The First 24 Hours - What Works/What Doesn't

Right arm: unresponsive. Unable to grip or move.

Right leg: Slight toe movement, shows some promise of possible recovery.

Left arm and leg: Appear perfectly normal in movement.

Face: No clearly noticeable difference between left and right side. Seems normal to family but doctor says there is some impairment on right side.

Speech: Was able to utter a few words. Most notable was the three word phrase "I'm too hot". On prompting, could not say her own name, but was able to say "Hi Rick", "Hi Steve", "Hi Tim." when we lean in close to her.

Doctor visit: Around 8 a.m. she had a brain scan. At 9:30 Dr. Heide saw her. He said she would be getting hungry and prescribed a feeding tube, as she cannot swallow. He says to expect her to frequently come up with the wrong word or no words as she attempts to communicate. She may fixate on a single word and repeat it many times as she did with the word "take" before saying "take care".

Visitors: Dick, Steve, Tim and family and other visitors throughout the day, too numerous to name, as word of her condition spreads. Visitors don't seem to tire her ... she just goes to sleep if she feels like it. (Her manners center must have been affected too! :)

Mannerisms: With her left side fully functional, she has a full range of normal mannerisms such as: folding the covers back when she is warm; Wiping her mouth; Brushing back her hair; examining the blood pressure cuff on her left arm; Occasional smiles to family members or a recognized friend or at a humorous comment.

Room Change: By this afternoon she had stabilized to the point where she could be moved from Intensive Care to a regular room. She's in 513 as of this post.