Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Yes, His Smile is Still Drooping

Two neurological exams and two MRIs of the brain later, a stroke has been ruled out. An EMG of his left side has ruled out nerve damage. MS has been ruled out, along with a bunch of other letters I don't remember right now. Tomorrow they will do a PCR test for Lyme disease even though the two blood tests have come back negative just to be sure. They will also do a TEE test on his heart, for which he will have to be knocked out. The doctor has also talked about bringing in an infectious disease specialist to see if there is something viral going on. They have also made it clear that when they do eventually discharge him from the hospital, he will be sent to an in-patient rehab so he can work on using his left side again.

Watching the different doctors and therapists evaluate his strength has been scary. The loss of strength is so significant, and it is still declining. Yesterday, before we made the decision to go back to the ER, he took the kids to his school for a little and then to IKEA for a little. He was limping some, but felt okay to do all this (though when I called him while he was finishing up at IKEA he told me he was exausted). Today after the PT and OT evaluated his strength they had him walk a little bit. Not only is the limp much more prominent now, he became quite fatigued by the time he got to the hallway!

So that's all I have to report for now. If you're local and are able to help out with childcare/meals, my sister is coordinating all of that. Leave a comment and she'll get back to you. If you know my DH in real life, please consider visiting him at Bryn Mawr Hospital. There is a lot of down time between tests and therapies.

I sincerely hope I have something to report by tomorrow night, some kind of answer, but for now I'm trying to just focus on one day at a time.

8 comments:

Adorable Girlfriend said...

Dear Sister,

I cannot help out much this week, but would like to help in anyway I can. Please e-mail me at adorablegirlfriend at yahoo.com

Domestic Goddess said...

Wow. I can't believe they still haven't figured it out! I mean, having that kind of weakness and no cause? There has to be something causing it, these things don't just happen by themselves.
I am praying they figure out the cause and can help him rehabilitate as soon as possible.

Unknown said...

Oh, Rachel. My thoughts are with you guys.

Anonymous said...

I can bring dinner over one night. Let me know what works for you. You can contact me at
Jacksonsmom01@hotmail.com
I'll keep you all in my thoughts & prayers! Beth

Anonymous said...

I'm a lurker, it's been a while since I commented but I just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking and praying for you and your family. I hope they find out what is going on soon!

Oonie said...

Even your title is breaking my heart.
Hang in there. Medical mysteries are no fun until they are solved. I am so glad it's not a stroke or MS, though--that's great news.
Thanks for keeping us posted.

RuthWells said...

Rachel, you are a strong woman and you will all get through this. Rachel's sister, email me at rwellsfischer (at) hotmail.com -- we can provide some eatables.

Michelle W said...

I got a call from your dad actually. I wish I were closer. What can I do?