I had a Stroke

Bad Day at the Office

February 10th, 2001 just before 8:30am I put his last cigarette out. Finished my donut and with coffee in hand walked across the street to work. As I removed my winter coat I felt "funny" so I sat down at the receptionist desk.

Members of the staff were just saying hello when I became a statue. Frozen, no muscle would move. Eyes wouldn't move or blink. Thoughts raced through I head. There was no pain.

The staff called 9-1-1 and they took me to the local hospital where test results came back to confirm what I already knew. I'd had a stroke at the age of 46, just like my fathers at 47.

The clot-busting drug TPa was given within the 3-hour time limit allowed. Not long after that I was sitting up talking with family and friends. A personal disaster was averted.

A few hours later I had my 2nd stroke. This time it was in slow motion.

Minute by minute feelings and abilities were draining away. Speech came to a halt. A paralysis down the left side was setting in. Communication was down to printing with a pencil in my right hand. I’m left-handed.

Sometime during that night, as the last of my communications skills drained away, I scrawled one word. It was tiny, shaky printing that my wife discovered in the morning.

The last four letters I'd recognize for quite some time were " Help". Over the next 3 days the depression was overwhelming.

Usually the thought would be to ask "Why Me?" I never asked that question. I knew what it was and why I got it.

Strokes often run in families and I was just continuing the family tradition. Having been a caregiver for my father for 23 years is all I could think about.

My fear was going through the ten-year depression I watched my father have. The chance of that happening sent me into a tailspin. Life was over or was it?

Ten years after his stroke' my father changed suddenly. After all that time waiting for the White Knight of good health to show up, he'd had enough.

Time to start exercising instead of cultivating bedsores by watching TV. Go for walks and meet new people to replace the friends who no longer came calling. This change put humour back in his life. He was reversing the damage caused by the stroke.

This is what I realized on the 4th day of my stroke. It saved my life and put the smile back on my face. The side of my face that still worked.



Not Dead Yet

I started my day off with a bang or should I say a stroke. It got better as the day continued as I would have another one later. Lucky me, it was like a two for one sale, buy one, get one free!

Life drained out of the left side of my body. Get Over It

There is no graduation ceremony for getting your life back. Your life is just there to do what you want with it.

I didn’t realize ..............The Book is Coming