Some info on Dad's stroke

This isn't really an update, but we thought we'd jot down some of the info we've learned about Dad's stroke.

It was hemorrhagic, so instead of a clot, it was a blood vessel that burst after a gradual weakening of the vessel wall.  The bleed was massive and intracerebral, so he basically has a big bruise and it's in the middle of his brain.

There are 4 ventricles in the brain that are usually full of spinal fluid.  They're responsible for transporting spinal fluid from the spinal cord to the brain.  Right now they are full of blood, so the spinal fluid is not moving around the way it's supposed to.  It's normal for everyone to produce about 3/4 cup of spinal fluid everyday.  In Dad's case, they're helping him drain that fluid which helps reduce the pressure on his brain.  To accomplish this, the surgeon installed two "ventrix", or drains, which are small tubes that go down into the center of his brain.  As the spinal fluid drains, it slowly flushes out the bruise which will reduce the pressure on his brain and allow things to return to normal.  His nurse Carol said it could take up to 6 weeks to get the blood out and get the spinal fluid moving the way it should.

The center of the brain controls the speech center, which includes speaking, listening and writing.  It also controls body temperature, so fevers are not uncommon.