Not a Stroke

Well we have seen the doctor several times since Wednesday. They have determined that Eric did not have a stroke. He had a brain bleed. The difference? A stroke would leave perminent damage, whereas a brain bleed may not leave perminent damage on the brain. The doctor said that after the "bruise" goes down, everything else will be back to normal. They also determined that what Eric has is called an arterial venous fistula. It is where a vessel is weakened and opens or tears and then bleeds. His is the artery that carries oxygen to the brain and goes right down the center of the brain. It is very rare. The doctor said that he may see one in his life time. He said there is only one study on it and it was from 1990-2000. Out of thousands of brain bleeds, this form was only present 9 times. So he is sending the pictures out to another medical place to have them analyze it. He said that they will do an arteriogram 2 weeks from now to see if the blood has moved. If the blood has moved and they can get clearer pictures, they will put a coil in there to stop it from bleeding again. In the mean time, we will be transferred to 3rd floor at Baptist for rehab.

Eric should have moved tonite, but then he had to have an ultrasound done on his left leg to look for a blood clot. He was complaining of pain in his calf and when we looked, his calf and foot was swollen. He was in a lot of pain today. They think he could have a blood clot in his left leg or a charlie horse. He can't get up and take care of a charlie horse, so he just has to sit and take constant pain for hours. We should be able to move tomorrow.

Please pray for a boy who is at Baptist ICU. He is 19 and they think he has a brain tumor. He is going through some of the same things we went through. I met his grandma yesterday and have been praying with her. His name is Kyle Spears.

The thought for the day: Never take things for granted. I know everybody says that, but take it from someone who has been there. Make sure the people around you know that you care for them and appreciate them. I have learned to appreciate the sweet hugs my 2 year old gives even though some days I don't even get to see him. I also appreciate the smiles my husband gives. There was a time in ICU that my husband couldn't smile at me because he was so much on morphine or he was in Lebanon. (Seriously, one day he thought he was in Lebanon). I know this thought is morbid, but one day they could be gone. I haven't had a hug from my husband in 3 weeks. When is the last time that you hugged your spouse or kids and really hugged them?