A new knee and a stroke in two weeks

[xs11jack]

A bought 3 weeks ago I went under the knife to get my left knee replaced. About a week later I started being unable to remember names, a couple of days later I got jittery and couldn't say whole sentences. My wife sat me down and looked me in the eye and said "Is it time for 911, all I could do is nod. Most of the next two days are a scrambled up mess or flashes of me going crazy. Then all of a sudden every thing fell into place. I now knew my wife and when the nurse asked me what month it was I could reply correctly and speak whole sentences. My wife told me I had a stroke and the EMT's got me in time for the doctors injected me with a drug that dissolved the blood clot. I remember looking at my knee and realized that is what was hurting during the crazy part. After two more days during which the nurses waked me every 4 hours and asked me questions like "give me your name, what is your birth date? how old are you. what is your wife's name? So finally I get to go home. Talking with my wife I find out the docs diagnosed me as having White brain matter syndrome. What is one of the conditions that brings on dementia. So now it can strike at any time, now or maybe not at all. So there you are and here I am and that is the show.
Ole Jack
Oh yes from now on my wife has the only combination to the gun safe and will go with me to the range to avoid "accidents"

[Joe504]

Hey folks, 2 things about any surgery.

1, Learn the symptoms of stroke, you are at a much higher risk of stroke after surgeries. Dont be an idiot, minutes count during a stroke.

2, Many people don't know this, but, depression after surgery is very common. Please be aware of this. Many people are absolutely miserable after surgeries, and don't know why. Do your research, and prepare for this.

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[BigAlofPa.]

I had my quadricep reattached. The 28th of sept. And yeah depression sure can set in some. Im used to being independent. Going where i want when i want. I only was out shooting 3 times since. Im usually out a few times a week. My son took me. Im missing out on archery season. And probably rifle season too this year. Not sleeping well because of pain. Im looking forward to being my old self.
Jack im glad to see you got medical attention in time. And good luck with your recovery.

[Three44s]

Jack,

I am glad you have recovered to the point you are now.

Prayers sent that you continue to improve!

Three44s

[Rcmaveric]

God bless. Glad you are good. Don't forget to talk to your doctor. Excorsize your mind and body.

Mental illness is real. I start my psycho therapy Monday. I thought I was having a heart attack, doc thought i was having a stroke. We were both wrong, its all in my head.

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[MrWolf]

Glad you were ok and man enough to make the extremely hard decision to give your wife control of the guns. Out of every disease, dementia scares me the most. My Mom had early onset that we noticed at 55 and watched for 16 years while it destroyed her. I was exhibiting signs and even had a baseline physcho study done. Luckily I found DHA and have been taking it since just after she passed so sometime in 2010. Made a huge difference in my mental acuity and even did the 23andme for the DNA test to see if I am prone to it. Luckily nope. Probably most of this has been in my head (no pun intended). Wish you luck my friend.
Ron

[DougGuy]

xs11jack, they didn't put you on any blood thinners after surgery?

I had cancer 3x since 2013, recent scans came back ALL CLEAR YAY!! So I am getting my chemo port removed on Monday. It has been in place almost two years. Within a couple of months of it being placed, I developed a clot in my neck where the port tube goes into the vein. They put me on Xarelto and it dissolved the clot slowly. The clot was quite painful for a few weeks. I have to go off Xarelto this morning (Saturday) in preparation for surgery and can go back on it Tuesday. I am thankful that the clot in my neck was the worst event, and that I didn't have a stroke. I have prayed this over and asked God to deliver me cancer free from here on out, 3x was enough. I am leaving it to him. Now I suppose that opens me to some other unforseen event to come along eventually, just not cancer. You know how they say be careful what you wish for you just may get it.. Oh well!

O/T: I learned about DHA in 2008 and started taking it daily. In 2009, I went to a week long school to get my CCO (certified crane operator) license and we crammed through a 6" tall stack of textbooks, the math was complex and they made you do it in longhand no calculator to help, but at the end of the week I scored 97, 100, and 100 on three lengthy exams. I will officially credit the DHA with boosting and improving memory, math, and coordination. This was the first "school" situation I had been in since getting some CompTia computer certifications in 2001. I definitely noticed an improved brain function during this week long cram course.

DHA along with Vitamin D helps with the day to day outlook on life, and I think it helps you to think quickly and in much detail, it helps with your speech, your choice of words, it's hard to describe in detail what DHA helps with, as I am sure it affects people differently i.e. some notice good results some may not notice anything.

[MrWolf]

Will add taking B12 daily along with the DHA and Vit D.

[GregLaROCHE]

Anyone worried about dementia or Alzheimer’s should watch this.

https://youtu.be/xlve_ee2-tw

[gbrown]

May God bless you. Hope all goes well and you can get back to your old ways and habits.

