Billy's Recovery Updates

Sunday, October 11th I was getting ready to go into work. Billy had been laying in bed for two days unable to keep sips of water down. He was very nauseated and just wanted to sleep. He complained that he felt very warm even though his skin felt cool to the touch and clammy. Saturday, a headache had crept in and Tylenol or Motrin helped to keep it at bay. All he kept thinking was that he was dehydrated, and that's why his head was hurting. I was concerned about going into work because he didn't leave the bed much. However, he insisted that he didn't want to go to the hospital and that it would be fine for me to go to work. "I don’t want to go and sit in the ED for three hours. We need that sick day in case something happens with the kids in the next few weeks. Don't call off just because I don't feel good. I'll be fine." I had approximately one more sick occurrence left before I would be written up for missing too many days. Therefore, we were both hes...

 I couldn't believe how much stuff I brought to him while he was in the hospital. I used to chuckle to myself and wonder why on earth a person would need to bring a giant suit case to their family member as if strolling down the terminals of the LAX. Alas, here I was, attempting to stuff all of the things I had brought to my husband so that he would have some of the comforts of home back into this giant suitcase. Once again, I was completely and unapologetically that family member. Brand new down pillow, check, framed photograph, check, aromatherapy machine to drown out the smells of the hospital, check, a pair of underwear and socks to last him until the coming of Christ, check. Everything he could've ever needed, I happily strolled my little self down the hospital hallway to bring to my ailing husband. The thing I did not think about what how I was going to get all of this home. Now, here I was, breathlessly stuffing the entire back end of my SUV with all of the goodies I acc...

At the beginning of all this, when I walked into Billy's room, it would take him a little bit to recognize who I was. I would have to announce my presence, and then his face would light up and he would get excited that I was there. I have noticed that each day I come to see him, the recognition time becomes shorter and shorter. The excitement on his face though has never deviated away from pure excitement. Even on days when I come to see him and I feel completely drained due to excess tasks now bestowed upon me in light of the current circumstances, his reaction to my presence in the room energizes me and I feel ready to conquer the world again (or at least the mountain of laundry in my basement). I've been reading aloud "The Silent Patient" to him since the 17th. It's become something we've very much enjoyed doing together. Sitting next to each other, drinking decaf tea, and enjoying the escape that only a book can bring. Both, to decrease screen time for him...

 Today, was a rest and relaxation day together. Before the stroke, we would only have approximately two days out of the month (every other Saturday usually) where we didn’t have children, didn’t have to work, and could completely dedicate the entire day to spending time together. These two days renew our marriage and keep us going in day to day work/kids/life activities. We usually sleep in, and either have brunch together at home with Billy’s famous steak and eggs or we head down the street to Katalina’s for our favorite Latin-Leaning Okonimuyaki which, if you haven’t tried it, is absolutely fantastic! Then we will sit on the patio and lazily drink coffee together while talking about life, dreams, and goals. Sometimes on these days we will take hikes. This is our way of getting out of the business of the city and enjoy the renewed energy that being in nature brings to the soul. These days our just for us. Today, we decided to honor our treasured Saturday and have a restful, low st...

 Schedule for the Day: 8:30- 9:00 Meal Time 9:00- 9:30 Physician Consult- Neurovision Clinic 9:30-10:00 Neurovision Occupational Therapy 10:00- 11:00 Speech Therapy 11:00- 11:30 Recreation Therapy 12:00- 12:15 Physician/Consult- Neurovision Consult 12:30- 1:30pm Meal Time 1:00pm- 2:00pm Physical Therapy 2:00pm- 3:00pm Occupational Therapy Today was a great day for milestones. For one, Billy's voice was heard and I was able to come in at 1:00pm to assess my skills with physical therapy to be officially approved as his safety person. Which means, that Billy has been cleared to have me as his stand by assistant when I am visiting. He can take showers, walk the hallway, and even walk outside in the green spaces that he has been desiring. His wish was granted and we walked outside in the sun and grass and explored the green spaces in front of Dodd Hall together. This was a big frustration on my part as I am trusted to walk with and take care of every other person in the world except for...

