Garron.01

On Wednesday March 22, while watching some TV at around 4:30, I got out of my chair to go the bathroom & noticed a cool numbness in my left arm which I thought was from how I had been sitting in the armchair. I shook the arm & it felt okay. After supper, writing on the computer I has coordination issues with my some fingers on my left hand. 

On Thursday morning the left hand/arm were back to normal. I had some errands to do downtown & while doing one of them I briefly experienced some facial numbness in my face on the left cheek. Later that night while having supper there was another brief facial numbness. After supper I asked Dr. Google what was going on.

The reply was to call 911 right away! I was possibly having a stroke. 

Yikes!

I changed out of my house sweats, put on a pair of slip-on shoes, put my kindle & phone charger into my shoulder bag & had my partner drive me to the nearby Micheal Garron emergency. I didn’t call 911 because I figured getting there on my own would be much faster, less stressful & less expensive. Ontario’s OHIP doesn’t cover ambulance.

The Triage nurse took my blood pressure & it was 214 over something. Next I went to the registration desk, sat about 2 minutes & was taken in for e.c.g, & blood work. While that was happening my bp reading was flagged as critical by a doctor who was assisting the triage nurses! So I was queue jumped to an emergency ward room. bp taken again, tabs stuck to my chest & hooked up to a heart monitor. 

Another doctor asked questions, I think it was then that I was given an injection into my stomach area & a pill to bring down my bp. This part of emergency area was busy, as noisy as one would expect. I was wheeled in for a cat scan, given an injection of dye. Back to room after that. Called home to update my partner.

Moved into another room for pre-admitting! More questions & tests of hand strength etc. More blood draws. I actually drifted off to sleep despite all the racket & lack of privacy. The serenity prayer helped. I was then rolled out of Emergency & taken up to the seventh floor of the new wing. Switched into the bed there & left to catch my breath until the night nurse came. He took my bp, gave me another pill. Surprisingly I fell asleep & slept well until the day nurse came in to take my bp, give me another stomach injection & a pill.

The private room was amazing, it had a huge private bathroom with a shower. I guess large enough for a wheel chair to get around in. Recharged my phone. I was totally ambulatory & felt fine. Did some walking of the ward. Great views. More bp & finger tip blood sugar tests. Neurologist visited with a bit of an update. The cat scan showed no damage to my heart but I did have a micro-stroke which is what affected my left arm & cheek.

to be continued 🙂