Scary Words

January tenth I woke up not feeling well. I had a fever of 101. But, I only had it mid-morning. Sunday morning I woke up without a fever, but two hours later had it again for a few hours. I didn't have a lot of other symptoms. My head felt weird and I sounded congested, but I didn't feel congested. I wasn't surprised I was sick as the girls I nanny had been sick Thursday and Friday. Monday, I woke up with a fever. Around 10:30 that morning I was writing some stuff on my calendar when the left side of my face started tingling. At first, it was just near the ear, but within a few minutes it was the whole side of my face. I wasn't sure if I should go to the doctor or not, so I called my doctor's office. After speaking with a nurse, she told me to go to Strongsville Express care.

Scary Words:

Stroke

Aneursym

Brain Matter

Let me explain. Once I got there I was seen pretty quickly. They labeled me "stroke" protocol, even though I passed all the tests they did. After examining me and saying they didn't think I had a stroke, they called someone else and talked with them further about my symptoms. It was decided that they wanted me to go to the hospital for further testing because my face was still tingling. They sent me to Medina hospital since Strongsville was not an admitting hospital. 

Now look, at this point I was starting to feel pretty stupid. I was like, I am fine, I don't need to go to the hospital, I am fine. My face is tingling, but it's not numb. I passed the stroke tests, I didn't have, nor am I having a stroke. But, they are doctors and they know more than I do.

Once I got to Medina hospital, I waited a few minutes, and they called me back. Once they realized why I was there, they also labeled me stroke protocol, made an announcement over the hospital speakers, got me a wheelchair (really, I drove myself here and walked in just fine). They did my vitals, did a cognitive stroke test (touch my finger, touch your nose, then the other side), and got me to a room. Before I knew it I was attached to a blood pressure cuff, had a port put in my arm, and was having an ekg. Spoiler alert, everything was fine. But, they still were not 100% satisfied, so they got me a CT scan. This is where things get fun.

After the CT scan, the doctor walks in and says, we don't see any signs of a stroke, but you have a small aneurysm. It's all fine, we are going to get you admitted to the hospital where we can you an MRI and further testing. Wait. Hold the phone. Did you just say an aneurysm? I am like, wait what. What did you see? (he was wearing a mask and not speaking clearly, so I wasn't sure I had heard him right. He's like, there's just a small thing on your CT scan and we want to get you admitted so we can do further testing. (he never said aneurysm again, just there was a small thing on your CT scan). I said, "I don't want to be admitted to the hospital." and he said, "You don't have to, but it is the quickest way to get all these tests done. Otherwise it could take months." I was like, I am not saying I am not going to be admitted, of course I am, because that is what you are saying is best in this situation, I just don't want to! At this point I was feeling a bit overwhelmed (anyone surprised?). I was there by myself, hours had passed since I had called my doctor's office and I was wiped out. He's like, there is a chance we could get the MRI tonight and then you wouldn't have to stay until tomorrow, but admitting you is the best chance.

All this time I had been texting Matt with updates, but for all Elijah knew, I was still at the doctors office, I hadn't wanted to worry him. So, I asked Matt to leave work a little early, go home and get me some things, and make sure Elijah was doing okay. I did text Elijah (he hates talking on the phone), and of course told him not to worry, but what are you going to do when your mom is in the hospital?! You worry! Anyway, I finished the book I had been reading and my phone was dying. Thankfully, Matt got to the hospital right after I finished my book, and he brought me two books that I had requested and a phone charger, plus my toothbrush and stuff. He stayed a few minutes, before heading back home to Elijah. (and, in case anyone is wondering, I told Kayla once I was sure she was home from work)

At 6:45 they told me they were going to be taking me for my MRI soon and I was cautiously optimist that I was going to get to go home. So, I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally around 8:30 I asked my night nurse about it and she said, no, they had left at 7 or 8 😒. That I would probably be seen around 8 in the morning. I wish someone had bothered to tell me. I was aggravated because I was wanting to wash up and brush my teeth and stuff, but I didn't want them to come and have to wait on me. I was also disappointed because I really didn't want to stay at the hospital. It was so noisy and I knew I wasn't going to get much sleep.

And, I didn't. It was SO noisy. The patient across from my room had a wicked bad cough, they she kind of cried through. The man who shared my wall was an older gentleman who kept trying to get out of bed setting off all kinds of alarms. Then they would go in and remind him very loudly that if he needed to pee to go ahead and pee, he had a catheter in. The nurse was supposed to come in every 2 hours to do a stroke test on me, she came about every hour and a half, the other nurse would come after her, anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes later to get my blood pressure and they were checking my sugar here and there. I only got about 4 hours of sleep.

At 6am I decided I wasn't going to get anymore sleep and got up and washed up (as much as I could with all the varying things still on me). Breakfast started at 6:30, so I called the line and "ordered" breakfast (Matt had actually brought my granola that I eat the night before), but I needed coffee. It arrived a little after 8 and very lukewarm (gag). I drank a few sips, but that was all I could manage. Matt was supposed to come around 9, so I asked him to bring me coffee.

Right around 9 they came and got me for my MRI. I had to wait in the freezing hallway, with only a hospital gown on and a light blanket I had grabbed from the bed (they will have a blanket down in MRI, (good for them, I wasn't going into the bowels of the hospital with only a hospital gown and nothing covering me)). I probably waited about 5 or so minutes. Once I got into the MRI machine, I started to panic a little bit (internally, I was not going to make them have to restart the test). I have had an MRI before, I don't like the close space, or the noise, but the helmet like thing that they had put on with headphones over my ears, made it a bit tight and more claustrophobic. I started praying for myself, then others that I knew needed prayer. Every few minutes I would start praying again, I was so ready to get out of the machine.

