I posted this a few days ago on another forum but thought it may be interesting to my friends here. I'm still typing very slow so I'll just copy/paste it. Not looking for sympathy just thought maybe it would possibly inspire someone to talk to their doctor about stroke prevention in their life or just plain take a breath & slow down a bit. I'm a young and (I thought) healthy almost 68 year old (2 weeks away) and this thing has changed my life...who knows, maybe for life. Anyhoo, here goes:
"It happened at 2:30 in the afternoon, Sunday November 1st with no prior symptoms or warnings whatsoever. I was having a little “afternoon delight” fun with SWMBO and BAM, I had a burning sensation across my face, suddenly I started talking with awful slur, my right arm got suddenly useless, right leg got limp and I broke out into a cold sweat and got nauseous. Wife called 911 and they rushed me by ambulance to a nearby hospital where they stabilized me & did a CT scan. They said yep, you had a bleed in the Pons area near the brain stem but we don’t treat that here and we will transport you downtown where they are equipped to handle this problem. I was all set for a heli ride but low ceiling conditions cancelled that & I had to endure another bumpy, stinky (I hate diesel stink) ambulance ride.
They handled me quickly and made me feel very special at a time when I felt disgusted with myself and totally worthless. What had I done to deserve this? Oh well, at least I was still around with at least some hope for the future. My wife & kids were there for me en masse for the whole deal asking lots of questions as I couldn’t talk for the 1st day or so. The worst part during the 1st 36 hrs. was not being able to urinate. I had to be catheterized 4 times (OUCH!) before I was able to stand up beside the bed and pee in a bottle Ahh, one takes the simple things for granted!
Anyhoo, a few days were spent in intensive care, I got an MRI (what a test of patience that is) & they kicked me out & across the street to the rehab facility. They were kind enough to provide a private room so the wife could stay with me the whole time. The therapists worked me long & hard & by the 7th day they kicked me out & I went home, yay!! Today’s the 1st day I’ve felt strong enough to grind out this post. I’ve been working on it for hours & hours. Man, this is one of the hardest things I’ve done in a WHILE!!
They changed up my blood pressure meds dramatically, added a few more new things and it looks good for a decent recovery. Good thing I have CNC to help me in the shop, at almost 68 & un-retired, I got way too many things to get finished yet! "