Quote Originally Posted by Popoki_Nui View Post
Thanks so much for the good wishes for my m-i-l Eileen. At this point it's still not clear how this will play out. Her stroke wasn't particularly severe, but the complications could well be. The stroke has affected her swallowing; she must be fed thru a nasal tube, and if she doesn't regain her ability to swallow she will have to be fed thru a tube directly into her stomach. Related to this, she is at extremely high risk for pneumonia. Her right arm and leg are still non-functioning. On the plus side, she is slowly getting movement back in her right leg (reflex only, but it's a start), and the stroke has not impaired her mental functioning at all. She's still sharp as a tack and retains her wicked sense of humour.
Thanks again. Will update later if you'd like.

Sherry and family.

edit: yes, she does have a physiotherapist and occupational therapist visiting her daily, as well as her PCP, a top neurologist, and about a jillion other amazing nurses and support staff.
Sherry, all this sounds pretty promising. The nasal feeding tude is common, and my mother completely relearned how to swallow and eat again with PT help.
The only reason they might switch the feeding tube to the stomache is that it is very irritating through the nose and will cause nasal problems if in too long. The fact that your mil has some movement in her leg so SOON is great, and if her mind is sharp she sounds like she is going to be doing lots of improving! In one year of recovering, my mother went from being a drooling half asleep shadow slumped over in her wheelchair back to being able to sit upright, smile, feed herself, talk, and walk with a walker again briefly (before she got sick with other things). She started out older and with a worse stroke than your MIL, and never did regain any left arm or leg ability. You should have great hopes for your MIL's recovery!!