Several items I neglected to mention about the TIA impact, are that my sense of taste and smell returned which is something that left me 40 years ago, and the claustrophobia which had plagued me for my most of my adult life vanished.
Living seemed so much easier for my worries were fewer. With the mental clutter gone the view before me was clearer. I started making decisions I had put off for months.
For some reason the CT scan was booked for Aug 26, six weeks seemed too long to wait and see what all the tests said about my health. I saw the substitute doctor on August 10, he said everything was good, no clots, no blockages. He impressed upon me to go to the hospital if another stroke happened.
The very next day, at 4 AM, I awakened again lying on my back. My right arm was numb from my shoulder to my elbow and my wrist was also numb, the sensation was different but the concern was the same.
I said, “Nelly, I think I’m having a stroke!” I tried to shake the numbness out but it became increasingly evident that it was another stroke. I called 911 and the operator made the connections then told me to unlock the door and turn on the light to prepare for the ambulance’s arrival.
The first crew came within seven minutes, a second crew came about ten minutes later and took over from the first. I tried to explain to the first crew my story but found that I became confused in my explanation.
Each crew monitored my blood pressure in turn. The first crew was going off shift and the second was coming on shift. Notes were exchanged, decisions were made and it was off to the hospital; I sat in the ambulance chair, I wasn’t sick enough to lay on the bed. Anyways, someone later told me those beds are rock hard.
The hospital emergency was not busy. I was processed quickly and given a bed in the ER. Within half an hour I saw the doctor, he arranged for a CT scan immediately. Within ten minutes of the scan’s completion, the doctor told me there were no clots or blockages, he prescribed Plavix and said I could go home.
When my own doctor returned to work he told me that sometimes there is no explanation for the TIA’s. He kept me on all the medications even though I’ve had no history of high blood pressure or unusual clotting.
I have always eaten well ; lots of fruit and vegetables all year around. As a son of a fruit grower I was exposed to malathion and a host of other sprays but that was almost 50 years ago. Has it caught up to me? Have my years of graveyard shifts caught up to me? Or has everything caught up to me? Any of us could ask these questions.
My doctor has made it apparent to me though that he doesn’t want to lose me, so I will listen to him and do as he tells me until something changes.
Speaking of changes, with the second TIA, I lost my unique focus and some of my brain clutter returned. The decisions I made during the focused time are sound and I will stay on course. My sense of smell and taste are still with me but I haven’t had a chance to test out the claustrophobia issue.
This has been an exceptional time in my life. I hope that the readers of this column can benefit from my experience with TIAs’, and be sure to get to a hospital ASAP when the symptoms arrive.
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