[xs11jack]

Thank you all for your prayers and interest. Yes I was put on blood thinners for a short time. I didn't experience any depression. The drop into the crazies' and back out again happened so fast that the doctors were amazed. And so was I, I knew then God was certainly looking out for me. I still have the White Brain material to deal with but I believe the Lord will take me through that too. Thank each and every one of you.
Ole Jack

[Winger Ed.]

Glad you're doing OK.

We've got you signed up for that Sat. night wrestling show,
and it's awful short notice to find a substitute to fill in for ya. :kidding:

[DougGuy]

Thank you all for your prayers and interest. Yes I was put on blood thinners for a short time.

They tell me I am going to have to stay on them. I view Xarelto as good insurance against a stroke. I just have to be careful about getting cut even the slightest knuckle ding will bleed quite a long time.

[Rcmaveric]

My grandpa was on blood thinners. He kept this little crayon thing in his shirt pocket incase he cut himself. He would dot it with that and it would stop bleeding fast.

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[Mr_Sheesh]

All in all, you survived, congratulations! Glad to hear it.

Blood thinners here too, I carry a Styptic Pencil as well. Some prefer the powder, to each their own. In a pinch I've been told of many other potential bleeding stoppers but why not use the right tool?

If someone has a heart attack or stroke, a lot of first aid info says to give some aspirin orally and have them chew it and keep it in their mouth to be absorbed through the mucous membranes, to act as extra blood thinner to fight clots. (See also the uk site 'AsPOD' who sell a container to hold the aspirin, pricey for us in the US and there are other options like small plastic or metal or glass vials.) Make sure the medical personnel responding know that you've taken the aspirin, just to make sure they know what they need to know (I doubt aspirin's near as strong as the meds they would give you in hospital or ambulance, but full disclosure is best when your life is on the line...)

[David2011]

Blood thinners for a short time? I was on Lovenox for 30 days after a 3 day hospital stay when my knee was replaced. Glad you’re recovering!

[Hickok]

Jack, I second all the best wishes and prayers for your good health and recovery!

[fivegunner]

I got to ask what is DHA?

[Mr_Sheesh]

Docosahexaenoic Acid, it's an Omega-3 fatty acid and lots of it naturally in our brains

[DougGuy]

Docosahexaenoic Acid, it's an Omega-3 fatty acid and lots of it naturally in our brains

Say THAT 3x real fast willya? LOL..

This is the stuff I have been taking since 2008. It's been fairly consistent and I have not wondered about the potency of it or the accuracy of what they claim is in the softgels, it's just always worked. Walmart. Not cheap but I gotta give credit where credit is due..

270444

This used to be packaged in 30 softgels bottles, labeled as 450mg, it was $9.88 usually so now repackaged in 90 softgels bottles about a year ago and potency is 900mg for $17.48 per bottle so I'd say it's a better deal now than it has been.

[xs11jack]

One step at a time. The home phyical therapist that was coming 2 times a week for the knee told me today you are doing great and they don't have to come back any more. But that doesn't mean I can stop the home daily exercises. I now have another meeting with the surgeon in 7 weeks. Maybe then he will tell me it's ok to snow skiing in the Andes, boy would that be fun since I have never skied.
Thanks again for all of you care and prayers.
Ole Jack

[Mr_Sheesh]

xs11, any positive progress is good :)

DougGuy, I probably can, worked around enough chemicals in stripping mining ores to automate things.

[tred1956]

First let me say xs11jack my Friend, prayers are headed your way. Had a light stroke myself December 1 2019. I have no noticeable major deficits. I give GOD all the credit for my recovery. I do however have a small permanent dead spot in my brain which I was shown on the MRI pictures. I have been accused of having a LARGE (LOL) dead spot in my brain for years, but that is another story completely. I am also Type II diabetic and a little on the Fluffy side. Who a I kidding I am FAT. Hypertension, high cholesterol. I have been put Permanently on aspirin, blood thinners, statins, insulin, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and I am sure I am leaving out something. I have seen every type OLOGIST you can imagine. I say all of this to make my final point, when I went for my final check up before my release following the Stroke, all my numbers were great. The neurologist asked me if I was walking everyday as he instructed me to do. I had to admit that was the one thing I hadn't started doing yet. He told me that even though my numbers were Great, I would decrease my odds of another stroke by 75% if I would walk everyday. He said it would lower my risk more than ALL the medications I was taking combined. Needless to say I walk 1.5 miles a day and have only missed 4 days walking in the last 6 months. When the entire right side of your body WON'T function, you can't talk, only grunt it gets your undivided attention. I got lucky and have fully recovered, I could just have easily not been able to type this. So to ALL MY FRIENDS here on CB do yourself a favor and get some exercise.
Safe shooting
Doug