The book itself literally lovely, beautifully bound, the type pleasing …
Lilit Lesser as Princess Mary riveting
This is a revision of what I wrote last night. I appear not to have undersood what the hospital doctor said. I am probably more accurate but may not fully understand what I am seeing
Dear friends and readers,
I’m reporting that sometime in the later afternoon two days ago I had a second stroke event which hit me very hard by the evening when again my left leg became immobile (I couldn’t pick it up; it seemed sooo heavy). At midnight after I managed to distract myself by watching two marvelous hours of BBC adaptations of literary masterpieces on WETA and from the BBC. Unlike late October 2024 I did not feel dizzy, chest not constricted, no nausea so I thought it’s black night out there, cold, rainy, I’ll go to bed and maybe I’ll find I’m better — that “it” has passed — in the morning. But when I woke, no such luck. “It” had followed the path set first by my major hemorrhagic stroke in January 2024, and then again in my first stroke event, which I mistakenly thought a dissolved blood clot in late October 2024. At first with a cane painfully slowly I could walk around the house; then I sat on my bed and found I could not take one step. I panicked.
I woke Izzy in the hope she would come with me. She agreed immediately, began to dress, and agreed, phone Laura and then 911. Laura’s phone would take only voice-mail so I left a message, and phoned 911. Like both times before, a crew of kind friendly medics were quickly here, quickly said I had done the right thing, and proceeded to check me out for immediate stroke. They could find no signs of major stroke, but said we must go to the Alexandria Hospital emergency room so doctors can look, and take care of you.
So off we went, leaving frightened pussycats near the door watching us go. We were there for 10 hours altogether. When Laura woke, she phoned, dressed, came with the car, stayed the whole time with me too, taking over to talk and do what negotiation was necessary. I had a CT scan, ultrasound, MRI. Two bags of fluids by an IV. A neurologist looked at the MRI and found “nothing new” to confront. Little squiggles near the original jangle of veins and arteries, which can be removed only by surgery. A famous respected neurosurgeon said in July I was a bad candidate for surgery, given my bleeding history (5 hemorrhages before this stroke), and age (78). He could paralyze me altogether because jangle near “a wall.” So what is wrong?
I have left over little capillaries around where the original jangle of veins and arteries got all entangled and stuck together and began to bleed, The suggestion is that Maybe I would not be having these stroke events — or continual worsening of some my symptoms, especially walking, if it were removed by sealing the tiny tangle within the AVM off. Maybe I would. Right now the doctor said what is happening is “an evolution of original damage,” i.e., with age, arthritis, I am slowly worsening.
Here is Mayo clinic website, which explains what is an AMV malformation and why it does harm
It seems the dense area with veins cannot cope with thick blood coming through.
This conscientious honest Alexandria hospital staff doctor arranged for Laura and I to phone later this week to follow up with an Alexandrian hospital neurosurgeon — we’ll see if I can use my medicare A or Advantage. Kaiser has none on its staff! so it takes months to see a neurologist or surgeon elsewhere. He had asked, why no blood thinner. I explained my bleeding problem. That’s when he said, come back later this week and consult with our neurosurgeon. These events or episodes can be fatal. Needless to say, the Kaiser doctor and health care team I wrote to to tell them about what had happened have not as yet replied.
Home to cats by 7 pm. I tried to go over my OLLI at Mason class notes, wrote them the letter I had sent to OLLI at AU three weeks ago (at the same point in term’s work, i.e. Howards End, last part, discuss 2 movie adaptations). This morning I tried to make notes, watch a Merchant & Ivory feature on my Howards End dvd. I used the lecture from 3 weeks ago, telling this class about yesterday’s stroke, but I thought I would hold the class, better to get something done than nothing. I asked this class as we went if I had covered this or that last week; I had questions invented earlier this week, the new notes, and one result was they talked more, more put their cameras on. So next week we stay on schedule.
I followed Alexandria hospital staff’s suggestions of resting, mild exercise, laying on bed flat for half hours (to keep veins open) at a time. The second time aftr I finished the class I fell asleep. What happens after each time I write at length do lecture notes or something that takes a coule of hours effort is I am “wiped out.
I’ve caught up on The Duke’s Children, trying to catch up on The Bertrams for online NYC Trollope group. Watching the marvelous 1978 BBC adaptation of Mayor of Casterbridge to try to keep up with FB group (Alan Bates, Janet Maw). I wrote online to Trollope & Peers & to friends various places.
Alas. A third stroke event. Today I was in hospital for 8 hours again. This third event manifested itself as my left leg gowing very heavy (or weak), and me unable to move it. The practical result is another set back for my left leg, it’s worse yet, and having to go slower, rest more.
I am humbled to say my two daughters were with me all day. I feel safer with Laura there especially. A recent photo
Coney Island, 2 years agoLife’s pleasures not done. I came home to a new lovely copy of Janet Todd’s Living with Jane Austen on my stoop; last night before event hit I was mesmeried by Mark Rylance, Lilit Lesser (Princess Mary), Hannah Khalique-Brown (Wolsey’s daughter, Dorothea, wholly invented character), in Wolf Hall 2:3; reading however slowly Forster’s Maurice (a masterpiece) and Mantel’s Mirror and the Light.
I had rejoiced Sunday by writing a blog about the stupendous crowds, their signs, wall-to-wall people in world-class cities demonstrating against fascist take over and ongoing destruction of US people’s govt. I disributed said blog wherever I could. See Forster’s broadcasts in 1930s and 40s on fascism and WW2
Kissing one another
Ellen