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Dad normally watches the news from 5-6:30pm every night. He sits in the same chair. I walked in at 6:15 and he was in a different chair (highly unusual), sound asleep. I woke him up and he has no idea what happened. It's been an hour. In that time we decided he should sleep in the guest room (close by), but every time he tries to get up to go there, he goes in the wrong direction and keeps saying he doesn't know where he is. His legs are too weak for him to walk to that room, so we agreed he should rest on a sofa along the route. He is there now. What might be happening?
He has slowed down a lot (he's 90!) but still lives more or less independently, engages with friends every day, stays up on current events.
I don't think he had a stroke - he can smile and lift his arms and follow conversation - though his legs are weak and he's having trouble getting words out, which happens at times in the evenings.

Thanks for the update — so helpful to read about these less typical stroke symptoms.
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Reply to SnoopyLove
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Thank you for the update.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate this forum. The short update is that Dad is doing fine now. The longer update is that I took him to Urgent Care first thing the next morning, where they quickly ruled out a UTI and told us to go directly to the ER. The next morning they confirmed he'd had a small stroke that took them 2 CAT scans and an MRI to find. But they found it. He's back to baseline now and probably coming home today. I feel so lucky that it worked out this way - I had never seen something like that before and did not understand the severity of it - and will NEVER guess about these things again.
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Reply to CaTo30
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ShirleyDot Dec 29, 2024
Thank you for the update. Glad to hear they figured it out.
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I think the smile and lifting of arms are just a couple of things to look for in a stroke. Also sticking out your tongue. Slurred speak is another. But I don't think you have to have all 4 symptoms to say its a stroke. There are mini-strokes too.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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Given I have seen this 15 hours after the fact nothing I can say would make a difference if this is a stoke.
In these instances you do NOT GUESS. You call 911 at once.
My partner just on Oct 24th had a massive clot in the MCA M-1 curve and without the administration of clot busters within an hour would likely not be where is is now (perfectly back 100%)

This is no time to guess.
If your father is a DNR and if this is a stroke, minutes count.
The chances are good that this is not a stroke as he can walk, but this isn't something you gamble with.

I hope you will update us that all is well.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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Did you check for signs of a stroke?
Differences in pupil diameters,
drooping on one side of his face,
slurred speech,
one side of the mouth won't smile,
one hand not working right or no grip strength,
etc.

Take his vitals.
Do you have a blood pressure cuff and a finger oxymeter?
If you don't have those things, get them, they're cheap ~ $25 a piece.

Don't be afraid to call 911 and let the trained professionals access if he needs a trip to the hospital.
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Reply to jwellsy
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CaTo30 Dec 27, 2024
Thank you! I did check for signs of stroke as that was my first worry. I did not think to bring out the oxymeter but we do have one and I will have that on tap if this happens again. He really didn't seem to have stroke symptoms - no issues smiling or lifting his arms or using his hands. And he was able to follow conversation, if not get the words out (which happens at times in the evenings). The sleepiness, confusion and weakness were the concerning factors.
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He needs to be checked for a UTI right away. It does cause mental changes: Confusion, delirium, or other behavior changes. One time I left my mother at home with my husband there and she had went to sleep in her chair and when she woke up she was delirious and confused and was trying to say words but it would come out right. I took her to the ER and she had a UTI. So you may want to go ahead and take him to the ER and just have him tested. I hope he gets better.
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Reply to Butterfly62
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CaTo30 Dec 27, 2024
Thank you! He is sleeping now but it's looking like the ER will be the morning destination as it's a Saturday.
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He could have a UTI, or be dehydrated, or have another type of infection or a number of other issues.
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Reply to Geaton777
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CaTo30 Dec 27, 2024
I'm not looking for a diagnosis. I'm looking to learn from the shared experience of the Brain Trust on this forum.
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