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Tuesday between 3:30am and 5:50am Ray had a stroke in the internal capsule of his brain. He went to bed at 2am with out any symptoms. His wife left for work at 3:30am kissed him goodbye and told him she loved him and he answered normally. At 5:50am he sent her a text that part of his body was paralyzed and he could not move. She called him and noticed he had slurred speech. She raced home from work and called 911.
At the ER he had complete paralysis of the right side. Neurology team came in and assessed him and he had little movement and was positive for Bobinski's sign. They did a CT scan and did not see anything. They sent him for an MRI and saw the area where the stroke occurred. However no one knew why a young, healthy, and with no family history of stroke would have had a stroke.
In an effort to determine the cause of the stroke the Neuro team performed several ultrasounds to check his carotid arteries, heart, and legs for clots or plaque that could be the source of the stroke. All the tests came back essentially clean with the exception of a small hole in the heart that was present at birth. (According to the attending doctor these holes occur in 1 out of 5 people and usually have no side effects). So the team is thinking that this hole is probably not the source but in an effort to get a better picture of the heart Ray had another ultrasound this time done through the esophagus to see the back of the heart (TEE).
Since Tuesday morning at 8:30am Ray has been relentlessly working to make his right side move and has gone from zero mobility to being able to move both extremities and even walk with assistance. His face symmetry has improved tremendously and he is able to speak more clearly now. However, with out knowing the cause of the stroke there is risk that he could have another stroke in the future. He will have to wear a heart monitor to make sure his heart condition doesn't cause another stroke.
He’s been discharged and will have outpatient rehab. With all the tests and hospital stay they anticipate quite a bill from the hospital. Any help is greatly appreciated!! Keep Ray and his family in your prayers for a speedy recovery.
At the ER he had complete paralysis of the right side. Neurology team came in and assessed him and he had little movement and was positive for Bobinski's sign. They did a CT scan and did not see anything. They sent him for an MRI and saw the area where the stroke occurred. However no one knew why a young, healthy, and with no family history of stroke would have had a stroke.
In an effort to determine the cause of the stroke the Neuro team performed several ultrasounds to check his carotid arteries, heart, and legs for clots or plaque that could be the source of the stroke. All the tests came back essentially clean with the exception of a small hole in the heart that was present at birth. (According to the attending doctor these holes occur in 1 out of 5 people and usually have no side effects). So the team is thinking that this hole is probably not the source but in an effort to get a better picture of the heart Ray had another ultrasound this time done through the esophagus to see the back of the heart (TEE).
Since Tuesday morning at 8:30am Ray has been relentlessly working to make his right side move and has gone from zero mobility to being able to move both extremities and even walk with assistance. His face symmetry has improved tremendously and he is able to speak more clearly now. However, with out knowing the cause of the stroke there is risk that he could have another stroke in the future. He will have to wear a heart monitor to make sure his heart condition doesn't cause another stroke.
He’s been discharged and will have outpatient rehab. With all the tests and hospital stay they anticipate quite a bill from the hospital. Any help is greatly appreciated!! Keep Ray and his family in your prayers for a speedy recovery.
Organizer and beneficiary
Rayandcarol Utter
Beneficiary