On December 8, 2012, lordsmurf suffered what appears to be a stroke.
He was in the hospital for almost a month. He watched his birthday, Christmas, and the New Year from a hospital bed.
The injury has left him without the majority of motor control in the right side of his body. What we're telling people is that he has about 50% of the leg, 10% of the arm, 95% of the mouth (some slurring), 75% of his vision, and sometimes he forgets words. He has family staying with him, as he's unable to do simple things: prepare meals, open mail, shower, etc.
This is so odd because most strokes happen in 2-3 days max, and are over. This was a progressive issue over a period of 3+ weeks before stabilizing. It's an unusual situation, and has stumped doctors. We bounced around a bit on MS, stroke, infection, and tumor, but thankfully it's looking more like "just" a stroke. The alternatives are not good. Causes are still unknown, especially given his age (more than a decade younger than typical stroke patients).
Worse yet, he still has some swelling on the brain. We're hoping it goes down. The 5th MRI was hopeful, as it showed some decrease, and that's what hopefully gives it away as just being a stroke. We're all praying it will be healed ... or in an ironic use of words, we hope he is restored. Every day we ask the good Lord for healing.
He spends his time in physical therapy and seeing doctors. He has about 5 hours of energy in him, and then he gets pooped. He can finally use the computer for a short while ... actually, his iPad ... but it's mostly to get a couple of TV shows, as well as research why this happened. Most of his time is confined to bed when home, so he's been watching a lot of DVDs. Or at least listening, given his vision issues.
In past weeks, there has been some mild improvement -- wiggling a thumb, moving the arm slightly, etc.
For those that have asked, yes, donations are currently going to him, to help pay his many bills. It's already at thousands of dollars, and they're not even done sending them yet.
Anyway, I think that covers it. If you have any questions, let me know. And keep him in your prayers.
Thanks,
-JMP