Hutch Report: Stroke Scares Family - Mother-In-Law Visits Emergency Room

My mother-in-law suffered a small stroke last week and in the process gave the entire family a big scare. She is 71 years old and has suffered few medical problems over the past few decades of her life. These small “mini strokes” are very common in older folks and many times occur with the absences of major symptoms such as a noticeable decline in motor skills or paralysis in either the arms or legs. Luckily, my niece was visiting my mother-in-law when this small stroke happened and she noticed right away that something wasn’t right with her grandma and called her mother to report grandma’s symptoms.

After many tests were run at the hospital, the doctor reported that my mother-in-law had suffered a small stroke and that in her case, short-term memory was effected instead of motor skills and/or speech. These were the symptoms my niece noticed when she was visiting her grandma. Over a period of just a few minutes, my mother-in-law could not remember where the milk and chicken in her refrigerator came from, even though she had just purchased them at the grocery store the day before. Then after further questioning she did not remember her brothers visit or my wife’s telephone call only one hour earlier.

My uncle suffered a stroke about six months ago, so I remember many of the symptoms that surround this medical event. His stroke resulted in more side effects and required several months of rehabilitation. The doctor recommended treatment for both my uncle and mother-in-law revolved around blood thinning drugs like aspirin and the close monitoring of blood pressure and salt in the diet. With all things considered, my mother-in-law was very lucky she only suffered a small stroke with few side effects. I look at events like this one as a wake up call for everyone one of us when it comes to our own good health and mortality.

My wife and I have both decided to start taking 81 milligrams of aspirin each day as a preventative measure against future strokes and heart related problems. This simple medication, discovered years ago to treat pain, has turned into one of the best preventative medications ever found in the treatment of stokes, circulatory problems and some types of cancer. I hope and pray that my mother-in-law lives a long and healthy life, because she is a wonderful person and one of my best friends. I was telling a coworker last week about how blessed I was to have a nice mother-in-law because I know many other people have less favorable things to say about their own mother-in-law.

Related: Life After Stroke, Uncle Suffered Stroke, Sharon Near Death, Aspirin Ibuprofen Study, Pain Reliever Issues

Stroke Scares Family

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