The great Albert Einsten once said: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."
Last Tuesday, about an hour past noon, I get a text from my brother that read: "Did you hear what happened to dad?" My heart dropped. It was one of those things that you just don't expect. That you disregard. That you don't pay much attention to because you've convinced yourself that everything is good and that there's no possible way that can change. My life was flowing smoothly, I had everything under control. I had completely become ignorant of any possible detours that might come my way down this so-called yellow-brick road. I had let myself become engulfed by the working world...and I didn't see it coming.
"A mini stroke," they called it, "A cerebrovascular accident (CVA)." According to medterms.com, "The sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain." I've become very familiar with the symptoms of a stroke after my grandpa had one in 2004. At that time, I knew nothing about it. Funny how my eagerness to find out skyrocketed after personally experiencing it.
And for your own reference, because they don't teach you this stuff in school (unless, of course, you're in the healthcare field or have taken a First Aid class):
- weakness or paralysis of one side of the body with partial or complete loss of voluntary movement or sensation in a leg or arm
- speech problems and weak face muscles, causing drooling
- loss of or effects on balance, vision, swallowing, breathing and consciousness
If I ruled the world, this is the kind of stuff I would occasionally air on television...or at least at a doctor's office, or school nurse's waiting room.
My dad is doing okay now. Taking a week off from work to "take it easy." This was all but a wake-up call, that's all. To initiate lifestyle modifications to improve our health. To inspire someone to educate themselves so they could be ready to act in situations like these.
Moral of the blog? Live it and learn it. All there is to it.
2 comments:
As a Dad who has just experienced a TIA (Transient ischemic attack -- mini-stroke) I can very much second her comments. EVERYONE needs to know the three major signs of a stroke/TIA. They may not all be present!!
In my case I stood up from my computer and went to walk, but my left leg didn't coopersate. I just could not make it move (a voluntary muscle shutdown) and I ended up in a heap on my home office floor. Having seen my wife through two strokes, I could identify what was going on and had her call 911.
But when the paramedics got here, all my vital signs were "normal." They did not want to take me to the hospital but after I insisted, they took me to the ER.
I was lucky they did as this was classified as a "major TIA." The doctor warned that I was "in line" for a major stroke within a few years! He also told me that the rash of "dizzy spells" that I had experienced frequently for the last 6 months or more were "mini-TIAs" (WARNINGS) that I ignored. He also showed me that I had weakness in my left arm and hand. If I HAD NOT gotten care when I did, it might well have become a full-on stroke.
Change is hard, but I am trying...one day at a time.
I urge everyone to get to know their bodies and report that which is not normal for you.
john
Thank you so much for your input, John. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I think that everyone should share their story, because it really is a wake up call. People don't realize how easily they can change someone's life just by doing what you just did...sharing it. I'm glad that you're doing better and that you were adamant about getting checked even after they told you that you were fine. We all make mistakes.
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