Update On Dad

Since mom is 40 miles from home and has been so blessed with calls and emails I hope this site helps with dads updates.

Six days seems like an eternity when every minute counts. Lara keeps us updated daily. I feel guilty for not being there but doctor has said he does not want me that far and I have to know that dad would want the same. After all he's the only GRANDpa for these girls!

Here is an update:

He is finally off the IV for his BP and they have him on insulin and patch/oral meds for BP. BP and Blood sugar are stable for now and he was moved to a regular room. We do know that the severity of the stroke may have been prevented if Dyersburg Hosp. had done a CT scan before giving him the TPA shot but obviously cant do anything about it now so we just pray he continues to progress. Even the Neurologist said she was amazed at how well he is doing and the ICU nurses see the determination in him. Ultimately it is up to dad and you can tell he's trying hard.
He's eating much better. Still a little unsure what to do with water so thickener is added to all liquids to help him get it down. He's enjoying fruit juices and meals mom and lara are preparing for him at the hospitality house they are staying in near the hospital. He's feeding himself. Lara reads the Bible to him every morning and every evening. He looks at the bible but we are unsure of how much he comprehends.
Lara was leaving on Wed. night and leaned over and kissed him and asked him to give her a kiss and he puckered his lips (which he could not do the day before) and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She then told him she loved him and waited. It was a delay but he opened his mouth and got the word "I" out. Lara said you could tell he was trying to say more but we are happy with at least one word. Mom just told me today that he was able to nod his head no - we've been trying to get him to do that for almost 5 days. He knows what he wants and what he doesn't want but the communication is the only thing lacking but he's finding other ways to let us know.
Now that he's in a reg. room we hope that ST,OT and PT will start working with him aggressively.
Still no movement on his right side. They put a brace on his right arm yesterday to help straighten it and loosen it up. Dad has been straightening his own fingers and pushing his arm down with his strong left side.
We thank each and every one that has written, called and kept us in your Prayers.
Much love,
Thurmonds

Baby shower given by church family

So many adorable things for the girls. Over 1000 diapers and wipes. YIPEE!

Thank you to all who made it so special.

Update on Dad's Condition(picture taken 2 weeks ago in Gatlinburg LAUREL FALLS HIKE

First of all...thank you so much for your continued support and concern of my father as he battles through his 2nd stroke. Your phone calls and texts have been much appreciated.

For those that have asked...here’s what happened and the latest update. For those who may not have heard...here ya go.

On Oct. 10th at about 11PM, he had his second stroke. He knew it was happening and was fully cognizant of the situation. He called my mom (who happened to be in Nashville at the time visiting Amber before her baby shower) and told her he thought he was having another stroke. Long story short...EMT’s took him to Dyer County hospital where he informed them of his past heart/stroke history.

For those of you who may not know, my dad had a stroke about 6 years ago after his quad-bypass surgery. The day he was supposed to go home from the hospital, he threw a clot. It slowed him down a bit, but didn’t incapacitate him by any means. After therapy, he was able to get back to a full life...although much slower and with a permanent limp on his right side.

Upon arriving and hearing of his situation, the doctors immediately gave him a Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA) shot, which is very effective in thinning the blood and breaking up/clearing a clot if administered within 2-3 hours of a stroke. Unfortunately [and unbeknownst to the doctors...which I’m still curious as to why...i’m guessing there wasn’t a CT scan at Dyer hospital???], my dad did not have a “clot” stroke, but a “bleed” stroke. Well, you can imagine what a strong blood thinner like a TPA shot would do to a person that’s bleeding internally...it only exacerbated the problem and he immediately took a turn for the worse, becoming virtually comatose. When they saw his reaction to the shot they immediately put him on an ambulance to a more advanced facility...Jackson-Madison General Hospital, in Jackson, TN. about 40 minutes from my parents home in Dyersburg.

Mom, Lara, Amber, Jonathan, and I got to the hospital at different times throughout the day, Saturday the 11th. When we first got there...he wasn’t very responsive at all, and just looked kind of glazed over. We spent as much time as they would allow us in his ICU room. We just continued to stimulate him in any way possible when allowed in the room, making sure he had familiar faces in front of him and that he could hear our voices. He just looked completely exhausted...so, we left him around 10PM Saturday night to get some much needed rest before they let us back in at 9AM Sunday morning. He looked much better the next morning, but here’s the current status.

He’s completely paralyzed on his right side (with the exception of some slight twitching reactions to stimuli...which is a start), but does have use (although limited) of his left side. He has a strong grip with his left hand, and can actually feed himself, although the swallowing bit isn’t up to spec, just yet. But, no need for a feeding tube at this time, which is GREAT news. He can’t do thin liquids just yet, because of lack of control of his mouth and swallowing. But, has done well with thicker things like mashed potatoes, pudding, etc. Hey...it’s a start.

He can’t speak whatsoever at this time...but, seems to by trying as he’s grunting more now. If he is cognizant of what’s happening and can hear/understand us completely...i can only imagine his frustration. He’s not very responsive to specific commands, so we really just don’t know what all he’s comprehending. He’s showing emotion...so, we’re pretty sure he recognizes us, but when given a specific command like “blink once for yes, or squeeze our hand for no”, he doesn’t seem to respond very well...and, when he does...it’s very delayed. The bleed has affected about a ¼ of his brain, according to the Neurologist and CT scan. So, it’s fairly significant. She said he’s actually doing much better than she expected after seeing the damage of the bleed. Right now, we’re just hoping it’s stopped bleeding so the body can start to mend the damaged/bruised area of the brain. He may improve drastically or not much more than what he is now...only time will tell.

We hope to have him out of ICU within’ the next 2-3 days. Again...thank you so much for all the support. I’ll keep you posted on his progress. Much love: the Thurmond family.

29 Weeks

Ultrasound yesterday (October 14th) 30 weeks gestation. Doctor is very pleased how the progress is going. He said I was a good patient doing all that I need to be doing. Eating well, drinking plenty of water and taking it easy.....kinda!

Sadie is on my right and Trista is on the left. Trista actually moved so now they are fighting with thier feet to see who can cram which foot under my Right Rib!

Sadie weighs 3lbs 1 oz and Trista weighs 3lbs 6oz.

26 Weeks Preggo

I know I look big and I am feelin it. Can you imagine that I have 3 more months to go to get to my due date of December 22nd. Doc. wants me to get to Nov. 22nd at least!