And so... on with the story...
We got in the car and jes asked me which hospital i wanted to go to. My cardiologist is at UVRMC, 10-15 minutes away, or we could go to the quieter hospital closer to our home. i was not sure why, but i felt like we should go to the one closest to our home. in hind sight i am glad we did.
We arrived and they got us right back. The ER doc started asking questions. He wanted to know when the head ache was. I had a small window in which they could administer medications for stroke. i couldn't tell him, because i hadnt looked at the clock at all until it was 4:30 or so, but it dawned on me that one of my FlySistahs passed me in the hall when i said something about my head, and maybe she was aware of the time. i asked jes to call Allie, thinking it may have been her. That started a calling tree, and jes was in touch with Patty soon after I guess, where she remembered the time being around 1-2 am. She also told jes that she remembered me talking about seeing double of Erica, and tapping my leg for a couple of hours.
When jes came back into the room and said something about Patty remembering the loss of vision, i was shocked and started to cry. I had *completely* forgotten about that! How could i have missed it? i *knew* the signs of stroke. i had studied them. i just really thought they came all at once... not 30+ minutes apart! I thought there would be some marching brass band that would announce it and either I, or those around me, would easily be able to detect it! LOL And i, for some reason didnt think that the symptoms would fade away like that... at least not the vision and the headache part. *sigh* see how much i know? LOL
They immediately started tests on me. Blood work, a cat scan and a thourogh exam. A small giggle we enjoyed at my expense: when i discovered i couldnt write while at home, i walked up to Jestin and said..."i just tried to write and it was obnoxious!" And the word came out "anah-k--tious". He and emma had laughed, but as the Dr. started checking speech and tongue, Jestin piped up "get her to say obnoxious!". We all laughed lightly and that has been our tension breaker phrase ever since. LOL
They didn't find a lot from the cat-scan, so the next order of business was an MRI. They did an MRI of my head, neck and brain, and an MRA as well. for a few hours we were mentally preparing for a possible transport to UVRMC for surgery to remove a clot. They also feared bleeding on the brain, and that would require a trip there and a possible surgery as well. Or a tumor in my neck. The other possibilty is a mini stroke, and they would keep me overnight for that to observe me. either way... i wasnt going home anytime soon. :( but the ER doc was fantastic in that he shared any and all info/possibilities/procedures with us. I know sometimes not knowing is better.. but that day it wasn't. And i am so thankful he was as honest and frank as he was.
Jestin was amazing!!! he ran communications for friends and family, as I didn't want to talk because of my speech. He asked all the questions i couldnt think of. he coordinated the care of our kids, held me when i cried. Cried with me. Laughed with me. And faced this with immense courage. Here he is, still healing from another eye surgery, trying to keep his stress levels down to prevent swelling that could cause him to loose his sight, all the while meeting all the needs of his little family and his wife who floated between straight faith and utter fear. He is just amazing!!
The tests came back clear of large clots or bleeding. i was sent upstairs for observation. This is where I met my new Dr. HE IS AWESOME. He did a really thourogh exam and medical history. He asked all kinds of questions. He decided that he wanted to start me on some steriods, as some of my blood vessels were swollen it seemed, and with my recent symptoms, that I never put together as anything, he is leaning towards an auto-immune disorder. We discussed pros and cons, and not being sure what we are dealing with, he started to leave the room. He then turned and said..."you know. I have had some success with mini-stroke patients who turn the corner really fast if I put them on oxygen. would you be ok with that?" Of course we said yes. He left and the nurse hooked me up. Within 5-10 minutes, the numbness cleared up dramatically. We called him back in and showed him. Even some of the weakness was improved! YEA! He decided he wanted to do an ultra sound of my heart in the morning, as well as of the ateries in my neck. It was about 5 pm, but he said he would keep me overnight for observation. :) and we would discuss more in the morning.
I also asked for some tylenol at this point... because after the noisy MRI/MRA and the crying etc, I had a splitting headache. They said they had to test my ability to swallow first. The nurse brought me a cup of water and spoon. I had to try and swallow just a spoonful of water. It was like I had something stuck in my throat. I could not swallow it. :( I was so sad. We would try again in a couple of hours. dang it.
our good friends, the Meads, had kept the boys all day and he brought them down to see us at the hospital that night. Emmalee had been really, really, struggling with the whole thing. She had been crying on and off all day. My good friend Suzie had stopped by and picked her up from home to take her shopping so she wouldn't be home thinking about it. She brought her by as well. It was nice to be able to hold the kids and tell them I was going to be alright.
Emma refused to leave. She insisted she stay the night with me that night, even though I urged them to all go home and rest. Jess ran her home to get her pillow, blanket and a book, and she hunkered down on two hard chairs pushed together for the night. It was so sweet! About 11:30 pm, I asked to try to swallow again. It worked a bit better! I was able to swallow with just a few "catches" in my throat! HALLELUYAH! Tylenol and a sleeping pill later (because the streriod was throbbing my head and making me jittery) and I fell fast asleep.
