Update on Pete - First update

We visited Dr. Murrey today.  It was not on our schedule, but God had me call this morning to ask another question; so I found out about his appointment on time!  They were so kind to us from the moment we got out of the car.  I was able to park right near the door - on the opposite side of handicapped spots.  We walked into the building and into the elevator.  He was doing well, but his shoe was getting caught a lot as his leg does not lift his foot high enough all of the time.

Dr. Murrey had quite a bit of his information, and we went over a timeline to let him know what has been going on.  Pete's blood pressure was great, and his cholesterol is great; so that is a relief.  There are some abnormal labs, but they are not clear cut.  Those are things we will discuss when we go back to Baptist in a couple of weeks.  So we left there with assurance we are on the right track.  But we have no reassurance this will not happen again.  However, Dr. Murrey said things seem to have calmed down.  He is not the first doctor to say that the stuttering of the strokes is not common.  Sometimes not being textbook is a good thing, I have learned.

We have physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy to start next week.  He will have one on each day, and he will not start the physical until Thursday.  Baptist wanted him to go into an inpatient program.  The outpatient was a compromise.  We are praying he gets the best therapists for him.

This was the first time Pete has been out since last Saturday when I took him to the ER.  I won't count going from a wheelchair to the car and into the house on Tuesday evening.  So he is worn completely out.  We are getting ready to watch Shark Tank.

To give a short summary of what has happened:

On May 7th, I talked to Pete around 7:40 am.  I dropped my car off to be serviced as Sam and I were supposed to leave for Gulf Shores, AL, at lunch to go see Andrew run conference.  I called again around 7:50 with no answer.  That was not unusual as he uses his cell to talk to many people and pastors.  I took his car and went on to work.  Right before 8:30, his friend and co-worker Maria found him on the floor.  She thought he was dead.  She called 911 and ran next door for help.  A man came over and put an aspirin under his tongue (that he had just started carrying two weeks before) and prayed over him.  Maria called me as the paramedics were on their way.

She was crying and said he had collapsed and that she had called 911.  It would not register for a few seconds, but I yelled to the girls on my hall and ran out of the building.  As I ran out the back door, I heard the sirens as Pete was not far away.  I just started crying to God to help him.  One of my friends jumped in the car with me, and we drove over.

When I got to the office, there were a few men working with him; so I could not get very close.  I told him I was there, and he lifted his head.  He could  not move anything else nor could he speak.  I could  not believe it.  I told him not to move and that it would be okay.  I gave information to the paramedic and went on to the hospital as they loaded him in the ambulance.  When I last saw him, he could look at me; but he could not speak.

After he had talked to me at 7:40, he said he reached for his coffee, but his hand would not work.  Then he realized he was slumped in his chair.  Next he rolled on into the floor, realized he could not move, and then did not know anything until the paramedics were shining a light in his eyes and calling to him.

Once in the ambulance, he had oxygen and noticed he could  move one hand and then the other.  He was talking when I heard them bringing him in.  My friend heard him first and told me to listen.  He had no effects that day and spent one night in ICU.  His blood pressure was high, so he started medicine.

****I thought this post was lost, so I continued this part at the bottom of the 2nd update.

Thanks for checking on Pete!  And for praying for him!