No Stroke

Yesterday Jim finally decided he had better go in and see the doctor because the paralysis on the left side of his face seemed to be getting a little worse. The doctor was not happy that he had waited for 3 days before going in, but after examining him, the doctor thought this was maybe Bell's Palsey rather than a stroke. He sent Jim over to the hospital to get an MRI just to make sure and the doctor's diagnosis was correct. Jim did not have a stroke. To say that we are both relieved puts it mildly although there is no guarantee that permanent damage could not have occurred. I believe Jason had this a few years ago and I had it several years ago but mine only lasted about 3 days total and it was very minor. I hadn't even considered this simply because we are so used to Jim's TIAs. Most of the time all symptoms disappear within a few days or a few weeks. Jim's biggest difficulty, of course, is talking. He is very slurry and sounds like he has marbles in his mouth, especially when he says words with an "s" in it. He also has difficulty opening his mouth very wide so eating is a little problematic unless it's with small bitefuls. He can't spit or whistle, either. We are very hopeful that symptoms will diminish quickly and we're very grateful that this was not a stroke. I thought I had better give you an update to put your minds at ease.