Special thoughts needed for my mom

[gja1000]

Yes, aspirin is a blood thinner and it is good for older people to be taking aspirin everyday. Because my husand has plaque buiildup in his carotid artery and a clot formation there, traveling to his brain, is likely what caused the stroke symptoms, then he has to take coumadin which is a more powerful blood thinner.

Until they have a better idea of what caused the stroke, aspirin is fine. You might ask if they plan to do a carotid doppler study.

[judy]

Lindsey,

I am so happy that your Mom is doing so much better! It is good that she finally had no choice but to go to a doctor. Now, whatever is going on, she will know what to do. She must be pretty strong to have had only a mild stroke after many years of smoking. I hope she can stop.

Hugs,

Judy

[Lindsey]

Well, my mom made it through the weekend okay. We got her a day pass on Saturday to go to my grandma's house to eat... they were ordering pizza and my mom had been craving pizza She said right after eating she really craved a cigarette, but that passed quickly. I think it was just being back to "normal" for those few hours.. she always smokes after eating. Back in the hospital it's not her normal life so the feeling isn't even there. It is now day 5 of her not even wanting a smoke, so I think she's well on her way to quitting completely. My dad bought her a Nicoderm patch yesterday, in case she gets the craving when she's back at home. She has never tried quitting before but I think this gave her enough of a scare to really try.
Yesterday her eyesight was back to normal, and she had more energy and was walking at a normal pace. She wanted more pj's and a housecoat that wasn't so warm so I was her personal shopper I got her two really cute pajama outfits and a nice black satin housecoat. My grandma made some wings last night, so we took a few for my mom and she wolfed them down! She's not a big fan of hospital food!
Today they are doing an ultrasound of her neck, an echocardiogram, and putting on a holtor monitor. She has to stay in the hospital for 24 hours with the monitor so she will not get out for sure before tomorrow, and most likely not until Wednesday.
I'm at work this morning but I will be leaving around noon to spend the afternoon with her in the hospital. Thanks everyone for thinking of her!

[DianaB]

Oh, Lindsey, I'm so glad to hear about your Mom and that things weren't too bad. It's certainly going to mean a big change in her lifestyle, but it will be worth it! {{{{{Hugs}}}}}

[gja1000]

Lindsay, they are doing all the right tests. That is GREAT! The interesting thing is that in the States, she would likely be sent home and have to go back and forth to get all those tests done. We just don't keep people who are not sick in the hospital for those tests anymore - we used to - but not much anymore. I'm glad though, that they are keeping her right there!

Has someone talked to her about nutrition? Pizza - and i LOVE pizza (I also have high blood pressure) is very high in salt. Eating too much salt, causes fluid retention (in everyone) and for persons with high blood pressure, that increased fluid will raise the blood pressure. It's not that pizza once in a while will hurt because it won't, but pizza everyday or other salty foods everyday, would be problematic. My point is that I hope someone talks with her about food that can help with blood pressure. Also, the nicotine patch can also raise blood pressure. Your mom needs to have an electronic blood pressure monitoring machine at home so that she can keep track of her blood pressure and note if anything like the patch or eating too much pizza (or other salty foods) raises her pressure. You can get these at a pharmacy and they are not very expensive - maybe $40.00.

Tell your mom we are all so happy that she is doing well!

[Lindsey]

Nobody has talked to her about nutrition YET. Her hospital meals all say "Low Sodium" but nobody has actually told her what she should and shouldn't be eating. I'm sure that will come before she's gone though. Yesterday she was craving chips so I bought her some lightly salted chips with 65% less sodium than regular chips.
She got the holtor monitor on yesterday morning. It should come off around 9:30 or 10 this morning. Then they are going to try to get her echocardiogram done today. Yesterday afternoon the doctor said she will have to stay at least 2 more days. They want to know her results before letting her go. If everything is normal, she may be out by tomorrow night! If not, they will keep her for more tests. I think more than anything she's sick of the other old ladies in her room! One will start singing in the middle of the night, and the others will join in. They also never flush the toilet My mom said everytime she goes in there she has to flush before she can use it! Yesterday a nurse came in to talk to the old lady across from my mom, and she asked when her last bowel movement was. The old lady was like "Oh about 8 days ago" and my mom said "Yeah right!" LOL

[Lindsey]

Oh yeah, when we bought the patch we asked the pharmacist and he said it should be okay but to ask the doctor too. My mom asked the doctor about it and she also said it would be okay! But she might not even need it. It's already day 6 and she still only had that one little craving. We'll see how strong she can be when she gets home! My grandma and my dad (who both successfully quit smoking) said that if she can get through the first week, the hardest part is already over.