Dec/29/09
(From William Pratney, Winkie’s son) Hi all! Thanks goes out to all the faithful in Christ Jesus that have been praying for Winkie at this time. After seeing some of the many emails that have been pouring in, I don’t doubt that there are more than a few. Good news!
Winkie seems to be making progress daily. Each day we’ve noticed marked improvement, and his recall seems to be deepening. He has began writing in a notepad we got him, attempting to remember things like peoples names, books he has written, sermon topics he has spoken on, computer operating systems he has used, as well as the categories of the honorary doctorate (“doctor of letters”) he received from Ecclesia College in the United States before returning to New Zealand, among others. We are still learning how much of his memory was lost, and how much of his speech & vocabulary were affected. But like I said, each day he gets a little better, showing his ability to recall things he could not the day previous.This morning I talked with the visiting neurologist/stroke specialist from Auckland hospital. (They decided not to transfer him many days ago – Winkie is still in Middlemore hospital in Otahuhu) They decided against any kind of head surgery. The grounds for this decision (from what I could deduce) were twofold:
1. They do not believe that a pressure relief needle aspiration (piercing the skull to let the blood out) will be helpful, because
a. in cases such as his, both aspirations and non-aspirations have shown similar outcomes, i.e. letting the blood out won’t help. Why? Because (I am told) after having tried both aspirations and foregoing them for over 40 years, aspirations have proven no more effective and yet more dangerous – fluid will simply accumulate to take the place of the blood that was relieved…and any kind of head surgery is dangerous.
2. There is far greater danger in doing any kind of head surgery (including the risk of infection) in comparison to the safer alternative (if viable) of allowing the blood to reabsorb into the body and for the body to heal itself.The neurologist also told me that they have foregone the MRI, and neither an MRI or a CT scan will be helpful at this time because neither (apparently) can see beyond the blood that has spilled in his brain. Another CT scan could be helpful (apparently) AFTER the blood that spilled in his brain has been reabsorbed.Winkie met with a speech therapist this afternoon. She ran him through a series of tests designed to assess what parts of his brain were affected by the stroke, and how this practically affected his recall and communication skills. He did quite well, but the tests revealed that he is unable, on his own, to recall many basic words in his vocabulary. Words like, “comb”, “coin”, and “cup” were quite gone from him. Once reminded of the word used to describe a given object, he could usually recall it and continue to use it from that point on, having reintroduced it into his vocabulary (or memorized it). Other words, however, seemed foreign to him, as if he had never learned them before.When the artery in his brain burst, part of his brain died. The information contained therein (if it was solely contained therein) will probably have to be re-introduced in order for him to function as he once did. The clot of blood we saw on the CT scan was about the size of a walnut. Normally something that large, in the area it is (just over and perhaps a little behind the left ear) impairs motor function on the right side of the body (i.e. right arm, right leg, etc). But Winkie does not seem affected like that at all.Winkie met with a physical therapist recently for a full evaluation on his motor skills. This included an evaluation on his coordination, balance, and strength. As far as I could deduce, he passed all of the tests they gave him. (I want to say with flying colors, but in truth it was nothing that glorious…his mind was struggling to keep up with directions a little, sort of like what one might expect with someone taking directions in a second language…they speak it, they understand it, but they struggle to keep up with the pace in which it is given at times)Because of the amazing brain which Winkie has (and we all have amazing brains, but as a child doctors apparently told his mother that he had unusually high brain-wave activity, recommending an especially dark room for him in order to allow him to sleep properly), he is able to comprehend large amounts of data at an impressive pace. This means, that the rehabilitation process involving his relearning of object-word associations should be faster than average. (Sorry if you think this is bragging about my dad…I’m just trying to say we have high hopes for him, because we know how he tends to operate)
Winkie seems to be making progress daily. Each day we’ve noticed marked improvement, and his recall seems to be deepening. He has began writing in a notepad we got him, attempting to remember things like peoples names, books he has written, sermon topics he has spoken on, computer operating systems he has used, as well as the categories of the honorary doctorate (“doctor of letters”) he received from Ecclesia College in the United States before returning to New Zealand, among others. We are still learning how much of his memory was lost, and how much of his speech & vocabulary were affected. But like I said, each day he gets a little better, showing his ability to recall things he could not the day previous.This morning I talked with the visiting neurologist/stroke specialist from Auckland hospital. (They decided not to transfer him many days ago – Winkie is still in Middlemore hospital in Otahuhu) They decided against any kind of head surgery. The grounds for this decision (from what I could deduce) were twofold:
1. They do not believe that a pressure relief needle aspiration (piercing the skull to let the blood out) will be helpful, because
a. in cases such as his, both aspirations and non-aspirations have shown similar outcomes, i.e. letting the blood out won’t help. Why? Because (I am told) after having tried both aspirations and foregoing them for over 40 years, aspirations have proven no more effective and yet more dangerous – fluid will simply accumulate to take the place of the blood that was relieved…and any kind of head surgery is dangerous.
2. There is far greater danger in doing any kind of head surgery (including the risk of infection) in comparison to the safer alternative (if viable) of allowing the blood to reabsorb into the body and for the body to heal itself.The neurologist also told me that they have foregone the MRI, and neither an MRI or a CT scan will be helpful at this time because neither (apparently) can see beyond the blood that has spilled in his brain. Another CT scan could be helpful (apparently) AFTER the blood that spilled in his brain has been reabsorbed.Winkie met with a speech therapist this afternoon. She ran him through a series of tests designed to assess what parts of his brain were affected by the stroke, and how this practically affected his recall and communication skills. He did quite well, but the tests revealed that he is unable, on his own, to recall many basic words in his vocabulary. Words like, “comb”, “coin”, and “cup” were quite gone from him. Once reminded of the word used to describe a given object, he could usually recall it and continue to use it from that point on, having reintroduced it into his vocabulary (or memorized it). Other words, however, seemed foreign to him, as if he had never learned them before.When the artery in his brain burst, part of his brain died. The information contained therein (if it was solely contained therein) will probably have to be re-introduced in order for him to function as he once did. The clot of blood we saw on the CT scan was about the size of a walnut. Normally something that large, in the area it is (just over and perhaps a little behind the left ear) impairs motor function on the right side of the body (i.e. right arm, right leg, etc). But Winkie does not seem affected like that at all.Winkie met with a physical therapist recently for a full evaluation on his motor skills. This included an evaluation on his coordination, balance, and strength. As far as I could deduce, he passed all of the tests they gave him. (I want to say with flying colors, but in truth it was nothing that glorious…his mind was struggling to keep up with directions a little, sort of like what one might expect with someone taking directions in a second language…they speak it, they understand it, but they struggle to keep up with the pace in which it is given at times)Because of the amazing brain which Winkie has (and we all have amazing brains, but as a child doctors apparently told his mother that he had unusually high brain-wave activity, recommending an especially dark room for him in order to allow him to sleep properly), he is able to comprehend large amounts of data at an impressive pace. This means, that the rehabilitation process involving his relearning of object-word associations should be faster than average. (Sorry if you think this is bragging about my dad…I’m just trying to say we have high hopes for him, because we know how he tends to operate)
I should mention as well: I have been getting phone calls, txts and emails from various people with the resounding sense that God is going to completely restore Winkie’s mind to him, 100%. I tend to agree. Already we have seen miraculous improvement. Praise the LORD! Hallelujah!
Please keep believing with us for this wonderful work of God. And thank you again, for your prayers of faith for Winkie.
God bless,
William
