On Wednesday night, Will took me to the ER. For those who don't want to read the whole post (b/c it's kind of lenghty) I'll skip right to the end. I was diagnosed with complex migraines and I now have medicine to take if something like that ever happens again. B/C there's no way to know with 100% certainty that it was the migraine, and not a TIA stroke, I am also on an asprin regimine to reduce the risk of blood clots.
For those who want to know more... read on. :)
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt great. I got to school, and around 10:00am, I started feeling funny (nice, medical term for you). By 10:15ish, I was dizzy. The dizziness continued and then I started seeing black dots. I couldn't focus on anything, and I couldn't write. Then, I began to have some confusion (ex. I couldn't remember my students' names, or how to spell them) and I started saying things I didn't mean to say (ex. I meant to say, "go to your seat"and instead I said, "go outside for recess" OR my words didn't form, and I spoke jibberish). Some of you may remember when that reporter who covered the Grammy's did that same type of thing on air- it was JUST like that! At this point I was pretty concerned about what was going on. I thought it might be Vertigo, or something like that. I knew I needed to get my kids to lunch, and then I could figure out what to do. As I was taking them to lunch (it's about 11:15 now) my right arm started to go numb, and so did the right side of my face and tongue. I went to lunch, and as I was eating I began to feel better. By 11:45, I felt great- just really tired, and a slight headache. Since I felt better, I just thought it was one of those weird things that happens, and I went on with my day. After school, I had a meeting, so I didn't get home until around 8. When I got home, I mentioned what happened to Will, and he immediately called our friend, Bryan, who is an ER nurse. Bryan told Will to get me to the ER, so that's where we headed- but not before I tiddied up the apartment a little bit ;).
We checked in to the ER around 10:00. We waited about 45 minutes and they got us back to a room. After a stern talking-to by the ER nurse (basically he told me I should have come in while those symptoms were occuring, and I wasn't doing the children any favors by trying to work through something like that) we were told that they thought it was either a TIA stroke (a mini stroke) or a complex migraine. They said that there is no test for a migraine, so they have to begin by ruling out the stroke. That night, I had blood work, a CT scan, an EKG, and a chest x-ray. The ER Dr. looked at the tests, and said he didn't see anything, but more tests would certainly be needed and they needed to keep me overnight for observation.
So, at about 3 am they took me to a room that is an extension of the ER called the Clinical Decision Unit. It is made for patients to stay for 23 hours or less. I had a private (small) room, but I shared a bathroom with another patient. The nurses there were wonderful, and they even brought Will a recliner so he could stay with me.
The next morning, I had an MRI, an echocardiagram, and an ultra sound on the arteries in my neck. This was when I realized the seriousness of what was happening. At this point, they were talking more like they thought I had the TIA stroke, and were doing tests to figure out why it happened. They were looking for a hole in my heart, or build up, etc. in my arteries- some place where blood clots might be shooting out. They were also telling me that there was a chance I would need some sort of surgery.
The rest of the day we waited for test results, and to see my PCP. When he came in, he looked at my test reults and said he didn't see anything on them (PRAISE THE LORD!)- no holes, no blockages, no brain damage! He said there was no way to be 100% sure, but he felt like since my tests came back clear, and because of my age, history, etc. it was a complex migraine. He wanted the neurologist to look at me the next morning, and he wanted to do an EEG, just to make sure. He also explained how similar and serious these 2 conditions are: (medical people, correct me if I'm wrong!)
A TIA stroke means that you have a blood clot that gets lodged in the blood vessels in your brain, but then it frees itself a little while later. Brain damage can occur b/c of the lack of blood and oxygen getting to your brain. A TIA stroke is often an indicator of a full-blown stroke to come. FYI- if you think you are having stroke symptoms, you need to get to the hospital ASAP because there is a therapy they can do to reverse the effects of stroke within the 1st 3 hours!
A complex migraine means that the blood vessels in your brain constrict so much that blood and oxygen don't get to your brain. Eventually, however, they do open back up. People with migraines are more likely to suffer a stroke than those who do not. According to the dr., I may never have one again, or I could have one in 5 minutes.
The next morning (Friday), the neurologist came to examine me, and he agreed with my PCP that it was probably the complex migraine, and not the stroke. However, he said it really is just his best guess about what happened. He told me I could GO HOME! Yay!!!
....so my treatment from here on is this: I follow up with my PCP in 2 weeks. I take an asprin every day, and I have medicine that I take in case I have another episode like that. My dr. told me I should feel better within 30 minutes of taking the medicine, and if not, I need to call. Hopefully, I never have to take that medicine. :)
Thank you all for your prayers, fbook messages, text messages, phone calls, visits, etc. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from everyone! Also, I am amazed at how my husband handled this situation. Even the nurses were shocked at his dedication to me. He never left my side (except to go home to pick up some things I needed), and he made sure I had everything I needed at all times. He talked with drs. and nurses, and kept our family up to date on everything that was happening. Will, I am amazed by you.
Also, I can't close out this post without talking about the grace of God in my life. He truly saved me. I should have been in the ER Wednesday morning while I was having those symptoms, but I didn't go until 10 hours later. I mean seriously, I could have had irreversable brain damage, or I could have had another episode while I was driving and crashed my car! I am so thankful that he gave the drs. and nurses wisdom in treating me and that I have made a full recovery. He truly is the Great Physician! He also gave Will and I both a peace that permeated our being. We were aware of the seriousness of the situation, but we were never panicked by it, or scared of the future. He gave us the ability to trust in Him. He is good.
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