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I guess it is little wonder that my hit count is down pretty low right now. I suppose not too many people want to read about someone having a stroke. Sorry folks, this is what is dominating my life right now.

Still, the doctors are not completely sure what caused mom's stroke but they believe it was a blood clot that has since moved on through her system. There was some scarring revealed on her brain in the MRI. The cardiologist saw her today and said her heart problems may be the cause, but there is no way to know for sure. She has mitral valve prolapse - which means the valves are sort of floppy - and the doctor said this sometimes causes clots to develop. He recommended a blood thinner pretty much all the time now. She is doing better. She, of course, relapses some when she is really tired. But, her speech is much clearer, only some drooping of the left side of her mouth. She is still having difficulty swallowing and eating, but this is getting better. She has to watch that she doesn't "pocket" food in the left cheek because she has no feeling in there. Her left hand use is getting better, but is still pretty bad (in my opinion). She moves around pretty well, but the physical therapist is still seeing significant weakness in the left leg. She is being moved to a rehab hospital closer to home. She did not want to go, but the doctor convinced her that she'd be better off with some on-site therapy than going home and breaking her hip and being out of commission for much longer. She doesn't like the idea, but is going and is already trying to work her left hand to build its strength back up. I'm very proud of her. She is terribly frightened. I promised her I would not leave her there if it is like a nursing home and that seemed to help put her at ease a little more. I'm going over there after work on Thursday to check the place out and reassure her that all is well. She surprised me how she sort of clams up when the doctors and therapists come around. Thankfully I was there to ask the heart doctor questions. I wish I could be there when her doctor comes, but it hasn't worked out that way yet.

Please keep praying for her recovery and pray for my dad to have the strength he needs to take care of himself as well as mom. She is doing well for having just had a stroke a few days ago and she is being a trooper, but she is scared and frustrated and just wants to be back to normal. I can identify with that feeling. I want her back to normal, too.