December 2009-My Stroke Story

As you may or may not know, December of 2009, I experienced the first 2 of 3 strokes. Here is an entry I had written from my blog.

The day that set a few changes in my life in motion.

DAY 1-I woke up on a nice Saturday morning about 6:30 to get ready and going before my kids were up. I went to get into the shower when suddenly I had this painfully loud ringing in my ears. I remember literally cupping my hands over my ears to quiet the sound. My eyes were tightly squished shut and when I opened them I could tell there was something seriously wrong with me. I had double vision. Thinking just like most moms I don't have time to not feel well we have a soccer game to go to. This was not just any soccer game it was Maddie's last soccer game of her first season ever. She was getting a trophy that day! So I hopped into the shower ever so carefully with my eyes closed and washed up for the day. I do remember that I skipped shaving my legs...good call I think! I remember getting out of the shower to dry off and I wiped the steam off of the mirror to see just what the heck was happening to my eyes. Of course I tried in vain. Double vision you can't focus on a darn thing no matter how close to the mirror you get. Realizing that this was something more than just a passing migraine I went to wake my boys. I remember going to them with my eyes closed and saying to them,"Mom doesn't want to scare you, but I really need you to sit up and look at my eyes. I think there is something wrong with them." One of my boys hopped up and grabbed my phone to video my eyes to try and show me what was happening. Of course I could not see it. I remember Joe'l telling me,"Mom I think you should go lay down for a while." I took his advice and laid down. I had one of the boys call Maddie's dad to let him know that we were not going to make her game. He could come get her, but I was sick and was not going to make the game. She did not end up making her game that day.:(

A few hours passed and it was about time for Maddie to go to a movie with a friend. It was her birthday and she wanted Maddie to go to celebrate. Her friend's dad came to pick Maddie up. He took one look at me and said,"wow what is going on with you?" The boys kind of filled him in. I tried my best, but by then my left side of my face was drooping and my speech was all slurred and funny. I had weakness on my entire left side of my body. I told him that I just need to rest and that it would be better. He took the girls to the movie. When he returned things were not getting better they were worse. He told me he was taking me to urgent care. At this point, I did not argue. We got to urgent care and the doctors told me I need to go directly to the ER. Don't stop go straight there. I heard him mention stroke. I started to cry. Those words terrified me (I used to take care of patients who had been stricken by strokes...I knew what a stroke meant).  I was feeling confused as it was but Stroke seriously?

DAY 2-I slept a lot. Don't remember much other than still had weakness and the vision was still not good. Slept for the rest of the day.

DAY 3-I woke up in the am and called my OBGYN and told them what happened and they wanted to see me right away. I went in and they said stop taking your birth control and take some aspirin immediately. You have had a stroke. I was advised to see my regular dr. He said that he thought I just had a bad migraine too. Since I had been on the Yaz and Yasmine I was plagued with migraines.  So, I went home feeling defeated. I slept and slept some more.

Day 4-Frustrated thinking ok fine if it is just a migraine then you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and just get on with life. The paralysis was dissipating, but my vision still was crazy weird. I am such a stubborn person (not much keeps me down) so I decided that it was going to get better and I had a friend drive me to work. I fumbled literally through my day falling over and falling into everything. Spent most of my time in my back office.

DAY 5- I had a friend drive me to work again for second day of torture. I was there for only about an hour and I could not stand it anymore. I know there is something wrong with me Damn it! This is not right. One of my clients was kind enough to drop me at the ER Banner Gateway. Within 30 min I had my first of many MRIs and CT scans. Within an hour I was admitted. They were concerned that I had a tumor. I spent the next four days in the hospital. It was so crazy to hear a Dr talking about MS, Cancer/tumors. They were concerned because my vision was still so affected and I still had so much weakness and numbness in my leg and arm. I sat there by myself listening to all the doctors telling me of course not absorbing 3/4 of it. I heard cancer, I heard MS, and I heard tumors.. I am sure that I had the deer in the headlights look going on. It was so scary. They said that I needed to have a spinal tap. That was seriously no fun. They struggled to get spinal fluid and could not after several painful attempts could not manage to get it. Finally the nurse said enough she can't take anymore and they sent me down to x-ray to have them do it. That was so, so painful. Never would I wish that on anyone.

The results from all the testing started to come in and my neurologist came in to tell me that I had a couple of lesions on my brain. Lesions? I had no idea what that meant and then he explained to me that it was damaged tissue in my brain caused by blood clots...a stroke. He drew me a nice picture to explain where the affected areas were. No MS, no cancer- I was somewhat relieved that it was not cancer and certainly not MS. I wondered why this was happening to me? I was only 35. I just ran 3 miles the night before. Frustrated...my life did not allow time for being sick! Seriously who has time for that?

Just a little glimpse... scary right? Strokes see no age, gender, color...they don't discriminate. If you have the opportunity participate in the Heart Walk. Start a team to help raise money for the American Heart Association. At the very least educate yourself and your loved ones. I will be walking this year! Will you?