Detour

Good morning! So I am reporting live from Carlinville, IL instead of my home base with the twerplets in Fort Worth. I left early Saturday morning to come up and visit with Grammie. Today begins the tougher work though. I need to meet with the physicians to make sure we are moving along the right path or whether we need to seek more specialized care. So far, Grammie has visited several hospitals and is currently residing in an assisted living center. At the center she is receiving the highest level of care they provide, however, it is my job to figure out if the is enough.

You may remember that a few weeks back Grammie fell on her back porch while trying to get back into her house. Her shirt caught on the door. Well, one think led to another and her skull was cracked open on the concrete. Thankfully, she was just coming in from spending some time with her friends and they witnessed the fall. We can all thank them because without their quick action it is likely should would not be here today.

The good news about the fall was that 14 staples later and a little bruising she was expected to make a full recovery. There was some injury to the brain but, again, she was expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately, though, this lead to a series of TIAs (somewhat like a mini stroke). All fully recoverable in and of themselves they were not that bad. However, they can also be the sign of an impending severe stroke. The trick is finding the source of the TIAs and treating them before they turn into a full blown stroke.

One of the tings you can do after a TIA is begin the process of thinning the blood in an effort to prevent a stroke or further ITAs. This usually comes in the form of drugs like Aspirin, Plavix or Aggrenox. The problem in Grammie's case is the fact that she head brain injury and until that heals we don't want to add drugs into the mix that can cause bleeding.

So, she is kind of riding a double-edged sword and we are hoping that here head will recover and give us enough time to treat to prevent stroke. Now, the good news is that she has not had a TIA since I arrived. However, that does not mean we are safe. We need to get an assessment of where she is and identify whether or not we can begin treating. The other good news is that CTs (last one is now over a week old) do not seems to indicate any specific problems.

So, there you have it. That is what I am here to do. Is she getting the treatment she needs here. Does she need to go through the stress of a temporary move to a major center with specialty in geriatrics and stroke?

There aren't easy answers. While my gut tells me to get her into the hands of the experts I also know that means removing her from a support system of family and friends where she is relatively at peace.

I don't know the answer but I hope to get to the bottom of some today.

This is purpose, I can do this.