My best friend Chris (Within Without) has had an ischemic Stroke (clot) and is in the hospital. The specialists are attempting to determine the best method to repair the obstruction in his Basilar_artery.
I got home late and had an email from his brother and a phone message from his sister..I don't exactly know how he is doing this instant but apparently he is out of danger and it's too late to call...
I will find out how he is doing this morning and let you know.
In the meantime, I would encourage friends and well wishers to kindly forward their thoughts to his blog where I am posting updates..
we started an ongoing thread in the comment section of his blog Snippets From Spaceship Orion but now we are moving the updates HERE
Holy crap. Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Please continue to give updates on how he's doing, and pass on my best wishes to him. *worry worry worry* :( I wish it were easier to express genuine concern through text only :(
ReplyDeleteDonn, please convey my get well wishes.
ReplyDeleteAnd lots of hugs too. You will do that, won't you?
As Stace says, distance makes us feel useless right now..
Ofcourse, I hug you too. You too need it.
ReplyDeletePoor WW - I remember that post he wrote about you ages ago.
ReplyDelete'twas a fine tribute.
Fingers crossed.
Best of luck to him. My dad suffered a hemorrhagic stroke nearly 5 years ago. Fortunately he had very good care and therapy afterwards. I hope your friend receives the same.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Dude- please tell him I send my love and wish him all the best!
ReplyDeleteshit shit shit... please let us know as soon as you can how he is doing. Donn, I sent you an email...
ReplyDeleteHugs to everyone. We all feel helpless right now....
As of this morning we know that he has some clotting in his brain and hopefully thinning agents will work.
ReplyDeleteThe severe headache that followed his blackout has subsided and he is coherent and complaining about people fussing over him.
They are running more tests today. I'll try to talk to him as soon as possible.
Check your email from me when you have a moment.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are with you, his family and all who love him. Shit...not fun. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteHis son just called and reported some fairly encouraging news..
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know when I hear more.
God, I hope everything's OK Donn! Fingers crossed for him and hugs for you both xxx
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to regular updates. I like the one about him complaining about people fussing! :)
ReplyDeleteI have just returned from the hospital and Chris said to thank everyone for the kind words and not to make a fuss.
ReplyDeleteHe is fairly lucid but very very tired, and he is slurring a bit, his headache comes and goes,
but he doesn't seem to have lost any memory.
Chris was joking around even though he was very groggy...he thought that he'd be going home tomorrow..pfft..I tried to explain that he needs to just take it easy for a while.
You'll be happy to know that he is teasing the staff..albeit in slow motion..but it's good to see that his personality remains intact.
I'm going back tonight after my daughter's dance recital...it's always surreal when events circumvent your routine..
a great reminder that we should always embrace "ordinary" days.
Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen that earlier.Hope he will get well.
ReplyDeleteTell him no one is fussing. As if we would!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing Donn. hugs. hope he gets well soon. love all.
ReplyDeleteOk just left the hospital and Chris is getting admitted tomorrow which means that he will be shuffled to a quieter ward so that he can get some sleep..
ReplyDeleteaside from his nagging headache he just wants to sleep...he did sleep a little but he is very uncomfortable and restless and the IV lines are driving him crazy.
The Emerg was super busy when I got there at midnight..packed with people, beeping machines and anxious relatives helplessly pacing about. As you can imagine, it would be nearly impossible to sleep under such conditions.
I told him that I loved him but not enough to donate one of my brains. Anyway, hopefully they can transfer him this morning so that he can get some real ZZZ's.
The situation could be much worse so I am grateful for small mercies.
Please tell Chris to get well soon and that there are easier ways to get out of paying Amurikan toll booth fines!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Laurie
Best wishes Donn, I hope Chris gets well soon.
ReplyDeleteSXX
Thank you for giving me a heads-up about this. My thoughts are with him and his loved ones.
ReplyDeletethanks for letting me know - please give him a big sloppy kiss from me
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed a wonderful friend to Chris. My thoughts to you all - and tell your mate to get better soon because Brussels is an exciting place to visit.
ReplyDeletexx
Thanks for the update Big D.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear your friend fell ill, but glad to read the promising updates. Hope all goes well ((hugs)).
ReplyDeleteUPDATE:
ReplyDeleteChris looks much better than when I last saw him at midnight..he has been admitted into the Medical Ward and he had his MRA today..the results of which will prolly be explained tomorrow..along with the course of action..ie which clot busters they will use?
From a layman's point of view, his spirits were up, he had some colour, he had slept, he could get up and go to the washroom..although he did see stars after..however he was much brighter today.
I don't know if he is out of the woods or not because he is still on heparin and I don't know anything about the clot busting drugs that will be administered.
Either way he was joking around and it was very encouraging..hopefully tomorrow will be even better.
