Before my Ischemic Stroke
hi all my new friends.
Before my stroke, I was a up and coming web designer and graphic artist. I am married 25 years and we have 2 great kids. They were adopted as babies from S. Korea and are now 19 and 14. We are so proud of them.
I had suffered from horrid dizzy spells and severe headaches for about a year before my Ischemic Stroke on March 20, 2007. The Dr I saw for the spells and headaches claimed it was an inner ear infection and it might go away.. or it might not.. well almost a year to the date of the first spell, I had a stroke while visiting my mother 2 hours away. It was a good thing I was there. My hubby is a farmer and not home much. He would not have noticed what mom did.
I got up that morning at around 9 am... I generally would get up around 7am. I felt a little strange - like I was having a dizzy spell. It was a doozy. It disappeared as fast as it came on. I thought nothing of it. But would note it mentally.
Mom and I went on with our day.
That evening around 9PM mom asked me if I was ok.
We were making quilts. I was sewing away. I told her "Yes, I am ok"
She went about her business, I went about sewing my quilt.
I am very maticulous (sp) and mom noticed I was sewing kind of out of the line and didn't seem to care.
She asked me again "Are you ok?" I looked at her and said, "Why?" she said "Come on, we are going to the Hospital"
I said, "NO I am fine!" She said "NO YOU ARE NOT" so we went to the hospital.
Once we got there, I was to fill out some forms.. I couldn't do it... thought I didn't want to.. so Mom did them.
They ambulanced me to a much bigger hospital and that is about all I remember for the first 4 days I was there.
The stroke happened in my front between the 2 halves of my brain affecting my right side.
I didn't talk much I guess.. that is what they told me anyway. What I remember was wanting to sleep a lot. haha
I did finally come around.. and remember doing therapy to walk and talk. They said my responses were not appropriate. I didn't get that, I asked them "Did I say something wrong" They said, "No. You just didn't respond verbally at all." I was glad I wasn't mean to them haha
When I got home from my 10 day stay in the hospital, I was left all alone. I slept a lot and I watched TV a lot and I worked my right side a lot. I would walk to the little Sweedish Cemetary up the road from our place (1 1/2 miles away) and back sometimes 3 times a day. That got my right leg and foot back to normal in no time. My right arm and hand came back with just doing regular household chores. Blow drying my hair was dangerous though... haha
After a couple months I was back to normal. Then I had a panic attack. I thought I was having a heart attack. Back to the ER for me. They gave me a shot of something that made the attack disappear! I was elated! hah
then they made me an appointment to see a psychiatrist. He put me on lexapro one at bedtime. It works fairly well, but I can't stay asleep. I am awake 2 hours after I take it and have a bitchen time getting to sleep. My head will not shut off haha
On August 23, 2007 I was dusting the furniture. The dust rag fell out of my hand. I told my hubby, "Look, I can't hang on to this rag" He said, "Ya think we need to go to the dr?" I said, "No. We will see what happens" I wasn't dizzy and there was no numbness. Then it started.. .the numbness came on and I had a hard time with my hand and my left foot went numb and the left side of my facec went numb... off to the dr we went.
They did a CT scan.. and said I had a TIA and sent me home. We went to a golf tournament and by Monday when we got home I was dragging my foot and my hand was limp. So we called the ER I had gone to with the first stroke 2 hours away.. they said get here now.. so off we went. By noon I was admitted and testing began. They did an MRI and concluded there was evidence of new stroke. I was so sad.. and MAD They kept me in the hospital for 3 days. Took 20+ vials of blood, did a TEE test and Autonomic Test and another one I can't remember the name.
All came back just fine. They had not found anything wrong the first time I had a stroke. They just thought it was a fluke. We now they were really befuddled.. so tomorrow I go find out what they found out in the blood they took
They put me on Aggrenox 1 at bedtime. It gives me a headache so bad that it feels like 2 monkeys fighting over a banana in my head. The headache lasts all night and half the next day. I take tylonal extra strength for that.
They have me on lipitor as well. My cholestorol is borderline .. so guess that is why.
I have exercised my left hand and foot. I can walk almost normal now and my left hand is getting stronger. I can type fairly well. Not as fast as I used to but it is getting there. I am too stubborn for this to keep me from being down.
Well... until tomorrow.. that is all I have.
*hugs*
Billie Jo
Tracy, MN
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