Just in, tired, and feeling a bit sick.
Went round to Mum's today(She's 81), me and sis take turns, lunch, chit chat etc i'm there for 1pm till about 5pm. Sisters in Manchester taking young nephew to get plane/GF for his 6 month adventure in SE Asia.
All is fine till about 3 when Mum noticed an eye issue(flashing int he peripheral vision, which she said preceded a mini stroke she had last year, but nothing we thought to be concerned about.
5 mins later her speech becomes garbled. Can hardly get a word out
Me - 999
15 mins later Ambulance on the doorstep, tests and into the Glasgow Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
All is ok, speech had returned to normal, 30 mins there her speech again breaks down, another whatever happened at 4pm, and then again an hour after that.
Lots of waiting, but nothing like you see in the papers, acute emergency intake area has plenty of staff. I alert them its happening again and this time with a nurse present, they can at least see whats happening and it helps things along, but still 30-40 mins before a stroke Dr comes in for a chat. Then to get scans(inconclusive)
Happened a 3rd time. Mum is obviously frightened this is the prelude to a major stroke, but at least she is in the right place, and just off the phone there(im in the door 30mins) and she reports its happened a further 2 times.
.
So we dont know. The small mini strokes dont normally come that close together. Dr says 3 in a day close together would be unusual, but thats now 5 in the space of 8 hours.
Fk knows.
Stroke Dr is saying so unusual to have multiple so close together, so maybe these are caused by something else. Mini strokes yes, but not as bad as they could be. Fluctuations in blood pressure spiking high affects the capillaries in the brain, which Dr feels might be the cause. MRI tomorrow i think.
My concerns are that Mum is basically sitting in bed worrying if she'll wake up the next morning. But what can you say to alleviate such concerns ??. Nothing really, just have to wait and see. She's a worrier at the best of times, so god alone knows how this will effect her.
Im shattered 🙁
Nothing to say other than, you've done all the right things and have a virtual hug. Tough day, hoping daybreak brings a better one.
Thoughts are with you. My Dad had similar episodes, I was with him for several of them, they were diagnosed as T.. somethings. They never developed into anything worse and he lived well until last year at the age of 94.
Hope all is well.
Yeah sounds tough for both your mum and you. I guess you can reassure her that she will be looked after, which should also give you some reassurance.
It's lucky that you were there to call the ambulance. I hope you can rest knowing that she will get whatever care she needs.
Awful, awful day there mate.
The feeling of powerless for you both and exhaustion on top won't be helping.
All you can do is try and recharge the batteries for tomorrow and hopefully your mum gets some sleep too.
No doubt tomorrow is going to be a tough day also but I hope you and your mum get some positive news from the docs.
Nightmare pretty much sums that up. Hope you get some answers and some distraction for you both.
Any news OP? Hope you and your mum get some answers soon.
they were diagnosed as T.. somethings
That's TIA - Transient Ischaemic Attack - effectively a temporary stroke, the blood supply is interrupted, eg, by a small clot, that then clears.
@ dyna-ti I'd expect the hospital will have given an anti-clotting drug which should reduce the risk. Best wishes.
That's tough for you, but she's in the right place for care and they will be on it already as others have said with anti-clotting.
I feel for you. Hopefully the MRI will reveal more about the cause of the TIAs and allow them to crack on with the right treatment.
She's in the right place, that's the best you can hope for, and you've caught it quickly.
She's in the right place, and you have done all you can.
Not easy for you, MrsMC is going through similar with her mum at the moment.
Best wishes to you and your mum
Fingers crossed for you, bud
Hope your Mum is ok mate, if it is a TIA as I said my Dad had several, sometimes when I was taking him birdwatching during his two hours respite from my mum. It affected his speech for a few minutes (talked nonsense, a bit like his son) and after recovery (half hour) he couldn’t really recollect anything. It didn’t lead to anything worse and he looked after himself, with our help until last year.
Keep positive.
