A Stroke Can Destroy Your Life!!!!!

June 24, 2003

I Always got up at 6AM to prepare for work. Start the coffee, get dressed while it brewed then glance at the paper before leaving home about 7 to arrive at work before my 8AM start time. This day was at the beginning just like any other. I was a smoker back then and had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. So I had very recently began my diabetes medication.

As I left my home I noticed a very slight light headedness. Not dizziness. But it went away rather quickly and I did not think anymore about it. It usually took me 45 minutes to travel the 25 miles to work and several times this strange light headedness would pop up again. When I arrived at work it was still hanging on but I still had no real concern since it would come and go. I did begin to think that maybe I was having a reaction to the diabetes medication I had just begun to take.

Since I had no idea what any symptoms of a stroke were, that never entered my mind. But a couple of things should have set off the alarms, I thought my speech was a little slurred and I had a problem raising my left leg to a chair to fix the laces on my boots. But being ignorant of these symptoms I just kept going.

I drove my Company Vehicle to my first job but just could not shake the light headedness and after about 30 to 45 minutes went back to my office and told my boss I was going to the doctor. He said OK, and I drove my vehicle to his office. The doctors office was next door to the hospital and as soon as he saw me he said "your having a Minni stroke" and put me in a wheelchair headed to the hospital emergency room.

Your everyday, modern emergency room that in my long experience is not where you want to be at any time. Of course you think that they should help you but in my case I layed there for eight hours having a stroke on their bed. I basically walked in and was paralyzed on the left side 8 hours later.

Yes I am still bitter about their useless help in stopping the stroke, their disrespectful attitude toward a smoker in a time of crisis. I knew my life was not going to be anything like it had been and had no idea if I would live through the night.