Hey guys, I'm going to try to not make this too long. Several years ago [6] my father had a massive stroke. He did years of rehabilitation and worked on gaining many of the skills that suffered as a direct result, back. He also started having horrible mood swings, where he would be peaceful one moment and a monster within two seconds. I just got an email from my father [who was a writer, and while his skill has suffered as a direct result from his stroke, it was never like this] that had many unintelligible sentences in it. PLUS, two days ago, he sent me a scathing email, which tells me that the mood swings are back. Now, I know, I know, this could be nothing, but this man is EXTREMELY overweight, smokes 4 packs of cigarettes a day, has suffered multiple heart attacks and has had a massive stroke in the past. I'm seeing red flags here - the incoherent writing and the mood swing. Do you guys know of any tell tale signs that I can look out for? [please, I do not see my father, so they need to not be physical things, like the face dropping. I am assuming this would have been a minor stroke as my step mother would have taken him to the hospital if it was something more.] Also, I know I may seem like I am being an alarmist, but these aren't just behaviors for him, they really are symptoms of something gone wrong, ESPECIALLY the confused writing.
http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/stroke01.html sounds like it to me. ask him if he remembers things, what he's been up to (motivation), if understands complex shit, etc
Did he develop a speech impedement after his first stroke? If not, call him and see if his speech has changed.
I can ask, but if he'll tell me the truth is another story. I'll send him an email and then call tomorrow and see if he remembers what I wrote. I just hope I'm not the only one who's noticed this, if it is something. He has a wife, and his mother lives with them as well. Thank you for that info, I'm going to go to the link now.
He did, a mild one. I'll call tomorrow and see if I hear anything different [I probably won't, if it's something that has gone undetected by his wife and mother, I rarely talk to him]
4 fucking packs of cigarettes a day?! I dunno mane it could very well be, my old man has a tumor on his brain and has suffered strokes(not massive ones though), and he literally has some memory loss. I posted not too long ago about him and a certain episode. If I was you I would try to talk to him, and if that doesnt work talk to his wife(your mom or whatever) and tell her whats up and get her to talk to his doctor.
Yah, 4 packs a day. His mother [who is LITERALLY 90] drinks half a HANDLE of vodka A DAY. I'm convinced that her blood is alcohol and she's a living mummy. I remember your post. His wife is my step mother, I am very much not close with this side of my family and actually didn't talk to my father for three years [one of those years is when he had the stroke, and the stroke is what got me to talk to him again] I am going to call tomorrow and see if I can tell anything else, or if his email response shows that this is a continued symptom. If it is, I'll definately mention it to his wife. I'm sure she'll hate me for it though. This is really a double edged sword. I want my father to be fine and not suffer anymore strokes, but I was told to expect this. Actually, I was told, my doctor's that my father would die in the near future, he wouldn't make it to sixty. He turned sixty last year.