Information on massive stroke?

ski10

New Member
My brother called this morning to tell me our sister (age 45) has had a massive stroke and is in the neurological unit, she collapsed at work the Dr's removed a blood clot from her brain.

I am beside myself, i am from the UK and just sent off for a new passport 2 weeks ago as our mom has Alzheimers and is getting worse, the passport I'm told takes 4-6 weeks to get back to you so I can't get there, I called the embassy to get an emergency passport and they said as i had an old passport they can do nothing, they are calling me back tomorrow though to see what they can do.

I did call the neuro unit in the UK but they said they couldn't tell me much, i had to talk to her husband which I did, he is in pieces. my sister has moved a little he said, not in a coma but the Dr's said she is "sleeping" but cannot wake up.

Does anyone know anyone who has had a massive stroke??? I have been scouring the web and there are different opinions, my brother told me the Dr's said it does not look good and she may not survive the night, well it's 7AM over there and no phone call yet so i'm praying she is still ok. Her husband and my brother are with her.

My mom has Alzheimers but still knows who we all are but she knows nothing about what has happened to my sister, we have not told her.
apparantely my sister had two small strokes last week, one on Friday she passed out in her car and had a small crash, my mind is going back and forth, did she go to the hospital then, I don't know from the phone call as me and my brother was so upset but he managed to tell me of the accident. why the heck was she at work today, this is where she fell down and lost conciousness.

I am so upset, I am alone, my husband is at work and will be working shifts so won't be back until Weds morning but he has been on the phone with me when he can.
Does anyone know anything about strokes? thank you.
 

Marguerite

Active Member
Every stroke is different. A stroke can be a bleed into the brain, or it can be an occlusion where there is a blockage in blood flow. The degree of the problem, where it is, how quickly the doctors are able to stabilise the patient - all these have a bearing on the outcome. Generally the phrase "massive stroke" does not augur well, but a neighbour of mine had what was described as a massive stroke a few years ago. He was in England on business, his wife flew to be with him and when he was strong enough, they moved him back home to Australia. Every so often I see him walking around the block to get fit. He's still got a way to go with recovery, but he's doing amazingly well. As I said, every case is different.

I would get on the phone to the embassy and see what they can do to speed up the process for you. In the meantime, get copies of reports from doctors - generally a letter from the hospital or treating doctor will be enough, get them to email a copy - and that can be used to help your case. Also take a copy of the letter to the airline and see if they can get you on a flight on compassionate grounds.

Keep hounding them about your passport, let them know you're not just pushing the panic button because you want to cheat the system - this is a genuine family emergency. The letters help.

Marg
 

seriously

New Member
I am so sorry to hear your news and I hope you are able to get there really soon.

In case you don't already have this info here's a link to the info on applying for passports when you are in the US. It does say to contact the consulate but it also has a 24 hour customer service line. Might be worth a call to them.

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/passports/how-to-apply/usa#Urgent

If you or your family are members of a religious organization like the Catholic Church, you could call and ask if they could also assist you in getting compassionate travel assistance. You could probably do this whether you are a church member or not but you are most likely to get help if you belong.

I think that your sister's doctor is the only one in a position to tell you whether she is likely to recover or not and how unstable she might be at this point.

My mother has had a couple small strokes and my father had several but none were massive. Here, my mother was told that small strokes are often "early warnings" and a much more severe stroke is likely to occur within just a few days. So there is a big push to discover the cause of the initial stroke and treat that immediately. The younger the person the more significant the concern and urgency in diagnosing the underlying cause.

The medical system here is different than in the UK so I can't say what kind of approach they take there.

I hope you are able to join your family soon ~

Many hugs,
 
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Star*

call 911........call 911
ski -

I'm sorry to hear about your sister and your Mother. Sending out good thoughts and well wishes for you and your family.

Hugs and Love
star
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
ski I'm so very sorry to hear about your sister.

As marg said, it depends on various factors, most especially how quickly they stabilized her.

Results from treatment vary with the individual.

I hope you can get the passport thing cleared up quickly.

Hugs
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Ski....also call the Red Cross and see if they can help you expedite the process. I know they can help with military people. Perhaps they can with others. Cant hurt to ask.

I know a little about strokes. My SO has a small stroke and is just fine now. However, a former friend of mine had an ex husband who had a husband who had a larger stroke the same month. He didnt do nearly as well but she didnt want to take care of him either. I know they have many treatments now. I hope they got the medications to your sister in time so she has the best prognosis available.
 

keista

New Member
((((HUGS))))) and positive energy for your and the entire family. Good luck getting the paperwork processed faster.
 
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