Michael Dobbie - Stroke Rehab and Equipment

Michael Dobbie - Stroke Rehabilitation/Equipment

On 25/09/2021 our lives were changed forever after Michael aged just 49 years suffered a catastrophic brain bleed and stroke. Michael is my husband and dad to our 2 beautiful children, the impact that this has had on us as a family has been huge. Michael was in hospital for such a long time a big part of that time they were unable to see him due the COVID restrictions and Michael's health being so poor, this was heart breaking as my kids just wanted their dad back and to see him. I have went from Michael's wife of nearly 27 years to his full time carer.

Michael was at the gym working out where he would be if he was not spending time with the kids or working as a spray painter/panel beater. He just loved the gym and staying healthy but his passion was weight training. At the gym he became unwell and was making his way back to his car when 2 men noticed him struggling with his seatbelt and quickly called 999, probably saving his life.

He was taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital to be assessed and after a few difficult conversations with his consultant I made the decision to blue light him through to Edinburgh Hospital for life saving brain surgery. In Edinburgh the consultant called me at 11pm and said that he would call me back but to understand that Michael is in a very critical condition and it could go either way and did I still want to give him a chance, I know my husband and how strong he is and how much he loves his kids so I thought with my support and his fight he could do it. At 4am I received the call to say that they had finished the procedure and that he was now in intensive care and we would have to wait and see. He stayed in Edinburgh for nearly 4 weeks vented, medicated and unconscious for most of the time with so many tubes and machines keeping him alive and was then transferred back to FVRH to continue his recovery and rehab.

In December he was fortunate enough to get a bed at the Bellfield Centre to receive more intense physio to get him in better place to come home. This again was a very tough time for us as a family because of COVID we were limited to 1 visitor which had to be the same person and on christmas day I had to fight to get the kids and I in together to see him for 20mins it was the worst. He has overcome so much but this stroke had left him severely disabled and visually impaired, unable to work or drive again.

His left arm is completely paralysed, he walks with a quad stick only for very short distances as she suffers very badly from fatigue and the pain is constant so will use his wheelchair when this happens. His balance is very compromised, he has hemianopia in both eyes which means he has no peripheral vision, has lymphedema in his left leg which create alot of swelling making movement in the ankle very difficult and painful.

Finally we got him home March 2022 but he has such a long rehab road ahead of him and because we life in a flat it has been very difficult for Michael to get out and about like he should because of his very poor mobility.

We have been given a fantastic opportunity to move into a new home which has tremendous potential because of the downstairs living for Michael and the extensive accessible garden but this property needs alot of work to get it to a place that Michael can live in it and get some of his independence back. Due to Michael having to give up work and driving completely and myself giving up work to care for Michael full time myself we have very limited finances so are unable to achieve this ourselves.

To get Michael started we are looking to get funding for a recliner chair for him to use in the livingroom so that he can rise off and on easier and safely. An electric powered wheelchair to use outside so he could join us for family days out and maybe even holidays further down the line. A bed to help him rise up to a sitting position would make things better for him aswell and would reduce the strain and pain that he is in. We would also like to consider getting a private physio to work one on one with Michael as he no longer has any involvement with the community physios and is missing this part of his rehab and it is really just down to the cost aspect. Getting this new home and being able to put more practical flooring down instead of carpets for Michael to walk on will mean he does not have the falls risk that he has with his stick getting stuck on the carpet.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our story and thank you for any donations.

Laura (wife)