Oh, GOOD news! Kennedy was cogent!

[The Doctor.]

That's the BEST sign after a stroke!

They just reported that he was talking to his Doctor. That's the best sign!

[slinkerwink]

1. I'm glad to hear that!!!!!

[havocmom]

2. Was it news about that conference call that put him over the red line?

Healing energy to our Liberal Lion.

[dkf]

3. Thank goodness!

I'm scared but hoping for the best.

[Waya]

4. >SIGH< of relief.......

[bicentennial_baby]

5. Globe is reporting that it was 2 seizures:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/05/ted_kennedy_sai.html

[stillcool]

6. I saw that...

odd that they are the only ones to mention that. Stroke, heart attack, seizures..I'm hoping that 'none of the above' is the case.

[dkf]

8. Seizures after a Stroke...

by Suzanne Ryan, R.N.
for About.com
Updated: March 1, 2007

Some people may have seizures after having a stroke. They may begin hours, days, weeks, months or even years afterward and are a result of the stroke’s injury to the brain. Stroke survivors are about 35 times more likely to have seizures in the first year after their stroke than the average person. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, 22 percent of stroke survivors will have seizures. People who have had hemorrhagic, large and/or severe strokes are at the highest risk for seizures. The presence of seizures does not appear to impact the recovery or risk of death from the stroke.

http://stroke.about.com/od/commoneffects1/p/seizures.htm

I don't know if this is more or less scary.

I just hope with everything in me that he is okay.

[MindMatter]

7. Glad to hear that. We should all remember

that life is a gift and it doesn't last forever. Hopefully Ted will remain on the scene as a vibrant player for some years to come. But the numbers are against that.

I would point out that Kennedy is very close to McCain's age. It is not wise to elect a President of that age.

I suspect that even after a stroke, Kennedy would be far more lucid than McCain on his best day.

[KharmaTrain]

9. The Move To MassGen Was A Precaution

That is a VERY Good sign...and hopefully it is small and caught early.

I would suspect that the family didn't want to take chances and MassGen is one of the finest hospitals in the country.

This coverage so reminds me of the sad day when JFK Jr.'s plane went down...endless coverage with few details. Hopefully we'll get a briefing soon and hear some good news.

[Warpy]

10. That depends

Strokes on the right side of the brain don't affect the speech centers which are located in the left temporal lobe, but they can be just as devastating, resulting in left sided paralysis and drastic changes in judgment.

The good news is that fast action and intensive physical, occupational and cognitive therapy can allow even the most severely affected to regain a great deal of functional ability.

Since Kennedy has the best socialized medical care the world can provide, his overall outlook is probably good. His age is against him, but good care and hard work can improve his situation.

I wish him the very best. He's been fighting for my interests his whole life, often against overwhelming odds. He's never given up on us and I'm not going to give up on him.

[EFerrari]

11. The Kennedys and the party were as much a part of my childhood

as anything else I can point to. We talked about them at the kitchen table as much as we talked about us. I bet that was true for other posters to DU.

[The Doctor.]

21. Well, it's not that simple.

The "left and right" hemispheres have many varied and complex functions. Broca and Wernicke's areas are the ones most concerned with speech, and they are not exclusive to either 'side'. Development of these areas varies from one individual to the next, and can integrate all manner of higher function.

Think of the brain like an interactive library containing a variety of recursive and self-referential information and functions that are loosely compartmentalized. (Think of the function of the Corpus Callosum)

The triarchic establishment of speech patterns requires both areas to function adequately in concert with the full function of the prefrontal cortex (in Kennedy's case) in order to apprehend, comprehend, and respond cogently. In this case, it's apparent that we are not dealing with any major ischemia, and you are absolutely correct; whatever damage might have occured is well within the scope of therapy.

The fact that he is cogent tells us that none of his higher functions necessary to decsion-making, which include both hemishperes in all but some unusual cases, have been compromised, nor have his vital functions been compromised (obviously).

If you have any direct questions, feel free to PM me.

For now I can say with confidence that the prognosis is good, and little more than proper diet, exercise, and a mild pharmacuetical regimen should be all that is necessary.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

12. Excellent sign!!!! Yeah!!!!!!

[bean fidhleir]

13. Nice that he has full-freight healthcare coverage for only $35/month, eh?

Unlike us peons, who must pay for his though we go without. And his coverage isn't even means-tested.

But that's the ruling class for ya - socialism for them, law-of-the-jungle for us.

[cali]

14. Ted Kennedy has been a tireless advocate of expanding healthcare

your post is truly off base- and offensive.

[greenbriar]

15. Exactly

mean spirited as well

[bean fidhleir]

18. Does the truth hurt you?

There are doubtless thousands of people younger than Teddy who have had strokes today and who won't survive them because they themselves have poor or no healthcare, though they're helping pay for Teddy's.

It's not "mean-spirited" to speak the truth.

[bean fidhleir]

16. Is there anything false about what I said?

I don't recall him beating the drum for single-payer. Have I just been missing it all these years?

Nor do I recall him refusing to accept the coverage we pay for on the grounds that he's a multi-millionaire and shouldn't have his medical bills paid by people who have to go without healthcare. Have I somehow failed to see that being trumpeted at DU?

If I haven't said anything false, then YOU are the one who's off-base.

[ThomWV]

19. Clearly you don't know anything about 'his' health plan

It is exactly the same one available to every Federal Government employee and it cost one hell of a lot more than $35 a month. Every peon from a GS-1 to the President himself is in the same plan, its benefits are on a par with what any large company would offer to its full time employees.

[bean fidhleir]

20. Do you have a cite for your claim?

My information comes from reform advocate Don Sloan MD, who makes this claim in his book "Practicing Medicine Without a License":

"here is an employee/insurance deal in the U.S. that includes unlimited doctor office visits of your choosing; covers all accidents, routine exams, physical therapy, labs and X-rays; and the like; unlimited hospital visits and stays; certain chronic care and rehab; full prescription coverage; and unlimited specialty consultations. For the employee and the entire family. There are no deductibles, no co-pays, and only a $35 monthly fee taken from an annual salary of $158 thou. Thirty-five dollars!"

I can find pages for "federal employee" health plans, but so far have not found anything official stating that house and senate electees are included in the category "federal employees" for the purposes of healthcare.

So if you have an authoritative cite, I'll be happy to acknowledge my error. Right now, I have no evidence of being in error.

[OnyxCollie]

17. Geez. I just found out about this.

I wish Sen Kennedy a full and speedy recovery.