My mother got a phone call last night…from my grandfather. He is comfortably ensconced in the neurological unit of his local hospital where he is busy charming all the nurses (who think he is just the cutest thing) and enjoying the hospital food. He even has a set of ‘regular pajamas.’ He is getting an MRI today (which he is actually very excited about) and will be kept in the hospital at least two more days while his medication is adjusted.
It turns out that my grandfather has something called ‘Transient Ischemic Attack’ or TIA for short. This is a condition that is sometimes referred to as a ‘mini stroke.’ Basically a TIA happens when the blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or reduced (often because of a blood clot) and after a short time the blood flows again and the symptoms go away. People who experience these the way that my grandfather has been – you feel dizzy, clumsy, and have trouble standing - often call them ‘weak spells’ or ‘faint spells’ or ‘episodes.’ When my grandfather described the symptoms he had been having the doctor recognized it as TIA and had him sent to the hospital for testing in hopes of preventing a serious stroke from occurring. (My great-grandfather died from a stroke.) This condition can be controlled, at least in grandpa’s case, through a small change in diet and a change of medication. This is all really good news.
And to top it all off…it snowed last night.
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