Diagnosis: Cryptogenic stroke, cortical blindness- left hemianopia Billy is still doing well, but did experience a few set backs. We knew this might happen eventually as his progress in recovery has gone at a rapid pace. He was told by his medical team today that the progress he’s made in 4 days usually takes a month or longer. Especially with the size of his stroke. When I saw the scan, I was shocked by how large the affected area was. They showed me the scan on day two and I didn’t want him to worry or feel defeated so I didn’t tell him how large the affected area truly was. Billy is ambidextrous, mostly left handed but also uses his right hand for many things as well. His medical team noticed this and asked him about it. He explained that when he was learning Japanese, they do not allow anyone to write with anything other than your right hand. The way Japanese is written and read is also from right to left on a page. This, in combination with prayer and all the love poured out over ...

 It is absolutely astonishing the progress that Billy has made in such a short amount of time. On 10/12 he needed a complete calm/serene/low stimulation environment. I found him to become tired quickly with the simplest of conversations. Anything beyond small talk was too much and would throw him into a state of impulsivity and visual hallucinations. Today however, he worked with speech therapy and did remarkable well with interactive communication, following the natural flow of conversation better, cognitive recall, and of course throwing in his new found love for dad jokes. He still does have some soft palate senitivity which is unclear if this is related to the stroke, when he was vomiting for 3 days, or swabbed for COVID. Unfortunately, as a result, he has had a very poor appetite and hasn't eaten much without frequent encouragement. In fact, he also says that he hasn't experienced hunger sensation since the stroke. However, he feels this may or may not be a bad thing since...

 Today, Billy worked with occupational therapy for the second time. His goals are finding his way back to his room, reading the signs to find where he is at, and to find colored post-it notes around the hallway. They even worked with him on brushing his teeth which he found to be a bit more difficult than anticipated. He enjoyed walking with me in the hallway and I enjoyed prompting him to look at and identify things and signs on the unit. He seems a bit more clear today, but also very emotional. It's hard to go from a bad ass ICU nurse with a steel trap memory to a neuro patient struggling to find a hospital room. He also had a difficult time recognizing his cellphone and how to use it. However, "hey Siri" has been wonderful and he's been able to call me by asking Siri to Face Time me. In addition, Face Timing his family has been therapeutic for him. It's allowing him to train his left field of vision in addition to seeing his family. As expected, it's been h...

Billy is more with it today. We were joking about his crazy day yesterday. He said it was the strangest experience and very hard to be on the other end as a neuro patient. In his moment of confusion, he became very mad about the MRI and how much his head was in excruciating pain. He couldn't understand why so many people were messing with him and making him do things that increased the headache pain. 11/10 is what he described it which is NOT a typical description from him. We as nurses chuckle about people saying things like "11/10" (usually while relaxing in bed flipping through their phones), so I knew he was being serious. All he kept thinking was if he picked someone up and threw them in the MRI that maybe he could make his escape. Then he said that something was telling him "no, don't do that," and then he heard my voice and it helped him get through it. His left vision field is affected and he's a bit "off," but funny "off" not...

Billy had a stroke confirmed by CT scan and MRI. Unsure of the root cause as he is only 44 and in good health and works out 2-3 times a week. Possibly related to when we had COVID back in March which made him more susceptible to hyper coagulation combined with his type 1 diabetes. It's affecting the right occipital lobe PCA distribution. He's got an awful headache, confused, dizzy, nauseated, and just  not himself. He did have a moment where he was lucid enough to make a joke that he's become "that patient" post wrapping himself up in all of his IVs and giving the MRI techs a hard time by trying to escape his bed. God bless, that GOD he knows people in the ED. I know for a fact they gave him a lot more patience than usual. He will be admitted to the Brain and Spine hospital. He's resting now and I gave him a kiss goodbye. As for now, he waxes and wanes knowing who I am. This is so flipping hard! I know what it's like to be a nurse with a neuro patient and ...