Fritz Jaeger's Stroke Recovery
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I’m setting up this page because I want to help alleviate my parents' financial strain that is now inevitable because of my dad's recent stroke. If you know of anyone who has had a stroke, you know the difficulty and the financial and emotional burden it can be throughout the rehabilitation process. A timeline for his recovery is unclear since he still has not regained the use of his left side. For those of you that know Fritz, know he’s a fighter and if anyone can recover from this, he can. We are optimistic that he will get better, but a challenging road lies ahead of him and it could last upwards of a year or more. The goal is to get him back home and back to the Fritz we all know and love and maybe even get Jean, Jean the dancing machine back on the dance floor.
On Tuesday, February 26th my dad went to the ER with shortness of breath and chest pain. The next day they found 3 major blockages in his heart and recommended triple bypass surgery. He was on blood thinners and felt that it wasn’t safe to do the surgery until the following Monday so they could get his heart stabilized and his blood thinning medication controlled. On Sunday, March 3rd the day before surgery he started having a hard time swallowing. They did an MRI and discovered that he had three mini strokes and that his right carotid artery was 90% blocked. We weighed all the risks and from the guidance of the cardiac and vascular surgeons, we decided to fix the carotid artery before they performed open-heart bypass surgery.
On Tuesday, March 5th he had the operation to fix his right carotid artery and went to ICU. During the night he suffered two massive strokes that resulted in paralysis of his left side, limited ability to speak or swallow, and left him in massive amounts of pain. The doctors came in and did an ultrasound on his neck to check the carotid artery and found out he fell into the .1 percent chance that the artery can completely close off after surgery. My dad spent the next 17 days fighting and was able to start talking again, swallowing thickened liquid and soft foods, and working on his therapy. Since the stroke occurred on the right side of his brain, left-brain language and reason are intact, especially his unique sense of humor we all know and love.
He was medically stable and was transferred to a Transitional Care Unit on Friday, March 22nd. For the next two days, he complained of stomach pain and was rushed back to the hospital on March 24th with internal bleeding. They found 5 lower GI ulcers that were able to heal on their own. He’s spent the last couple weeks working through medications and side effects so he could start eating again. Today is day 48 of being in the hospital and we still don’t have a discharge date as of now. There have been so many ups and downs and we are just taking things day by day. We’re hoping he gets transferred to a Transitional Care Unit sometime next week so that he can really start focusing on his therapy to regain his strength so that he can undergo his triple bypass surgery.
Funds will be used towards Fritz’s future medical bills, rehabilitation treatments, medications, specialty medical equipment costs, home medical renovations, and any other related unforeseen expenses. Every little bit will help. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support through this difficult time. Let’s get Fritz home and back fishing!
On Tuesday, February 26th my dad went to the ER with shortness of breath and chest pain. The next day they found 3 major blockages in his heart and recommended triple bypass surgery. He was on blood thinners and felt that it wasn’t safe to do the surgery until the following Monday so they could get his heart stabilized and his blood thinning medication controlled. On Sunday, March 3rd the day before surgery he started having a hard time swallowing. They did an MRI and discovered that he had three mini strokes and that his right carotid artery was 90% blocked. We weighed all the risks and from the guidance of the cardiac and vascular surgeons, we decided to fix the carotid artery before they performed open-heart bypass surgery.
On Tuesday, March 5th he had the operation to fix his right carotid artery and went to ICU. During the night he suffered two massive strokes that resulted in paralysis of his left side, limited ability to speak or swallow, and left him in massive amounts of pain. The doctors came in and did an ultrasound on his neck to check the carotid artery and found out he fell into the .1 percent chance that the artery can completely close off after surgery. My dad spent the next 17 days fighting and was able to start talking again, swallowing thickened liquid and soft foods, and working on his therapy. Since the stroke occurred on the right side of his brain, left-brain language and reason are intact, especially his unique sense of humor we all know and love.
He was medically stable and was transferred to a Transitional Care Unit on Friday, March 22nd. For the next two days, he complained of stomach pain and was rushed back to the hospital on March 24th with internal bleeding. They found 5 lower GI ulcers that were able to heal on their own. He’s spent the last couple weeks working through medications and side effects so he could start eating again. Today is day 48 of being in the hospital and we still don’t have a discharge date as of now. There have been so many ups and downs and we are just taking things day by day. We’re hoping he gets transferred to a Transitional Care Unit sometime next week so that he can really start focusing on his therapy to regain his strength so that he can undergo his triple bypass surgery.
Funds will be used towards Fritz’s future medical bills, rehabilitation treatments, medications, specialty medical equipment costs, home medical renovations, and any other related unforeseen expenses. Every little bit will help. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support through this difficult time. Let’s get Fritz home and back fishing!
Organizer
Amanda Jaeger Keuseman
Organizer
Rockford, MN