Wake Up Call

So I'm sitting on the couch late one night in early February, watching TV, when all of a sudden, my left arm drops. I mean a dead drop. I couldn't lift it, I couldn't move it, it was dead. I thought "uh oh, this isn't good"... Three minutes or so later, it's back. Cool! Wonder what that was.. Early the next week I told my Dr what happened & he took a listen to my right carotid artery. "Sounds good", he said. That Friday, Valentines Day, my daughter, grandkids & my grandson's girlfriend came out for dinner. I was sitting in the kitchen w/Patrick & his girlfriend Amber & my left hand fell asleep while I was eating. (I am left-handed) I told Patrick not to say anything to my daughter Erin about it because she would freak out..think I was having a stroke or something. (She had a stroke about 7 1/2yrs ago & still has problems)Mike knew my hand was numb & asleep, & I had convinced him & myself it was carpal or cubital tunnel. The next day, it hadn't gone away, in fact, it was worse & that's when I decided it was time to go to the ER to see what was going on.

When I was finally seen by a Doc & he did some neurological tests.."smile, stick out your tongue, touch each finger w/your thumb, etc", he concluded that I had had an "event" & he wanted to admit me for tests. SHIT! Diagnosis was TIA. I was there for 3 days and had every test known to man..CT, TEE, MRI which showed multiple small strokes, & finally and angiography which showed an 80% occlusion of my right carotid artery which was the reason for the stroke. They consulted a vascular surgeon & he said I needed to get that artery unclogged.

Dr Franz told me he'd have to wait 8 weeks after the stroke to do surgery. In the mean time, no salt, take my meds & try to stop smoking... About 3 weeks later I went to my Dr & when he saw me, he shook my hand & said "Congratulations on being here!" I was very lucky, it seems, VERY lucky. He was mortified that he missed the sound that a blocked carotid artery would make & wanted to listen again. Still, no abnormal sound. "This is a teachable moment for me," he said. "The next time I hear a story like yours & don't hear any abnormal sounds, that person is getting a Doppler! But, in your case, it wouldn't have been in time, you were in the hospital before one would have been done. Lucky, you were very lucky."

Dr Franz scheduled a stress test for me to make sure my heart would take the surgery. When that was deemed "normal", they then scheduled surgery. I was supposed to have it April 28. But, 3 days after they scheduled it, they called me back and said that Franz had a cancellation on Monday, the following Monday & would I want to have it then... I asked it this was an April Fools joke, & she said, nah, that's Tuesday. I talked w/Mike & we decided to just get it over with and do it. So, on March 31st, I had a carotid endarterectomy on my right carotid artery.

I went home the next day on 2 weeks rest w/no lifting or driving.

Two days later, I took off the gauze to take a shower and ten days after that, the steri-strips came off and all that was left was a big ass scar and tape goo that seemed to be destined to be there forever.

It's now the end of May, and after 2 follow ups, I'm doing well. Unlike before, I take my medicine everyday. I haven't quit smoking, but, I have cut it down from 2 packs a day to less than a pack. My first goal is a half pack a day. If I can do that..I can quit. I think the noncompliance w/my meds was my undoing. I was sporadic taking my blood pressure meds, & hadn't taken any high cholesterol medication for 2 years because every kind of medicine they prescribed, gave me cramps. Muscle cramps..curling toes, Charlie horses, stuck fingers, back cramps, you name it, I'd get them. Well, now I take my Lipitor religiously and just suck it up w/the cramping..Better cramps than becoming a veg.

I do have residuals. My left middle finger tip down to the top knuckle is dead, no feeling at all & my left thumb is tingly. Surgery residual is just numbness at the top of my neck and bottom of my chin on the right. I'll take it.