Background

On Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 around 8pm my father, Phil, suffered a stroke. After having had headaches for several days, his symptoms suddenly became worse and he felt like he needed to vomit. Evergreen became very concerned and had me, Larson, come look at him. Thankfully I knew what to look for from my previous year in medical school and was able to identify that he was having a stroke and dialed 911. Essex Rescue responded quickly and rushed him to the ER where a CT scan was taken and the stroke was identified as an intraparenchymal hemorrhagic stroke. There are two main types of strokes, ischemic ones where blood is cut off to part of the brain, and hemorrhagic strokes, where there is a bleed in the brain. The latter, which my father suffered, can be more severe acutely, but we hope affords a greater chance for recovery.

He spent the next two days in the ICU under careful blood pressure control, and a further CT scan showed that there had not been any more bleeding. He's currently in moderately stable condition, but remains in the ICU under careful attention. It is our hope that he will be well enough to leave the ICU in the next 24 hours, but everything must be played by ear.

His current status is that he is unable to feel or largely move the left side of his body, and doesn't recognize his left arm as being his own. Tonight, he was also unaware that he was in a hospital, however his personality seems largely intact. He is as stubborn as ever, and also has a great sense of humor. Throughout the ordeal he has remained responsive and capable of speech. He recognizes family members immediatly and correctly, and is sharp as a tack in some ways. Whenever a physician asks me about his home medications, even if you thought he was sleeping, he's quick to chime in "I'm taking metformin, 2500mg daily". I don't know about you, but I don't know that many patients who are so good with their medication lists and dosing even in their normal state.

The staff at the hospital has been exceptionally good, and the support from family and friends has been an overwhelmingly positive influence. Feel free to leave any comments or well wishes here as they will be read by the whole family. Additionally, more posts will follow with updates to his status. Thank you all for your love and support.

Larson (and Evergreen, Isis, and Phil Jr.)