StrokeSurvivorBlog

My goal in creating this blog is to encourage stroke survivors along with their family and caregivers in their recovery process. We’ve had many successes along the way, but I feel it would not be fair of me to tell you only of the positive things that have happened and not to share all the struggles we’ve [...]

Preventing another stroke is a priority in Steve’s treatment. He has many risk factors that we can control and some we can’t. Read more about Risk Factors. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is paramount, which still proves to be a struggle. It’s been averaging around 164/96, and it should be no greater than 120/80. This [...]

Steve is in desperate need of prayer!! He appears to be regressing considerably physically and mentally. 1. He’s had four seizures since December, and each one does some damage to the electrical part of his brain. Last night he started on an anti-seizure Keppra, so I’m monitoring him for any side effects that may be [...]

Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 marked the one-year anniversary of Steve’s stroke. As I look back over the last year I am amazed at all that has happened. There were many successes and victories, challenges and setbacks. Frustration, hopelessness, discouragement and depression are emotions that Steve struggles with, so it is good that we look back [...]

There has been another new development in Steve’s health. He had another seizure yesterday morning (2/2/09). This one was milder than the first one, but he fell off a chair in the bathroom, hit his head on the wall and landed on the floor. I heard the noise from the other room and ran to see [...]

On Monday, 1-12-09, Steve saw a Cardiac electrophysiologist for the atrial fibrillation. That’s a specialist who handles the electrical part of the heart. After greeting us, he recommended that Steve take the drug Coumadin (Warfarin). It’s a blood thinner that will help prevent a blood clot which could result in another ischemic stroke. There is nothing [...]

For the last several nights Steve has been coughing and wheezing so severely that he can’t sleep, and neither can I. He saw the doctor this past Friday and she prescribed an antibiotic for a chest infection, but no inhaler for the asthma-like breathing. This shortness of breath is new since the seizure. In spite [...]