hi every one ,i have read your postings ..isnt life sad at times? my husband of 20 years just had two stokes..but lucky for him he got all his functions back with theropy,his speech is a tad off but that should get better.....but he is not the same personality at all. he still isnt out of the woods yet..two days ago i had to rush him to the hospitol at 1 am ..thought he was having another stroke! he had a major major headache and jaw pain..they did all kinds of tests for two days but found no blood in the brain so there was no stroke this time or anurism<(if i spelled that right)....he has a fully coroded artery..and one 85 percent coroded ..the full one there is no hope for..but the other they are going to operate and try to unblock it..~sigh~ its risky ..but he wants it...so i have to be there for him...right now i am very sad..i feel so alone...he sleeps much of the time....and its just me and the dogs..i have 3 tiny dogs...thank goodness for them...i also have two grown kids but they dont like to be bothered...they have busy lifes..plus its their stepfather..so the bond isnt really there most likely..i dont know....oh dear i am babbling now..i hope for each of you nothing but the best...and my God be with you..has anyone been thru this kind of surgery before?..i am nervous
thankx
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- By bizzyizzy
- Posted June 13, 2009 at 2:56 pm · 8 replies
- In Caregivers corner
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Explore topics in this discussion:
Cancer Surgery Stroke Seizures Spasticity Synthroid Plavix Memory Lung cancer
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- By sweetbasil
- Posted June 13, 2009 at 4:09 pm
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Hello
Isn't there another way other than surgery at 85%? Would Plavix help? I'm sure that most people who have the surgery do just fine. You don't need all 3 arteries, and a fully blocked one is safer than an almost blocked one.
My sweet husband was more than 95% blockes in both carotids. he had surgery on one, came through it fine, but before he went home from the hospital, the other sent a clot to his brain. It's been a very long 15 months.
I wish you the best and likely your husband will end up like mine with one really clear artery supplying blood flow to his brain.
- By CancerFreeColleen
- Posted June 14, 2009 at 6:45 pm
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My husband had the surgery in February, and is doing very well.
His left carotid artery was 100% blocked, so they can't do anything with it.
Immediately after his stroke, the blockage in the left carotid artery wasn't enough to justify the surgery. But when it reached about 70-75%, his risk of having another stroke was higher than any risk from the surgery.
Since the surgery, he now takes Plavix.
- By bizzyizzy
- Posted June 15, 2009 at 5:27 am
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thank you for replying to my post..i really needed to hear good things,.....i need to know thou ,why did his personality change? did your hubby's change too? ...you might not have the answer but anything you can tell me will help...........god bless you and yours! i hope every thing continues to be wonderful for you!
- By sweetbasil
- Posted June 15, 2009 at 10:27 am
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you don't say how his personality changed. The right side of the brain is more passive and sweet: able to feel and emanate love more easily. The left side is more detail oriented: more critical.
When a person has a stroke the body dumps a chemical called GABA into the brain to rather sedate it and protect it from seizures. It takes months to overcome that. Also, it may have something to do with his medications. Is he on a beta blocker or anti spasticity medication?
Jill Botle-Taylor talks about needing lots of sleep in her book.
- By CancerFreeColleen
- Posted June 15, 2009 at 5:49 pm
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Oops. I said "left" when talking about both arteries. Correction: The left carotid artery was 100% blocked (that's the side that had the stroke, affecting the right side of his body). The right carotid artery is the one they did surgery on to open it back up.
My husband's personality has changed too. I don't think there is one single cause for it. I sure miss who he used to be.
He developed thyroid problems before the stroke, so he has to take hormones. When they're out of balance, it affects his emotions. Not enough Synthroid, and he acts effeminate. He cries easily, and has an unnatural appreciation for things like fine chocolates and The Gilmore Girls. Too much Synthroid and he becomes aggressive.