You did everything right and she's in the best place, I'm sure all will turn out OK. Be kind to yourself, that's a hell of a tough day 👍
Ah no bad times ☹️ sorry only just seen this.
Hope all is going to come good for your mum's health 🤞
Thanks for all the kind words of support. Future is not something me and sis want to think about but after today, which was far worse we're really going to have to make some radical changes over Mums care.
No way are we agreeing to a release before a care package is in place.
Today as said was worse. The garbled words weren't as prevalent, but confusion reigned the day and she couldnt remember simple details, even when conveyed seconds earlier. The time for example. Asked, asked and several times more but couldnt seem to understand the 24h clock system.
But the biggest problem is it is all a worry for her. She keeps stating 'somethings not right' with her and all we can do is try to reassure.
I think one of the main stumbling blocks is until the MRI scan is done, we wont know what treatments are available.
Until we have thew info, we dont know if the treatment will work or if she will be either left permanently in this state, or if it will disappear and return as with the mini stroke 18months-2 years down the line, or whether it will return far more often.
You have to remember that up until Friday, she was doing her own online banking, taking care of bills, the cat and things and while there are many other issues- cataracts, a serious spinal condition, and the last 2 years of constant nausea, she could cope with help from us. But now we dont know if this daily visit for a few hours to give her lunch/pud, sort the cat out etc will be enough, and there is no way in this condition she can be left on her own overnight or even for a few hours.
Again im shattered, emotionally I think more than anything else.
We shall just have to see. Its a frightening time, not only for Mum, but for the rest of us.
Again, thanks for the kind words of support. I know we all fight and argue with each other on a regular basis, but its also obvious that theres support to despite of this.
I hope after this that my end includes a bus doing 50mph. Dying by degrees is not pleasant to watch or endure. You see a different side to close family members and its not pretty.
Again im shattered, emotionally I think more than anything else.
Well of course, you must be - it's your mum and mums are quite unique in our lives. As you say it is too early to know what the situation will be like long-term, and thinking the worse is clearly something that you should avoid doing . Plus of course people can make remarkable recoveries. Although as people enter their advanced years we need to appreciate that the time we have with them becomes a bonus, a bonus that we need to treasure. Good luck.
Hang in there @dyna-ti. You are doing everything you can right now for you mother and, like you said, until there is more information, there is nothing more you can do.
Big hug from us in Sweden, both to you and your mother.
all the best dyna-ti
My dad had several TIA about a year ago, he was completely unaware that anything was wrong though, which meant he’s not worried about it.
He got some sort of medication to thin his blood and has been fine since (he has plenty of other issues)
The hospital were brilliant (crosshouse, kilmarnock)
Stay strong mate, your mum is in the best place
That's a hard update to read mate and I'm so sorry things haven't progressed in a more positive way. Hopefully the MRI will give you a much clearer idea of what to expect.
My mum had a "step change" overnight back in '21 with her vascular dementia. Overnight she forgot how to use the TV remote, telephone etc. and numerous other changes. Literally overnight. This type of dementia has a lot of similarities with strokes.
You are right to insist on a care plan being put into place. Sorry to bring this up but it's worth knowing in the weeks and months ahead... she might only get care for a limited time for free, possibly 6 weeks? Then charges might apply and can ramp up very fast. Don't ask me how I know this.
I wish you all the best with getting that scan done asap so you know far better where you all stand.
Grab some sleep whenever you can, the emotional exhaustion can really get to you in a big way.
Sounds like you're doing your best. Can't offer advice other than not to beat yourself up about it. Sometimes it's shit for the person themselves (in pain/bewildered/upset), sometimes it's shit for the family around them, either watching them suffer and/or with the various needs going through the roof. Sometimes as you say it brings out the worst in people but they are probably under great stress themselves so you may be able to forgive and forget to some extent. Just do what you can and roll with it. One way or another, none of us live in perfect health for ever, so learning to deal with the practical and emotional problems associated with health problems (whether temporary or terminal) is just an inevitable part of life. It will pass.