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So as usual, I'm sitting alone in a room watching anime on my laptop in the dark. My mom enters the room. I knew my parents were going to an indian restaurant so I figured she just came in to say goodbye. Rather, she came in to tell me she was taking my stepdad to the emergency room.
The left side of his face is drooping and his speech is slurred and he's having difficulty walking. She said he's probably having a stroke. This came as a half surprise to me but I felt a lot more worried than I thought I would.
I always resented my stepdad for the way he treated me when I was growing up but as I grew older and more mature I realized that he was a product of an older time and had a far different idea of proper parenting than what would be accepted now. For the past 2 years or so, we've gotten along pretty well, in fact we were just watching the Cowboys/Chargers game together this afternoon.
I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. He has high blood pressure and diabetes but does nothing to regulate it. He skips his blood pressure medicine on a daily basis and puts zero effort into regulating his diabetes. My mother is a nurse and does what she can to make sure he stays healthy, but he regularly sneaks fast food and soda into his meals when she is at work.
Although it's terrible that it came to this and I'm genuinely worried, the best case scenario is that he is treated and ends up alright, but learns his lesson and starts taking his health more seriously from now on. Because if he continues eating and living the way he does, the next stroke or heart attack could end his life. So, I guess all I can do is stay home to watch over the pets and hopefully visit him in the ER tomorrow if he stays overnight. 
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Sweden33719 Posts
Sorry to hear, hope he ends up alright :o How old is he?
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He's in his early 60's, a lot older than my mother. that's what makes it even more dangerous for him to neglect his health problems like he does.
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Yeah, what frozenArbiter said, I'm very sorry to hear that and I hope he ends up ok.
My close friend also has had a stroke recently so I can see were your coming from.
Best thing to do here is if he still continues to sneak fast food and all that un-necessary food is to confront him about it and tell him what would happen.
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Not to be an asshole, but hopefully this teaches him not to intentionally skip out on doctor ordered medication. I mean you can't say he was surprised about having a stroke.
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Ahhh this is terrible! I feel for you and your mother goodfriend and I hope he is ok.
If you ever have Irish whiskey and coffee around, well, that stops a lot of the symptoms and brain damage that can occur from a stroke.
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Sorry to hear that, man. Hopefully he doesn't suffer any long term effects from it. :/
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I'm sorry. I hope he recovers, and swiftly.
If you ever have Irish whiskey around, well, that stops a lot of the symptoms of worry and grief that can occur from a stroke.
Stay strong man.
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My father is seventy one and he also has diabetes, I know how it feels to worry.
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United States4796 Posts
Best of luck, mate. Hope things go well and he recovers.
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I'm sorry for the unfortunate circumstances. I hope he feels better.
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Sorry to hear that.
But still, it's his own fault, skipping medicine and putting 0 effort regulating his diabetes.. just dumb.
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My mom has always regulated what my family eats, especially my dad. Even though it annoys me, there's a good reason for it.
Help your mom help your dad.
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Hopefully he gets better and learns his lesson, my best wishes to you and your family.
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Got a call from my mother, it is indeed because of his unwillingness to do anything about his diabetes. He's apparently really really scared and is going to start eating better so hopefully this will end up being a positive experience.
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I really hope your stepdad gets better. I also hope he realises that his diet affects not just him but his family as well.
My uncle was like that - he refused to do anything to get his blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control. When he was just past 60, he went on a family holiday with his wife, kids and granddaughter. In the middle of the night he just keeled over and died from a heart attack. The worst thing is that everyone loved him so much. Watching his diet or doing some exercise could have given not just him but his family several more years of happiness.
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"My mother is a nurse and does what she can to make sure he stays healthy, but he regularly sneaks fast food and soda into his meals when she is at work."
sigh... he's gotta take care of himself you can't let others take care of you... :/
hope he gets well
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Ok, I need to share here.
Four years ago my father had a stroke at the age of 61. Mentally he was and still is extremely fit, however at the time he was a good 20 pounds heavier than today at, 6'0, 200 pounds. He also had high blood pressure. It didn't help that was working two jobs and he was the go-to guy for his company. They would just throw story after story at him and he would do all of them because he was so good and fast about it. Eventually, all these factors ended up contributing to a stroke.
The scariest part for me was that I saw it happen. We had just finished dinner and my dad and I were in the living room talking about Japanese history. All of a sudden, I see this twitching in his face and he stops talking mid conversation. I am immediately concerned and ask him if he's ok. There's a good four second delay between when I say this and when he responds. He says, he's fine, and that he just needs to rest. I recall telling him it looks like you just had a stroke or something. I expected a laugh, or at least some acknowledgment, however I received none, and immediately after that I should have acted. We talked a bit more, and he became harder and harder to understand. However, I assumed it was nothing, went upstairs, and told my mom that Dad was acting weird. I go back up to my room, and my Mother doesn't notice my Dad's condition either. We both made the mistake of just assuming that he was tired. Ten minutes later, I hear my Mom freak out and start crying, I rush downstairs, and I discover that my father has soiled himself.
At this moment I really didn't know what to expect, what to believe, because I knew then that this was a drastic turning point in all our lives. At the time, my father was our sole source of income, and without him our life wouldn't be nearly as great. Not to mention, that my father is the best dad in the fucking universe. He's always been there for me, cared for me, and nurtured me. I couldn't possibly imagine a life without him.
Fortunately the paramedics came, and my father was rushed to the hospital 45 minutes after the stroke happened. Our reaction was perhaps fast enough to save a great portion of his brain. What happened next is a miracle, and by that a turn of extremely good fortunate. My father suffered virtually no brain damage at all from the stroke. For about a year he had a slight lisp, and an uneven face but that went away with time. He's still as mentally sharp as ever, still writes articles for magazines, still does Spanish translations, and still reads more than a librarian. The best part is that he went on a low sodium diet and has lost over 20 pounds. He now sits at a safe 180 pounds and exercises every day.
DoctorHelvetica, I know that you may not be on the best terms with your stepfather, but make sure to give him support in the hospital and visit him regularly. The stroke turned out to be a stroke of good fortune for my father, it warranted him to make lifestyle changes that have probably added a good 10 years to his life expectancy. Tell your step-dad to seize the opportunity, and encourage him to change his diet and exercise more frequently.
Spend as much time as you can with your loved ones, because you never know how much time they really have left. Sometimes things happen, things you don't expect or don't want. Learn to love what you have and cherish every day.
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Thanks for sharing that Athos, it means a lot.
Me and my mother are both going to do what we can to make sure he can turn his life around.
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EPT
