I am assured that everyone is different, so here’s a draft and definitely incomplete narrative of the timeline that tracks my stroke and treatment to date;
Tuesday, November 5, 2013, 4:00 AM. A severe headache woke me and got me out of bed. My wife found me in the kitchen at 4:30 AM, clutching my head. The pain was on the right side of my head. My wife convinced me to take a couple of Tylenol and try to go back to sleep. By the time I felt comfortable enough to get up, my darling was dressed on pretty much ready to begin her commute and her day. I got up, got dressed, took my synthroid, made a cup of coffee then showered and dressed. I left the hose just prior to 8:00 AM to head to work…It was at this point that I realized something wasn’t right….and I recall saying it out loud to myself as I tried to start the Jeep. Things just didn’t feel ‘right’…On one level, it almost felt like I had had a drink or two. I described it to myself, and then to the doctors later as ‘cognitive dissonance’.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 10:30 AM ish. After briefly chatting with staff members, I excused myself to go home to take a nap so that I could be fresh for a 1:00 PM meeting. the headache was not abating, nor was the sense of disorientation. I nearly walked into one of the client support team members. So as I was leaving the building and walking to my Jeep, I decided that a quick trip to the Emergency department was more in order, than just going home for a nap.
The initial visit to Emergency was very unsatisfactory. I got tucked into the back of a largish holding area, was hooked up to a heart monitor and left alone for over an hour. I got cold. I got hungry… no one came when I pressed the call button…so I dressed, put on my very distinctive hat and long leather coat and walked past the nurses station which had three or four nurses hanging about, and left the emergency area without being challenged.
I went back to work, ate my packed lunch and acquitted myself reasonably well during the meeting. Apparently I looked terrible, and my direct supervisor was mortified to discover that I had been at the hospital, but had come back to work. She insisted that I go home immediately after the meeting…I didn’t. I waited another couple of hours… I also talked with my wife who was equally upset that I had gone to the hospital and left. I arrived home at about 5:00 PM; she immediately put me back into the Jeep and took me to Emergency. Once in Emerg, we saw a doctor this time within 20 minutes. I had a CT scan within half an hour of that…. and the doctor, Dr. Wong confirmed that the CT showed a bleed. I was in a transfer ambulance within minutes headed to the University of Alberta Hospital Emergency room… the CTs follow.
I’ve had to remove the CT scans because their labelling contains a bit too much personal information. I am working on editting the images to remove the personal info and will re-post soon. Hopefully later today or early tomorrow.
Thursday, November 6, 2013 an angiogram and angioplasty was performed to map the vascular structure and bleed in my brain.
Friday, November 8, 2013 what can only be described as brain surgery was performed to ensure the bleed was closed off and to do some preventative work to ensure it didn’t happen again. there seems to be some confusion on the date and what actually happened. What they did was perform an arteriovenous fistula embolization. Huh? It means they squirted a type of glue into the compromised vascular structure and sealed the leaks.
I’ll post this incomplete narrative now…but I will come back and edit it and complete it in the next day or so.
Wednesday, Novmber 13, 2013... they let me go home…
December 2, 2013… first meeting and assessment with the Stroke Rehabilitation team at the Glenrose Hospital in Edmonton Alberta.
December 6, 2013…. meeting with Dr. Michael Chow, the neuro surgeon who worked his magic on the plumbing in my brain.
December 2013… referral to Dr. Michael Johnson, NeuroOpthomologist. Still haven’t heard a word…
Tuesday, January 7, 2014… first full sessions with therapists at the Glenrose.