Stroke Strikes Again

Locaton: Red River South Marina & RV Park (el 200 ft); Bossier City, Louisiana

It's been two weeks since I've made a post to this blog. In my last post I was in Nashville, Tennessee visiting the Hermitage. I left there on Friday the 15th and moved to Hollywood Casino RV Park in Tunica, Mississippi. On the third day there, I received a call from my X-wife saying our youngest son, Brandon, had another stroke. I left the following morning and arrived back in Mansfield, Louisiana on the 18th and set up camp in the Heart of the Haynesville RV Park. I have since moved to the Red River South Marina & RV Park in Bossier City to be closer to the rehabilitation hospital my son is currently in. 

He suffered his first stroke in July of last year and I documented it in this blog. I am very glad I did because it now serves as a reminder as to when and what he was able to do after the first stroke. I will be doing the same here. 

This stroke affected his right side again, but in addition to the arm, leg, hand and foot, it also got his speech, eye and swallowing. The doctors and hospitals performed all of the routine tests such as MRI, EKG, X-rays, Blood Tests, etc, which confirmed the stroke and location. The location was close to the last one but in a slightly different spot. The next step after testing is rehabilitation. He is currently on day 4 of a two week stay in a rehab hospital called the Pathway. It is an excellent place with a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I moved Liberty to the Marina so I am only about 15 minutes away from the rehab hospital in case Brandon needs something. It is just a waiting game now to see how much he recovers during therapy and afterwards. Remember, it is a matter of "re-wiring" some brain connections that are needed to send and receive messages from parts of the body. The muscles are not damaged, just a part of the brain that controls things. 

It is hard to imagine the disappointment and frustration he is going through to have such a set-back. For nine months he had been making improvements from the first stroke, just to have those improvements swept away in a matter of seconds. He has always been a strong-willed and determined person; he will need those traits even more so now.

Typical flat floodplain of the Mississippi River near Tunica, Mississippi

Campsite at Hollywood Casino, Tunica, Mississippi

A nice visit to the Mississippi River to watch some barge traffic.

Heart of Haynesville Campsite, in Mansfield, Louisiana. One of my least favorite campgrounds but was the only one with a vacancy that was close to the house.

My current campsite in the Marina. One of my favorite campgrounds. This is the first campground I stayed in after buying Liberty and was here for about 4 months before I retired and hit the road. It felt comfortable setting up here.

The view in front of Liberty. Looking towards the partial Oxbow of the Red River and its boat ramp.

Sunset over the boat ramp. The Red River is still several feet higher than normal due to the excessive amounts of rain over the last couple of months. Although not as grand as some other sunsets I've seen, it was still a peaceful view.

I will post as often as I can. Thanks to all who were concerned about my delay in posting. For those who are of the persuasion, thoughts and prayers for my son are appreciated. 

Ya'll take care of each other. I'll Cya down the road.