Hello, I’m Aylin, with a small update on my husband. I was told that he will be moved to the Respiratory Ward while waiting for a bed to become available at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney for rehabilitation.
Although he is still not fully responsive, I sometimes notice his gaze on me when I speak to him. I’m not sure, but I think the painkillers he is receiving might also be contributing to his lack of responsiveness.
I have noticed that his right leg is constantly extended, and his left arm is as well, but only at the elbow—his fingers remain relaxed. He has lost a significant amount of weight during his hospital stay, and a week ago, they placed a feeding tube to provide him with nutrition.
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Thanks for sharing an update & I hope the wait for the neurodisability hospital isn’t too long. It’s good that he is gazing at you when you speak. I suspect that means he knows you are there & can hear you. Keep talking to him.
The painkillers might be contributing to his responsiveness levels but he probably needs them right now. It is worth asking the drs about it though.
Hope you are doing ok too.
Sending best wishes
Ann x
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Hello @Aylin - Thanks for your update.
I have linked this update to your introductory post as I thought it would help to keep the information together and for you to find the help in “one place.”
You can access that by clicking on the below heading.
My husband suffered a severe ischemic stroke
With regards to your husband’s responsiveness and weight loss, these are likely the result of time spent in bed and also the medication. The fact that he has only just placed a feeding tube to provide him with nutrition, may help explain the weight loss. Being nil-by-mouth is a bit of a disadvantage in the sense that you don’t get to eat the hospital meals. But now with the tube in place, he will hopefully get his daily calories and the weight will start to come back up.
It is not nice this has happened, but it is not unusual. My Mum was on IV drip for a month before they put the tube in and even then it was because we queried why she wasn’t being fed or given any nutrients.
It looks like your husband is going down a path not too dissimilar to my Mum’s. If it helps, Mum came though it and has made slow but steady progress. She has been through a heck of a lot and she was 89 when she had the stroke. Your husband is in a much better starting position from that point of view. Age is on his side and he will be offered more help as a result - by that I simply mean he will not be discriminated against on the grounds of age.
Wishing you and your husband all the best.
Namaste|
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Thank you! I never expected to find so much support. I’m also grateful to the people who created this community. For people like us, this is a huge source of strength and help.
I’m still new here and just learning how everything works, but I promise to keep you updated on how things are going. Maybe one day, I can also be of help to someone, just as you are helping me now!
Once again, thank you a thousand times!
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Hi Aylin, thank you for the update on your husband. I am posting this as a stroke survivor and can’t begin to understand how difficult it is for you. My husband and grown up children still speak about how heart breaking it was in the early days following my stroke in 2017 and how helpless they felt.
On a positive note it is good news that they are preparing to move him into a rehab unit when a bed becomes available and in the meantime they are trying to build him up and get some goodness and nutrition into him.
It’s great that he responds to your voice when you speak to him. Keep talking to him and hopefully this will stimulate his brian as it tries to recover following the trauma it has suffered.
Take care of yourself too, you will play an important role in his recovery. Hopefully you have friends or family who will be able to support you too.
Once he is settled in the rehab unit, they will be able to assess him and work out how they can help him on his road to recovery.
Remember there is always someone here, both stroke survivors and carers, so feel free to ask if you have any questions or if you just need to have a rant or need a shoulder to cry on, you are not alone.
Keep talking to him and I’m sure with your love and support he will begin to make some progress as he begins his road to recovery.
Sending best wishes and positive thoughts to both of you.
Regards Sue
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Aylin keep us updated on you and hubby. It is a huge shock for you as well as hubby. The support ive received from people on here since i had my stroke is amazing. Anne
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A little information and questions about my husband:
Yesterday, my husband was moved from the intensive care unit at Kingston Hospital to the stroke ward in the same hospital. I called earlier today just to get information about his condition, and they told me that on Monday, he will be transferred to Northwick Park Hospital. They said they would speak to me about it tomorrow, but I will go crazy before then. They didn’t give me any additional information over the phone. When I mentioned that Northwick Park is quite far from where we live, they just said everything will be fine, as if they were trying to end the call quickly. I am extremely worried. I have read a lot about the hospital online and in ChatGPT, and it has only confused me more.
Is this clinic good? It’s been two months with no major changes, and now, within one week, there are two transfers, one of which is quite serious. Also, we live quite far from Northwick, about 2 hours by public transport. I have a small child, and I don’t know how I will manage. I want to be with my husband every day, but I also need to take care of my child, who is only 4 years old.
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From what I’ve read online, Northwick Park Hospital has a stroke unit. The hospital also has a hyper-acute stroke unit (HASU). Which is probably why they are sending him there. I know it had a good rep when I lived in Harrow, but was about 30 years ago.
If that is the reason for tranfering him, then its in your husband’s best interest for his ongoing care and rehabilition. Unfortunately you come second in their considerations not yours 
But it could also be that it was the nearest one available that had a bed for him on the SU.
Lorraine
Stroke Improvement Group
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@Aylin I agree with @EmeraldEyes that this move will be being made in the best interests of your husband. Hopefully you’ll find out more details today that will put your mind at rest.
If you aren’t able to visit each day maybe you can set up video calls? I know when my dad was in hospital long term and the journey was 3 hours to see him we just went once a week. Not ideal but we made it work. Is there anyone else who could visit on days you’re not able to?