The stroke affected his memory, which in turn affected his personality. Sometimes he forgets little things, big things, short periods of time, or decades of time. That has gradually gotten better, but shortly after the stroke it was pretty bad. He forgot about twenty years. In his mind, we were still just friends, and he was married to his previous wife. With his speech problems, I wasn't aware of the memory problem at first. It created quite a problem when I interacted in a way that was entirely too intimate for mere friends. He couldn't say words yet, but he had no problem communicating his revulsion at my intimate familiarity. I didn't do anything shocking, or spectacular. I just related to him as I'd grown to relate to him over the years.
He's become self-centered. I don't know where that's coming from. He was nursing me through lung cancer when he had the stroke. He was very attentive. Now, he has no more concern for me than a small child has for a parent.
He's become intolerant. He always was picky about some things, but if he didn't get his way, he'd shrug it off. Now, everything has to be his way, or he has a temper tantrum. He never had a bad temper before.
He demands my undivided attention. I can usually surf the Internet while he's watching TV, as long as I laugh when he laughs, and act like I'm half-watching the same program with him. But if i start typing, like I'm doing now, he interrupts, and forces me to pay attention to him. He's been taking a nap while I type this, but i hear him stirring now.
- By bizzyizzy
- Posted June 17, 2009 at 4:49 am
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oh cancerfree....Bless your heart..mine's personality sounds just like yours! he is very self centered..he doesnt shut up for 2 minutes,he has to argue every little thing i say and i mean debate it! for hours the same thing...then he talks to himself out loud to the point of a huge anoyance! its always my fault no matter what it is..then he wants all my attention also..he certainly has no concern for me either..i sometimes feel like his maid or a visiting nurse that happens to live here...he does nothing ..he wont even go to the store for a short trip...he just lays in his recliner and sleeps all day and night...wakes long enough to eat then back to sleep....when he manages to read alittle if i tak to him while reading its like i intrupted the president!! i could type pages of how he acts ,and its very disapointing to me because he used to be a kind ,sweet gentle man...i sure do miss my best friend ..husband of 20 years..even my grandchildren dont like to be around him any more..i have a 15 year old (grandchild) that was his best bud,not anymore..sad..he misses his pop too...i only pray that this gets better..well thank you for your response ,at least i dont feel so alone now..
God Bless
- By sweetbasil
- Posted June 18, 2009 at 12:39 am
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My husband has more severe physical problems, but is much kinder to me. As I go around and do all the things that need to be done with a house, 3 dogs, (one who needs 6 doses of medicine a day) 3 cats and get him where he needs to be each day and try to work some... you all know how demanding doing everything is... Anyway, he'll blow me kisses and tell me I'm a hero.
Still, he's different than the man I married. He was extremely intelligent even impatient because most other people didn't catch on anywhere nearly as fast as he did. Now, he is more tentative and passive. Some days just upon awakening, I have flashes of the way our lives used to be. It is very sad, like grieving when the person you love is still alive, but grieving for the life and love you had....
That said, the brain fog continues to lift. If your husbands will play cards, deal them. The right side of the brain works with symbols. I suspect it is also very susceptible to the messages of TV. Lots of fear messages from crime etc.
I once asked my husband if it thought about... whatever it was I was thinking about at the time. He said, "I'm just starting to think again." He also told me that the reason he would repeat something was that he was afraid he'd forget it: it would be lost.
The more mental games they play the more they use the brain and the good side takes over for the areas that were damaged. It's called forced use and takes enormous patience. If you haven't read the book by Jill Bolte-Taylor, do so. She talks about the need to sleep a great deal. (I can't remember the name, but there is a video online by her that is wonderful and recounts he own stroke)
- By beansy
- Posted July 2, 2009 at 11:27 pm
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I had a stroke when I was 8. I know I would have been a different person than the person I am now if not for the stroke. My brother-in-law, who was my friend and I introduced him to my sister, had a stroke 5 years ago, He lost use of right hand and foot, he was extremely intelligent and still is. But, he has a hard time getting the thoughts out. He is emotional now and was not. I don't see him too often because I live in FL and he in DE, but I seem to be the only person who jokes with him about the stroke and the losses and changes. He laughs with me. Maybe others are afraid to do so, but I know in a way how he is feeling, so I can joke with him. Laughter is the best. It will be ok.
beans
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