Randy Bolton's Case Study

Randy Bolton had a stroke when he was 45. In the stroke, he lost control of half of his brain. Randall Bolton is 65 years old. He is a farmer from Bryan. He has three daughters, and nine grandchildren. He is a widower, when the stroke happened he was plant manager at Paragon. This is his incredible story. A stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to the lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood flow or a rupture of an artery to the brain. Sudden loss of speech, weakness, or in Bolton’s case, paralysis of one side of the body can be the symptoms of a stroke. A suspected stroke can be confirmed by scanning the brain with special x-ray tests, such as CAT scans. The death rate and level of disability resulting from strokes can be dramatically reduced by immediate and appropriate medical care. To reduce the risk of a stroke by minimizing risk factors, such as controlling high blood pressure and diabetes. It was Thanksgiving day 1997. Randy was working on his 80 acre farm combining his crops. Due to difficult weather in October and November it was now Thanksgiving day and he

Bolton, now confined to his bed, had difficulty speaking and no use of his entire right side of his body. Once he was moved out of ICU and in a regular room it was decided that he needed to be moved to Montpelier Hospital to begin therapies to help him become independent. He was in Montpelier Hospital for several months. Randy had to learn to swallow, improve his speech, stand up, roll over and walk. He worked really hard, with the goal of going home for a visit on Christmas day. On Christmas day of 1997 Randy had learned to walk with assistance and was able to go home for a few hours on Christmas. After Christmas he spent several more months in Montpelier for rehabilitation. Once he returned home he continued to go to therapy at the hospital and eventually went back to work