Tuesday early a.m. - an update on Chris. He was taken to the bigger hospital because he had another little stroke where he had right sided weakness and slurred speech, so they decided to transfer him to where the neurosciences specialists are.
ReplyDeleteChris was transferred to the bigger hospital around 9:30 pm after having that little stroke. Once I found out that, I decided to go to the hospital. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing.
Shortly after he got there, he had another stroke but a big one. He had right sided paralysis and difficulty breathing. They had to sedate him and intubate him and put him on a ventilator to help his breathing. After a short time, they gave him another drug to counteract the sedation so they could assess if he was having any spontaneous recovery (which he had been having after each small stroke). He couldn't talk because of the breathing tube but he did follow commands and looked right at the doctor. At that time, however, he was unable to do anything with his right hand or foot.
Because he had had the first big stroke on Saturday afternoon, the original clot was too mature for them to use the clot busting drug on that one, but the new clot (they did a CT scan after this last event) would be fresh enough to hopefully respond. The risks are very high, though, because he has been on a blood thinning IV for two days plus he had a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) done on Saturday. Both of those are contraindicated for the IV TPA (clot buster) but they felt that it was his only hope of recovering any function. His case is very outside the box because of the location of the clot, the fact that he's so young and that he seems to be throwing clots from somewhere (the CT scan showed there is no injury to the artery in his brain).
So what they did was give him the clot bluster over an hour, hoping like hell that he won't have any complications - like a massive bleed in his brain or his spinal column (from the blood thinner IV and the spinal tap). They expected to see some kind of reponse about half way through the infusion (at about 30 mins) but nothing. Just before it was done, he started moving his right leg. Then was able to move more and more of his right side.
That is all good news but he is still so deep in the forest, you can't even see the edge of the trees. What they are hoping for is that by breaking down the new clot from this evening's stroke, it will let blood through to his brain to prevent the paralysis. And then, over time, his body will reabsorb the older clot. It is too mature to respond to the clot buster. That stuff only works when the clot is still rather jellylike.
So it is touch and go but positive enough that I came home to try and get some sleep. He has been sent to ICU and the next 12 hours will show what his recovery will be like.
Ponita please send your report over to Chris' blog because that's where people are checking, thanks...
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Ponita, for such detailed information.
ReplyDeleteI was really shocked when I've read your comment -it really semed he was getting better before, but I guess the human body is unpredictable and medicine is not an exact science-.
I really hope he gets better. I also worry about Donn. Send them my best wishes.
@ Ponita. Thank you for your expert updates. :)
ReplyDeletePonita, thanks for your update. I worry for Chris and Donn. Sending get well vibes...
ReplyDeleteEveryone... best updates are on Chris' blog, so click on the red 'here' on Donn's to go there.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who is thinking good thoughts... he needs all the good vibes he can get. It doesn't look too good at the moment.
*sigh*
all the very best of wishes to WW
ReplyDeleteThe blogging world awaits further news.........
ReplyDelete((Big Hugs))
u and WW were my bestest mates from Canada! I pray that he'll get well soon.
ReplyDeleteGoing to his blog now.
TC Donno n ty for letting me know abt him!
Keshi.
Next time just cum to Old Knudsen if you two need blogging ideas this one was way too dramatic.
ReplyDeletedonn, you be good too. Or else you know I will be after you...You know that very well.
ReplyDeleteI read about this at Ziggi's blog (!) and skipped to the Spaceship, but there seemed to be nothing after the overcharged toll.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when you (or any other Winnepeggean) get to see him, give him my love and best wishes for a full recovery. Tell him he's my only Stanley Cup link!
And Donn...give some thought to your own lifestyle!We can't lose two bloggers!
@moreidlethoughts: click on the comments under the toll post... that is where all the messages are being left. That was his last post before the sh*t hit the fan and we are are using it as the message board for him.
ReplyDeleteMy wishes to ur friend to get well soon. Nice of you to write abt me. My wishes.
ReplyDeleteI learnt of this from lovely Stace. Putting out the biggest hugg and strongest positive vibes I can..across the oceans to Chris and his family.
ReplyDeleteGreat that he is in the clear...nice slow baby steps every day to a full recovery is the key..and lots of lovely friends for support when he needs it..which Im sure he will not lack :)
Thanks for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteSending prayers ... I'm glad he has the strength of your friendship. Keep the faith. Peace & love, JP/deb
ReplyDeleteDonn- I think of you and Chris and all of this every day.. Sometimes even in the night, I dream of it.
ReplyDeleteI don't have anything helpful to say, but that you are loved; as is Chris.
Thanks for the updates. I'll be keeping WW and his loved ones in my thoughts. Thank you for being a great friend, Donn, keeping us informed. Best wishes to WW.
ReplyDelete