Hello! (That was so original!)

On June 1st (shortly after the turn of the century), I had a stroke that affected my left hemisphere from my parietal region up through my frontal lobe/prefrontal cortex. This affected the right side of my body. (For all of the doctors out there, sorry to not be very technical about it, with the talk about CVA's and subarachnoid something-or-others; For everyone else, sorry that I have to get a bit specific so that you know what I am talking about).

I noticed the symptoms, but I didn't know that they were stroke symptoms. I was at my car (at the time, a 1 year old Mercedes-Benz C class. This is not meant to brag- it will be relevant in a few minutes) and was trying to open my trunk, when I kept noticing that I would drop my keys. I didn't realize until later that I was blind in the right eye and my right hand had lost some motor skill already. I called 9-1-1, as I figured that it was a sugar problem, and that I would probably die in the Central Texas 105 degree heat if I didn't get help. The dispatcher got my information which I stuttered out, and once again, I rationalized it to be a low blood sugar issue. When the ambulance drove up, they passed my car 3 times. I attempted to honk my horn at them, but it wouldn't honk. It was because I had no strength left in my right arm to depress the horn (and I was holding the phone with my left). I had thought, at the time, that it was a problem with my horn/car. When the paramedics asked what was wrong, I could no longer speak. I had to fight to get out my dad's name, as I pressed the speed dial on my phone, as he was the only person that I knew would answer the phone in the middle of the afternoon. It did occur to me to write notes, but I just ended up fighting to draw jagged circles. That was weird and scary. I was stuck in my own head, as my thoughts were clear as ever, but I couldn't communicate with anyone around.

Years later, I asked for a copy of my records from the hospital and the EMS service. I found out that they gave me Narcan, an overdose drug, that knocked me out for about a while after I seized and was a little sick to my stomach. Given my situation, that could have been very dangerous, as my blood-brain barrier was rather open and accepting at that time. They did this because they thought that I had overdosed and/or was having a psychotic break from reality, and that I had been living in my car (even though I had been picked up from my gated apartment's parking lot). I had been planning on driving down to visit my family in San Antonio, and I had luggage in the back seat, because I couldn't get into the trunk (I kept dropping the keys and couldn't get the keys in the keyhole). Who lives in their MB in a gated community's parking lot?!

When I got to the ER, I was scanned and left on a gurney for more than 4 hours (as my mom drove up to get me, and she lived 3 hours away). I knew no one well in that military town. All of my friends had moved away, as many do. I had an acquaintance in the form of an ex-girlfriend of a good friend of mine that lived in town, but as she was now a ranking officer's wife, she was very busy with her life and her family. She took pity on me and visited me anyway (and brought me food. I hadn't eaten anything that day but a bowl of mini wheats). She kept me company while I waited on my mom.

The first CT scan done that day showed nothing abnormal, despite my weird and random symptoms.  The ER doc's diagnosis was to confirm the EMS' suspicion that I was having a psychotic break and needed in-patient psychiatric help.

Since I was in my 20's, the ER doc on duty released me to my mother's care and was advised that I should stay at her house (3 hours away), with the recommendation that I seek in-patient care for the supposed mental illness that was causing my symptoms. The stroke was initially undiagnosed because they only looked at my CT scan and age, not the fact that I couldn't walk, and I was fighting to talk, to find words, and to remain conscious.

This next part is important:
*** It can take up to 72 hours for a stroke to appear on a CT scan***

At the time, I did not know this vital bit of information. I figured that I was just losing my mind and was really sick.

That was a Thursday evening. By Friday afternoon, I had lost the ability to talk completely. My younger sister had to teach me the word "Oatmeal," which came to mean all food. It came out more of an "oh ml" I am sure, but my family knew what I meant. Friday evening, my former therapist came by to consult on my situation to weigh in on whether I should be checked into in-patient psychiatric care. His vote was no, but to call if things got worse.

On Saturday, I got up and decided that I wanted a shower. I ended up falling and taking the glass shower door with me. My mom decided that I needed to see her chiropractor. My parents carried me to the car because when I tried to walk, my right foot dragged behind in a strange zombie-like movement. My arm had decided to live as though I had it in a sling, and my fingers had been balled up for a day at this point. I looked like I belonged in either a Thriller video or Shaun of the Dead movie. It was rather bizarre, but I was too tired to care.

When we got to the chiropractor, he instructed my mom to take me back to the ER immediately. He said that it looked like a stroke. My mom told him that they said that it wasn't. He said take me back anyway, as there was something wrong with me that he couldn't fix.

My mom and dad did take me back to a different ER that was close to their house (LOVE their food now), and I was examined and CT'ed again. The ER doctor said that I had had a massive stroke, and that if she had not seen the scans herself, she would never have believed it (assuming that this comment was because of my age). That was June 4th. So, officially, I had a stroke on June 4th, as no other chart makes mention of my condition.

The moral of today's story, boys and girls, is that you should know the symptoms of a stroke and how to test for them.

Symptoms: (from http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4742)

• Sudden numbness of all or part of your face, arm, or leg (esp. when only on one side)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Trouble seeing with either one or both eyes
• Trouble walking, loss of coordination, or dizziness
• Sudden, severe headache for no reason

Test: (from personal experience)

• Raise both arms above your head together
• Stand on one leg only, then switch to the other (tests balance on both sides)
• Talk out loud (say your whole address or something with many different sounds)
• Smile in a mirror (stroke will cause facial drooping in some people)

If these things are compromised (and there is not a logical explanation for other possibilities, such as binge drinking or a pre-existing condition that causes similar symptoms), call 9-1-1. TIME is so important when reacting to a stroke to avoid life-threatening (or in my case, life-changing and life-threatening) consequences.
There are many others like me that are fortunate enough to be alive. Make sure that your loved ones (including yourself) are part of this crowd.