From: girish.kana
To: ram
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2001 1:28 AM
Subject: VAD
Hi Ram
I saw your message on the stroke message board and visited your site. It is excellent !
Hope that you are well and fighting ! When you get a bit weary of the struggle take a break and start again.
My wife, from being 'locked in' is now walking (slowly) with a stick and can see (double vision close up) and talk. It is still a struggle for her but we keep on going.
Don't give up.
Regards
Girish.
Hi Ram
I saw your message on the stroke message board and visited your site. It is excellent !
Hope that you are well and fighting ! When you get a bit weary of the struggle take a break and start again.
My wife, from being 'locked in' is now walking (slowly) with a stick and can see (double vision close up) and talk. It is still a struggle for her but we keep on going.
Don't give up.
Regards
Girish.
To: girish.kana
Sent: 21 May 2001 17:04
Subject: Re: VAD
Girish,
What kind of stroke did your wife suffer. Was it due to a vertebral artery ?
Why don't you join as a member. Membership is for patients as well as carers so that we can all benefit from each others experiences. My entire history is on the web. Please tell me more about your wife's stroke when she got the attack and how she is coping. I can give her a few tips on how to put up a fight successfully. Last april the medical profession gave me up for dead or at best a vegetable, including my three sisters who are all doctors, two in UK and one in Madras.
In my mind I never believed it was the end I fought like mad and got back on my feet. I am actually ready to get back to work next month. I could have gone back to work almost a year ago except for these repeated attacks that resembled the stroke symptoms, which had me worried if the left vertebral also was packing up. I now know after seeing almost 20 neurologists that blood supply has stbilised and is fine excepth that a nerve in my neck is being pinched and this sends neuro impulses to that part of the brain with damaged or dead cells thus triggering the attacks.
Please take time to join our small group as a member. They are all nice people. All of us could gain from your experiences.
Ram
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Hi Ram
Girish,
What kind of stroke did your wife suffer. Was it due to a vertebral artery ?
Why don't you join as a member. Membership is for patients as well as carers so that we can all benefit from each others experiences. My entire history is on the web. Please tell me more about your wife's stroke when she got the attack and how she is coping. I can give her a few tips on how to put up a fight successfully. Last april the medical profession gave me up for dead or at best a vegetable, including my three sisters who are all doctors, two in UK and one in Madras.
In my mind I never believed it was the end I fought like mad and got back on my feet. I am actually ready to get back to work next month. I could have gone back to work almost a year ago except for these repeated attacks that resembled the stroke symptoms, which had me worried if the left vertebral also was packing up. I now know after seeing almost 20 neurologists that blood supply has stbilised and is fine excepth that a nerve in my neck is being pinched and this sends neuro impulses to that part of the brain with damaged or dead cells thus triggering the attacks.
Please take time to join our small group as a member. They are all nice people. All of us could gain from your experiences.
Ram
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Hi Ram
I thought I have joined as a member ? Perhaps I did
something wrong.
I have to keep my emails short but someday I may find the
time to sit down and write something. I work (try too) full time and also take
care of my 2 kids (Maya who is 4) and Ravi (who is 6), look after Smita (my
wife) and take care of the home. So it is difficult for me at present to sit
down and write something useful. I hope to someday.
Smita had a stroke in February 1998. She was 32. Maya was 11
months and Ravi 2yrs and 9months. So as you may imagine, I have a lot on my
plate but it is all worth it to see the kids grow and see their mum improving.
Smita had a dissection of the vertebral artery. They do not
know the cause of the dissection. A clot formed on the artery which caused the
stroke. Her symptoms prior to the stroke was severe headache which was
diagnosed as migraine. After a few days she developed dizziness with vomiting
(with the headache) and this was diagnosed as a viral infection !!!
She was taken to the hospital where she had CT and MRI
scans. These revealed nothing. She had a lumbar puncture...still nothing.
She was finally taken to another hospital where she was
given an angiogram. This revealed the clot. From her admittance to hospital to
diagnoses it was almost 12 hours !
The clot was dissolved using Heparin but the damage was
done. She had suffered a severe stroke of the "brain stem" and was
not expected to survive. Survive she did but she was "Locked-In".
Maya's 1st birthday was at the hospital besides her mum who was aware of
everything but could not move or respond. Over a period of months, Smita slowly
opened here eyes, moved her head, her right leg and arm and eventually learned
to speak again (after her trach was removed).
Today, she has problems with her balance, double vision
(close), left side hemiplegia, speaking and swallowing difficulties and minor
cognitive problems. Her right side lacks fine control.
Everyone (Physios, OTs, Speech Therapists, etc) have given
up but I still do various exercises in the hope that she will continue to
improve. Any suggestions and hints here would be very welcome !!!
The great thing about our struggle is to see the
relationship developing between mum and kids !! It is just fantastic.
Sorry to keep things so brief, but mum and the kids need
feeding.
Hope to hear from you soon
Regards
Girish.
