The Prologue

The following is an update of the progress Suzy has made, taken from notes and updates that have been sent to friends and family.

For those of you that don’t know, Suzy had a stroke Wednesday night. I sent out a group email, but missed some people due to the recipient limit. Hopefully I will be able to keep more people informed through a note.

Friday, September 3rd: Brent just left me a message that the MRI did confirm that Suzy had a little stroke. They are possibly starting her on Heparin (a blood thinner) today & possibly something stronger later today. She had a few little episodes during the night, which makes the doctors think some little platelets are breaking off of the clot. So far there has only been very little temporary damage because Suzy's body is being very resilient and causing the blood flow to change course. The doctors continue to be hopeful that there will not be any long-term damage. 

Saturday, September 4th: When I texted Brent for an update I received the following information in a text: "Everything is on hold right now. Suz is going through an episode with her right side. It's about an hour into it."

Sunday, September 5th: I spoke with Brent tonight. He said that yesterday they ended up performing a surgical procedure to remove the clot. They were able to dislodge the main clot and it broke into four pieces. They were able to remove most of it.

Right now Suzy has no movement on the right side of her body. She cannot talk right now, but is able to understand what is being said to her. At one point the Brent made a joke to the doctor & the doctor was surprised when he saw Suzy react.  Brent said they are going to devise a way to communicate.

The doctors mentioned to Brent that Suzy is a “clotter” and will need to be watched closely in the future. For now they will continue to monitor her in the hospital and try blood thinners to get the rest of the clot.

There has been some damage, so when Suzy is released from the hospital it will be to a rehab facility where she can relearn and regain some of her mobility. The neurologist told Brent he has a family member that went through something similar, but the clot was bigger than Suzy’s and the person now leads a normal life after rehab.

The doctors continue to be surprised by the resilience of Suzy’s brain and her ability to fight this. I am sure the power of prayer has something to do with this. Thanks to all of you that continue to keep Suzy in your thoughts & prayers. 

Tuesday, September 7th: Suzy was moved to a Neuro ward at Palomar Hospital in preparation to go into rehab. While there she began physical, speech and occupational therapy. In the short time she was there she made great strides. She also had several tests, one of which was a MRI.  The MRI shows there is still swelling in her brain: as the swelling goes down her function may come back quickly.

Friday, September 10th: Today was a LONG day for Suzy…physical and speech therapy in the morning and then a move to Sharp Rehabilitation Center. She has been poked, prodded, and assessed by several nurses, doctors & therapists. Tomorrow they will start the acute rehabilitation, a very demanding program. She will gain a new appreciation for naps.