The next morning, they drew my blood at the crack of dawn! : / Then off for the ultra sound of my neck. I could barely keep my eyes open as he wheeled me down the hall. It took a little while to come awake from my first real experience with sleeping pills! And back to my room, it was an ultra sound of my heart.
Ma & Jenny showed up at the end of the ultrasound, and they spent the afternoon with me and Emma. Jenny gave me a massage and coated me with essential oils. She also took Em to go get some lunch. My dad showed up for a couple of hours. He is in a branch presidency at the MTC, but they were having a mission conference and he snuck out to see me before he had to be back for interviews. It was really funny... the nurse stuck her head in and got all flustered and said she would be back while my dad was standing there. A while later she came in, saying she had to give me my meds, and kept looking at Dad. Finally she asked..."are you the Dad?" My dad said yes, and she laughed and said she was relieved! She had seen him in his dark suit and name tag, alone, and fingured he was a general authority!! BWAHAHAHA
My Dr. came in shortly after Dad left and said that my ultra sounds looked ok. He then proceeded to give me a very detailed run down of the results of every test. He shared the facts, he shared his opinion, and then he turned to me and said... "I feel like I am the educator... so I give you all the facts and my knowledge and experience, but I want to know what YOU think." I was so surprised. I told him I thought I had a stroke. He smiled and said, "me too, but it's your body and we, as owners of our bodies, tend to "know" things for ourselves." it was just plain awesome. I really appreciated his candor and honesty.
He told me that I have 1 cholestorol # that is high... and so he wants to put me on a med for it, because in my risk factor range I cannot get it down that low on my own with diet and exercise alone. He said he wanted to switch my hive meds, and he wanted to keep me on the steriods. He also wanted to start IV fluids. A level in my kidneys almost doubled. He was keeping me another night to follow up with it in the morning.
Jestin came with Cody and Cam (caleb chose to go to church with his best buddy Jesse), mom & jenny left, and we were left alone as a family in the hospital room. It was perfect. The kids were rattled by this whole thing... and so just being quiet, cuddling, and watching our favorite show (Mythbusters) on the TV and hanging out was just what their emotions needed. They helped me take a short walk around the nurses station before my IV got hooked up. It was super slow and hard, and I was spent when I was done, but it felt good to move some... even if I looked like Kwazimoto!
Jes took the kids home to have dinner and I hunkered down for the evening. My friend Suzie came to visit me again. Emma made me brownies, and they came back to see me before bed.
Blessedly, since it was Sunday night, and she had school in the morning, I sent Emma home to sleep. She protested, but I was glad she went, as I ended up with a room mate later that night who had nurses coming in and out for her that would have kept Emmy up.
About 10 pm, my FLYSistah Denice was so very kind to come by and bring me some divine chocolate cake and a listening ear. I cried. I was mad. I was brave. I was sorrowful. I vented like Mount Rushmore. She let me say anything and everything I felt and we cried and cried together... and BOY did it feel good to not have to be brave for her. It was like I got all the ugly out to be ready for the good. She was wonderful and stayed with me until almost 1 am, when my sleeping pill (again) started kicking in. I will forever be thankful for her sacrifice for me.
The next day (monday), I woke up to more blood being drawn. My Dr. came in and said my kidneys made a marked improvement, so they would let me go home, after I met with the speech therapist, the occupational therapist, and the physical therapist. We arranged for Jes to have a ride to his follow up from eye surgery appointment with "Grandma & Grandpa" next door, and Ma came to bring me home when it was all said and done at the hospital.
The speech therapist was great. He said he thinks I can get all my slur to go away. He also checked my swallowing again and gave me tricks to keep from choking. I still had some clicks to swallow through. Then came the occupational therapist, who focused on my arm. And then the physical therapist who focused on my leg. The PT actually took me for a walk 5-6 doors down, kind of fast (for me) and was asking me questions I had to explain. It was torture!!!!!!!! by the time I got back to my bed, I was in shock. It was just too much to walk and talk at the same time! :o Unbelieveable. it is amazing to me how the brain works. It is amazing to me to think of what has happened. It is amazing to me... all of it.
And yet, I feel this uncanny sense of gratitude for this trial. i am not sure I like it... and I KNOW it is goin to be a tough road. But this too shall pass. It came to pass...not to stay... and it could be so much worse! i am blessed. I truly am.
BTW - Jestin's eye looks pretty good. he has some wrinkling in his retina, which isn't great, but it isn't swelling and pulling away, so that is optimistic. He has to go back for another check in two weeks, just in case.
Oh and BTW again... I came home on Monday... our 13th Temple wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary my little eternal family!! :)
