# My mother had a stroke last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852 "2004-07-06T21:53:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/1 "2004-07-06T21:53:02Z")
At this point they don’t know how serious. Her speech is affected (aphasia, not slurred). There’s bleeding in her brain, so there’s a worry of blood clots. Any praying folks please say a pray for her. StG ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/2 "2004-07-06T22:03:47Z")
I’m so sorry, **StG**. I’m not one of the praying folks but I’ll be sending out good thoughts to **StG\_Mom**. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/3 "2004-07-06T22:09:40Z")
I am sorry to hear your news - sending warm thoughts your way. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/4 "2004-07-06T22:53:38Z")
My mother had a stroke in October–believe me, she will improve _vastly_ in the next six weeks or so; make sure she gets post-stroke physical/mental therapy as soon as she’s ready. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/5 "2004-07-06T23:17:05Z")
Sending all my best you way. Good luck to your Mom. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/6 "2004-07-06T23:53:05Z")
Thanks for the encouragement, friends. \Eve\ - They’re talking about keeping her in the hospital for a week, then sending her to a rehab facility after that. Fortunately she doesn’t seem to have much paralysis, good strength on both sides. She’s still sort of confused. A lot of that is that she knows what she wants to say, but can’t get the right words out. She’s a tough old bird - she’s 72 and she’s had cancer twice (uterine and breast cancer), smashed both legs and had one foot cut off and reattached after a car accident, 2 open heart surgeries, lost my father to lung cancer, and the list goes on. I’m sure she’ll fight hard to come back as much as possible. StG ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/7 "2004-07-07T00:06:50Z")
Every child’s fear. A wish for a speedy and complete recovery for your mom. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/8 "2004-07-07T00:29:45Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Thanks for the encouragement, friends. > > \Eve\ - They’re talking about keeping her in the hospital for a week, then sending her to a rehab facility after that. Fortunately she doesn’t seem to have much paralysis, good strength on both sides. She’s still sort of confused. A lot of that is that she knows what she wants to say, but can’t get the right words out. She’s a tough old bird - she’s 72 and she’s had cancer twice (uterine and breast cancer), smashed both legs and had one foot cut off and reattached after a car accident, 2 open heart surgeries, lost my father to lung cancer, and the list goes on. I’m sure she’ll fight hard to come back as much as possible. > > StG Sounds like the same kind of stroke my mother had. She never did get her short-term memory back and she has to live in assisted-living now, but she did improve significantly over the first six weeks after the stroke. If she’s a tough old bird–like my Mom–she’ll deal with it and compensate for what she’s lost. This may entail some changes–does she live alone? She may need at-home nursing or (the best solution, if you can afford it _and can find a good one_), an assisted-living facility. Start looking now–talk to the visiting nurses in your area andf ask for recomendations; they see them all and can tell you which ones are snake pits and which ones are reputable. Even if she doesn’t need one now, she may over the next few years and it’s best not to get caught short. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/9 "2004-07-07T01:36:49Z")
**Eve** - Mother remarried one of my father’s oldest friends, who also lost his wife to cancer. He’s a great guy and will care for her. Hopefully she won’t need long-term professional care. StG ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/10 "2004-07-07T01:56:48Z")
**Stg** , your mother sounds like a fighter, and in this instance, that’s a _very_ good thing! A prayer has been said on her behalf; here’s hoping it helps! ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/11 "2004-07-07T02:25:27Z")
Sorry to hear that this happened. My father suffered a very debilitating stroke, but he made a surprisingly good recovery (better than the doctors originally expected, even). Despite the disabilities that lingered, he did adapt and lived a fairly normal life at home with us until sadly he died of other causes 10 years later. I do feel prayer made a difference in his case so I will certainly say a prayer for your mom’s recovery too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/12 "2004-07-07T05:17:13Z")
Prayers sent for your mom and for you. Hang in there, **StG**. It’s so hard to watch your parents age and get ill. It sounds like you have a great step-dad and that’s a blessing right there. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/13 "2004-07-07T05:41:27Z")
Your mother is in my prayers. Hang in there it will get better. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/14 "2004-07-08T02:58:17Z")
**Mother Update** - She’s doing pretty well. They don’t have her up or walking yet, but she’s much more lucid than she was before. She’s able to enunciate well, but has trouble finding certain words. When I asked her if she wanted something from the cafeteria she knew what she wanted, but could only say “I want thread kwan” Thread seems to be the word that often comes out instead of what she wants to say. She’s able to say very clearly “This is SO frustrating!” She pretty much refuses to respond to the doctors. (She’s never really liked doctors) They say she’ll be moved to a rehab facility in 3-4 days. I don’t know how long they’ll want to keep her. StG ---
**Author:** ![Aries28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Aries28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aries28)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/15 "2004-07-08T12:31:45Z")
I hope she continues to improve. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/16 "2004-07-13T01:28:00Z")
**Mother Update** - My mother’s back in Intensive Care. Things aren’t looking good. Her brain keeps swelling. The neurologist says there isn’t anything he can do surgically, it’s just a wait and see if she survives. StG ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/17 "2004-07-13T01:42:52Z")
Your mom (and you and her husband) will be in my prayers, St.Germain. The medications which are administered in a situation like this have really advanced in recent years, and this is not the worst-case scenario it once was. Hang in there, and remember to take care of yourself while you’re taking care of her. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/18 "2004-07-13T01:45:33Z")
I am sorry to hear your news. Sending warm thoughts your way. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/19 "2004-07-13T12:34:37Z")
**StGermain** , I’m sorry to hear of this setback. I will continue to pray for all of you! ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852/20 "2004-07-13T12:51:07Z")
**StGermain** , I know exactly what you are going through. My grandfather, who raised me along with my grandmother, had a stroke on June 9th, just 15 days before his 80th birthday and 4 months after a heart attack. It is very scary, for us as a family, and for him as well. Just like your Mom, it was a bleed in the brain. He improved for a while, but is very sick now. I don’t often offer cyber hugs, but this thread struck a cord with me. _hugs_ to you and yours. Feel free to email me if you need to talk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mother-had-a-stroke-last-night/253852.md?page=2)