Audriana's so very loved Grandpa....

          Audriana's grandpa, my dad, is in need of many prayers! Dads speech had been a bit off for a week or two, as well as maybe his vision, but I attributed it to getting older. My aunt, uncle and dads cousin were visiting last Friday night and noticed something was not right. Everyone thought stroke and tried to get my dad to go to the hospital, but being the stubborn man he is, he would not go. So my aunt called me the next morning, Saturday, asking if I had talked to my dad and I said of course. I was actually over at my parents. She said she still felt uneasy about my dad and asked if I did not think he had possibly had a stroke. As I started to think about it and researched stroke symptoms, I was then convinced too! After much nagging, I finally got my dad to go to the ER. The first order of business was to get my dads sustained heart rate of 130 down. After multiple doses of meds, they were able to get it down into the 90's. This slower rate revealed an A Fib heart rhythm, best explained as a quivering of the upper chamber of the heart. This can cause blood to pool and clot, and increasing a risk for a stroke. Turns out a CT scan did show damage from a stroke. They however, were unable to tell if it was sudden or accumulative. They would have liked to do an MRI, but dad has a pacemaker so that is not an option. It is now Monday afternoon and I believe they have the heart issue under control with some new meds, but I am still not positive on this. We are still waiting to hear from his speech therapist. They are thinking not only was his speech affected, but his throat muscles as well causing difficulty in swallowing. These muscles will obviously have to be built back up and they can be, thank God! Mom said last she had heard the therapy would be for a few weeks several hours a day, but I am not 100% on this. I am just hoping he will not have to stay in the hospital especially considering he did not even want to go to begin with. Prayers are definitely appreciated for a full recovery as well as getting these heart issues taken care of because we do not want any more strokes or heart attacks for sure! I feel my dad maybe dodged a huge bullet that this seems to be all that was affected because I have heard numerous stories of strokes doing a lot more damage. Praying for a full recovery and many, many, MANY more years with my wonderful father and lots of playtime for Audriana and her Grandpa!

          It is now a bit after 2 and I have some more news. The heart doctor came in and talked to dad and said he was having A-Flutter, we had been told A-Fib. They are both treated the same way to my understanding though. They are putting him on Coumadin. This means he must have his blood monitored every 2 weeks! Speech therapist says liquids are going down the wrong way and dad will have to thicken up all liquids. Still not sure about ongoing therapy. His heart echo showed no blockage or clots, so this is terrific news. Now we just need to figure out how long he has to stay in the hospital, how long he will have to have this modified diet which restricts him from so much (meats also have to be grinded up), and how long his therapy will last. Geez dad get healthy and stuff! We need you home and Audriana misses her grandpa!

          Yet another update! It is now April 5th around 1:00 in the afternoon. Dad is now on day 10 of his hospital stay. Doctors have been unable to find the right med to bring his heart rate down, but not his blood pressure. The current med they put him on shows some hope, so we are praying it works. His speech has improved tremendously, but still a bit raspy. He has to thicken all liquids and eat meals that only include things that are easy to go down. Meaning basically a lot of ground meat in gravy, green beans, and mashed potatoes. How boring! I have been spending some time with dad this morning and was able to speak with his heart doctor. The game plan is as follows. In the hopes that this new med continues to work and his breathing improves (breathing decreased due to his weakened heart), dad is looking at coming home tomorrow or the next day. He did have a clot and that is what caused the stroke, but the Coumadin should thin out the clots to prevent another stroke. His heart rate is increased due to the A-fib and A-flutter. The doctors will give dad about 4-6 weeks to heal from the stroke and then they will do an outpatient procedure to shock his heart back into rhythm. Once back into rhythm his heart rate should come down. Continued prayers for my dad are much appreciated! We love him so very much and need him home. Audriana misses her grandpa so very much!