reverse the effects of the stroke. He had regained some use of his leg by this time, he was able to lift it and had feeling in it, but nothing in his left arm and hand, nothing. They call this medicine medicine a "miracle drug, clot buster" for stroke victims if you meet the requirements, which he did. About an hour after the medicine was administered he began regaining feeling in his fingers, hand and arm and started being able to move it and make a fist.
We are so thankful for the hospital staff, the doctors, and scientist who study and come up with miracle drugs like this. Pete is back to 100%, he has a second chance and we are so thankful. We also have a friend who had a stroke in December and he hasn't been so fortunate, he is going through rehab and working hard to learn to walk again, so we do realize how fortunate we are.
Pete went back to work a week ago today and for that we are so thankful, we are thankful to have our jobs, our insurance, our family and our health among many other things. There are going to be some changes in our lives, especially our eating habits, Pete quit smoking 5 years ago, and for that we are thankful, he could probably exercise more, but his job is pretty active, it isn't a desk job but working service for a utility company.
I know not many read this but for those that do, this is one of the reasons I haven't posted replies or written on my blog in a while. If you have read this far, thank you and thank you for your friendship via blogs!
Other than this, everything has been great, I sure am looking forward to sunshine and warm weather!
Your friend in East Texas, Pam
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