Nurses and therapists help Buckhead man return to active living after a stroke

When Jack Tweedell of Buckhead came home after his second stroke, his life was looking pretty bleak. He had lost most of the use of his right leg and arm, and it was hard for him to talk. His doctor was suggesting assisted living. For a man who loved independence and the outdoors, it was a difficult time.

And then Georgia Griffin, a registered nurse with St. Mary's Home Health Care Services, visited his home on the shores of Lake Oconee and life began getting better.

“Georgia was a delight,” says Doris Tweedell, Jack's wife of more than 20 years. “He came home on Friday and she came that Sunday morning. Starting right then, we had the girls coming almost every day for three weeks.”

“The girls” were nurses and physical, occupational and speech-language therapists who specialize in providing care in the home. They worked with Jack intensively to help him regain the use of his arm and leg, re-learn how to speak clearly, and monitor his medical status to make sure he was safe and progressing well.

“We just fell in love with each and every one of them,” Jack says. “They were great.”

Doris adds that their comfort level rose even higher when physical therapist Melanie Price recognized them. Seven years earlier, Melanie had provided physical therapy to Doris' son after he had both hips replaced.

“She remembered us and even remembered how to get to our house. Melanie was just outstanding,” Doris says. “All the girls were professional. You got the feeling they really care. It's just like family.”

“If I was rating them 1 to 10, I'd rate all of them 12,” Jack says.

A really bad day

On May 7, 2008, Doris woke at 6 a.m. as usual and left Jack sleeping. She did her normal morning routine, but when she checked on Jack at about 9, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed, unable to put on his trousers. He seemed to have lost the ability to use his right arm and leg.

“I knew it was a stroke, and when he couldn't speak, I had no doubt in my mind,” Doris says.

She rushed Jack to the nearest hospital, Morgan Memorial in Madison (in retrospect, she says, she should have called an ambulance), where doctors confirmed her fears and had him transferred to St. Mary's, North Georgia's first Joint Commission-certified stroke center.

At St. Mary's, diagnostics revealed the type and location of the stroke, but because symptoms started while Jack was asleep, doctors were unable to give him the powerful clot-busting drug tPA.

“Jack's stroke happened while he was asleep, so we had no way of knowing when the stroke started,” says Cammie Llewallyn, RN, Director of St. Mary's Neuroscience Center. “In an ischemic stroke like Jack's, a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of the brain and brain cells start to die. tPA can break up the clot and restore blood flow, but it has to be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms in order to save most of the affected cells.”

But there were other things St. Mary's specialized physicians and trained neuroscience staff could do, from adjusting his blood thinning medicine in order to prevent additional clots to starting physical, occupational and speech language therapy to help him regain his independence. Jack recovered rapidly, and on May 9, after just two days in the hospital, went home to begin his therapy.

A miraculous outcome

Looking back, it's not surprising Jack had a major stroke. Science shows that people who have heart problems, have had a previous stroke, are older adults, and live in the “Stroke Belt” of the Southeastern U.S. are most likely to suffer “brain attacks.” Jack had all of those risk factors, including a less serious stroke in 2000 and quadruple bypass surgery in 1987.

What is surprising is how well he has recovered from his stroke. There's a little hitch in his step that wasn't there before, and Doris can tell that his voice is a little softer than it used to be.

“Jack does the same things he did before the stroke, but in moderation,” she says. “He's really a miracle.”

Today, Jack continues to do the exterior work he loves, from keeping the yard mowed and trimmed to clearing away spiders when they spin webs on the deck.

“The best thing in the world is to be active,” Jack says. “You've got to think positive and you've got to do things.”

“You know, kindness and compassion never go out of style,” Doris concludes. “We have been blessed with an abundance of both.”

Signs and Symptoms of a stroke

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Stroke is a medical emergency. If any of these symptoms appear, call 911 immediately. Fast treatment can save lives and prevent disability.