My wife and I talked about the choices. If I chose the "wait and see" method of the ICU and Coumadin, and I did suffer a major stroke, how would it be for Barbara to nurse me? Would we sustain the experience and come out loving each other, or would I be so incapacitated that the "old" me would only be a memory? On the other hand, the radiologist said that the stent procedure is mostly safe: I could have the stent and be on my way, back to normality in a few days!
We chose the stent procedure. I would just have to hang in the E.R., hooked up to an I.V. of Heparin while she located the proper stent and reserved an operating room. No sweat! However, between the cold blue steel bed in the E.R., the I.V., and the incessant activity in the E.R., I didn't sleep much during the night. I woke t 6am the next morning hoping to be taken into the operating room. Hours later they came and prepped me. Barbara was called and told to wait an hour or so for me to be wheeled into the recovery room.
I was on a twilight drug so I could remain conscious and able to confirm feeling in my limbs. They inserted the catheter into my femoral artery and I felt it creep its way up to my carotid. I could see the Doc and nurses surrounding me. The Doc asked if I could feel my fingers and toes ... "Could I wriggle them?" Yes, I could. "Could you push on my hand with your feet?" Yes, I could.
I felt a very strange sensation, like water rippling through my left arm and it started flopping a bit. I reported this sensation. Moments later, there was all kinds of activity, the Doc barking orders to the staff. I'm lying there freaking out, unable to grasp the just what was happening to my body. That was the last thing I remember.
Best,
Steve - The Stroke Survivor
You don't have to be old, sick, fat, or a smoker to have one! This blog follows my stroke, from inception to recovery and beyond ...