Health problems in a friend

[Cheryl R]

My son in laws father this past week has been in the hospital as fell last Sat night while walking the dog and couldn't get up.       He has been having some balance issues and weakness for quite a long time.      Had got to point where couldn't use fork even.        They were finally going to a neurologist this past Mon.          They have decided he has a virus which damaged the myelin sheath of nerves in his neck.    He will get better they say but do not know how long.    2 weeks, 2 years who knows.                  He is doing some better to where he can walk with walker and help of 2.      Can move his extremities in bed himself and sit up on edge with  some pull help.   
He has no numbness but just weakness and right hand has got some better.       His wife is a nurse also and why he was not to dr earlier we do not know.                They did not get to come to our granddaugthers birthday party last Sun but they have now got to go see him.   
His biigest frustration is knowing that his 50" tv is downstairs in their family room and no room for it upstairs.             I so hope he improves soon.      I went and saw him yesterday and he has had no mental probelms luckily  and looks good.                             I am posting this so we can
appreciate what we do have as there are so many health conditions of many types which affect people so many ways.                                Cheryl R

[Jim Scott]

Cheryl:

I'm sorry to learn of your son-in-law's father's problems due to a virus infection in the myelin sheath in his neck.  I, too, have to wonder why he wasn't seen by a doctor long before he became so weak that he fell and couldn't get up.  Too stubborn to see the doctor, perhaps?  Well, no matter, now.  What happened, happened and pointing fingers won't change anything.  I'm glad to learn that he's improving and I'll pray for this man's quick recovery .  Thanks for alerting us to the reality that, although we (collectively) have our own issues to deal with, there are many people in the world dealing with far worse, every day.  That doesn't minimize our personal pain, frustration and/or the intensity of our struggles, but it does help us put them in a better perspective. 

Jim

[Cheryl R]

In Feb, I posted about my son in laws dad who had a virus hit the myelin sheath of the nerves in his neck.    He has been in the hospital ever since and tomorrow gets to come home.      3 days less of 2 months.           He ended up having to have a cervical neck fusion done as a later MRI showed a disk was bulging even more than it had been and they thought it was affecting the circulation and slowing his recovery.       Now has to wear the neck brace for maybe 9 weeks more yet.   They are excited to come home and I hope it goes well for them.      His wife is a nurse also.She has took it harder than him.           They are in the process of doing some home adjustments.           
Just wanted to do an update,
                                                       Cheryl R

[leapyrtwins]

Thanks for the update, Cheryl.

I'm glad your son-in-law's father is able to finally go home.  Even though most of us didn't have lengthy hospitals stays post AN treatment, we can definitely all relate to how great it is to be released.

I hope his recovery continues and that his days in the neck brace pass swiftly.

Jan

[Jim Scott]

Cheryl ~

I appreciate the update on your son-in-laws father.  I'm pleased to learn that the surgery resolved his circulation issues.  I know that neck surgery recovery can be difficult.  My wife had neck surgery in 2005 and had to wear a very confining neck brace for about a month afterward.  I don't know how she did it.  It looked like a torture device, to me.  Anyway, the surgery was successful and she was able to travel with a friend to Scotland (with a side-trip to England) just a few months later.  If one is willing to adjust, these impositions can be surmounted and healing and recovery can occur in a reasonable time. I hope this will be the case in this instance.

Jim