Sending my best wishes
Ann xx
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The mistake was mine—it’s not just Northwick Hospital but also Northwick Hospital Rehab Wards.
Yesterday was one of the best days in the past two months. I took our daughter to visit, and my husband was much more awake. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, watching her closely, and even tried to play with her. She kept giving him her favorite toy, and he would take it, hold it for a bit, then give it back. They repeated this many times.
Even the nurse recorded a video to show the physiotherapists. They came immediately, and we tried again, but he got really tired. He still kept going, but it was clear he was exhausted.
I forgot to mention that my husband and our daughter have an incredibly strong bond—both ways. I can’t describe how proud I felt when she told him multiple times, “Everything will be okay, Daddy. You will get better. I love you.” And he looked at her with such hope and love.
Today, we have a family physiotherapy session. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.
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That is wonderful news Aylin. So nice you were able to spend time together as family.
Love will get you all through this.
The specialist unit at Northwick Park will help prepare your husband for ongoing rehab.
Wishing you all the best.
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@Aylin that’s great news. There are some real positives in there. Your daughter might be just the spur he needs. Hecwill gwt tired though so finding a balance is important but as ManjiB says love will get you all through this.
Hope the physio session todays goes well.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hi Aylin, that’s great news. Just the boost you all need. I’m sure your husband was delighted to see your daughter and she will be a great inspiration to keep him motivated when things get tough.
I hope your family physio therapy session goes well today.
Best wishes and regards and please keep us updated on his progress.
Regards Sue
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Good morning, wonderful people.
It’s me again with an update on my husband. He is now at Northwick Park Hospital Rehab Center. He is a bit more responsive and focused, but as you know, everything takes time. So far, I have a very good impression of the hospital, even though he has only been there since Tuesday.
I don’t know how they managed it, but they have already done and are doing much more than what was done in two months at Kingston Hospital. His leg is a bit straighter, he looks much calmer, and they are trying to remove his tracheostomy for one hour each day. So far, he is doing very well.
For the first time since the stroke, the people taking care of my husband don’t look at me with pity but with hope. They give me detailed information about what they are doing for him and what is planned next. In the previous hospital, I had to literally beg for information or to meet with a doctor.
Since English is our second language and my husband didn’t speak it well, I was sure he wasn’t understanding the doctors’ and physiotherapists’ instructions. In Kingston, they didn’t pay attention to this, but at Northwick, his key worker immediately called and arranged interpreters for both the morning and afternoon sessions. They also allowed me to attend every session whenever I decide to.
That’s all for now. I know this is quite long to read, but it might be helpful for someone in a similar situation to mine or my husband’s.
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That sounds really positive & seems like progress will now speed up. These places are better equipped than a hospital to provide the level of care that people need. Hospitals really just tend to deal with the immediate medical need.
Glad early impressions are so good. Here’s to loads of progress soon.
Best wishes
Ann
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Hey Aylin - this is so wonderful.
I am so glad your husband got transferred to Northwick Park as it seems to be a place that is well equipped to help his recovery.
What I am particularly impressed by is the fact that you are involved.
This is very important in your situation as you are your husband’s advocate and can represent him and share important information with the team looking after your husband.
The fact that your dedicated keyworker is doing their job i.e. arranging for interpreters and also allowing you to attend the sessions. With regards to this, I would like to share a couple of things 1) If you are able, it is best to be there instead of relying on interpreters. I don’t mean to demean the role of interpreters, but based on personal experience they are not necessarily always interpreting correctly. We had an incident where (in my presence) an interpreter translated something incorrectly and I had to intervene to make sure the information was correctly interpreted. I am glad I was there as I feel the outcome would have been different if I had not. Just a caution. I am not suggesting that it is a bad thing and sometimes we don’t have a choice.
2) It is your husbands right to have someone present at these sessions. If ever you feel you are being excluded you can make it known that you wish to be present or your husband would want you to be present. Your keyworker can help you with this if needed. If you can and want to stay with your husband (I know you have children and so this may not be possible) you may be able to stay with him round the clock.
I am sorry if my response is longer than your post, but I can get carried away sometimes.
Looking forward to your next update.
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Yes, sometimes it’s impossible to attend all the sessions. Our daughter is 4 years old, and I travel about 3 hours one way to see him, but I give my best to be with him every possible moment. They said that next week they will allow me to bring our daughter, even though the visits are for people over 16 years old. But I told them that I’m sure our daughter will help a lot with his recovery. They were convinced too after I showed a video of how my husband reacts to her, how he gave her the toy, and when she said, ‘Daddy, you need to move your left leg, then your right leg.’ And he did! They were quite surprised at how such a small girl can be such a big support and help."
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Great news @Aylin I hope your husbands recovery continues to go well 
Anna
Hi Aylin, that’s great news. I’m sure you will see a great difference in your husband now that he is in the right place. My husband used to come with me to my physiotherapy sessions and it felt great to have that support. I spent 12 weeks in a rehab unit and I was allowed to go home at the weekends
(Friday - Sunday), this might be something for you to consider a bit further down the line.
I would like to wish him all the best in his recovery and look forward to hearing about his progress in the coming weeks.Take care and look after yourself too.
Regards Sue