Once the testing was over, they strolled me back out into that hall, saying that the courier would be down to get me soon. Fifteen minutes later I was freezing, and the lady from MRI came out and said I just checked, you are next on the list. A few minutes later another lady who worked in the hospital asked me if I was cold, YES! So, she went and got me a warmed blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I sat there another 15 minutes before they got me back up to my room. 

Matt was there, and thankfully hadn't been there long, so my coffee was still hot. A few minutes later they came in to take my vitals, while they were doing that, the neurology team wanted to come in. I was apparently going to have a telehealth appointment with a neurologist. That lasted about 30 minutes and was kind of pointless, except I came out of the hospital on aspirin and a statin (my cholesterol was high, and since I was a stroke risk, it was really too high for them, and needed to come down immediately. No chance of doing that with diet and exercise, let's shove a pill at her).

My room was a revolving door for the next little bit. More checking of my vitals, stroke protocol tests, testing my sugar, a breathing treatment, and on and on it went. I was exhausted. Once the room cleared for 5 minutes, I took a minute to order lunch since I was hungry. It came a little after one. 

At 1:30 another lady came in to do an EEG. This is the final test they would do to see if I had had a stroke. They were still waiting on the results of the MRI, but the neurologist ordered this test. The lady was very clear that I had to relax and try to sleep. The test would not be productive if my mind wasn't at rest, it wouldn't show what was needed. At this point, I sent Matt home. She was basically telling me to be quiet, take a nap, and I needed no distractions. Plus, if all came back good I would be able to go home later in the afternoon.

I was trying to relax while the lady was putting this gross goop on my head and attaching the electro thingy's to my head, and talking to me the whole time. We had some interesting conversations since she is from the Ukraine. She had only been in Ohio for seven years and was going to be having a surgery next week.

Well, it was finally time to be still and so once again, I started praying. I asked God to give me peace and rest so they would be able to see what they needed to see (or not see). When the test was over, she said you did it! I can't believe you went to sleep, I could never do that. I looked at her and said, I didn't get any sleep last night, I am exhausted. She was not supposed to tell me anything, but she told me everything was good, I had not had a stroke.

Another half hour or so I refused another breathing treatment, the nurse came in and told me everything was clear and I would be able to go home in a little bit. I left around 3:30 pm, with follow-ups with a neurologist, the stroke clinic, my primary doctor, and neurosurgery.

I have had all those appointments. The neurologist ordered some tests which I have not had yet. She said the stroke clinic would be the ones to follow the aneurysm. I could not get in with my primary doctor for several weeks and had trouble getting in with ANY doctor within the 2-week time frame and got a little frustrated with the scheduler. That night, a nurse called me back as she understood I was frustrated about not being able to be seen sooner. She got me an appointment with a doctor for 2 days later. The doctor immediately ordered more blood work (several things were very wonky in the hospital), and more blood work for a month out (Feb. 17). She taught me that sometimes you can be born with an aneurysm and never know that it is there (that is not me, I have had CT scans done before and it wasn't there). She also told me not to go on any type of estragon because it can cause aneurysm's to grow. Good to know! The blood work showed that my copper was a little low, so I am on another pill (yay) a copper supplement. (I am on a gazillion pills and supplements and it is very frustrating). She was very thorough and I walked out of there with multiple tests scheduled for the next few weeks, although not really for anything that I had been in the hospital with. She also told me that the stroke clinic would follow the aneurysm, and while it is super small, too small for surgery, I also need to make an appointment with neurosurgery.

At the stroke clinic follow-up, she was basically like, you didn't have a stroke, you don't need to be here, we don't follow the aneurysm, and unless you have a stroke, we won't see you again. You need to follow up with neurosurgery.

Ok, I hear you. I made an appointment with neurosurgery. She was also very helpful. She told me where the location of my aneurysm is on the supraclinoid right internal carotid artery, either right inside or right at my brain matter. You guys, what?! I don't even understand, couldn't even comprehend. Now, I have questions. Then, I couldn't think of anything and of course there was no one there with me to help me think of the right questions. The size is less than 1 millimeter (5 is when they talk about surgery). So basically, we do a repeat CT scan in a year and I am not supposed to lift anything super heavy that will put strain on the front of my face/forehead area. Yeah, I still have questions. And, so does my personal trainer. What can I lift and are there movements I shouldn't do? I don't know. I have posed the questions I have to my doctor, but she has not gotten back to me.

Here is what I know. God is good. I did not have a stroke. And, although I have an aneurysm, I also have a medical team that will be watching it. Next year, if nothing has changed, I think they check it again in 3 years, then 5. This type of aneurysm has less than 1% chance of rupture (thank, You, Jesus!), so I need to do my best not to worry about it! I have follow-up appointments for various things, and I now have a ton of doctors I can ask questions to, if I need to, LOL. In all seriousness, I am fine, a little bruised around the edges. I am still processing everything, because it is a lot. This was just a segment of January, but it is life-changing. I feel like I am still trying to catch up on the night's sleep that I lost with the hospital stay. 

If you made it this far, you are crazy and amazing. I am sorry it was so long, but this was one way I could process everything. I didn't want to do part 1 and 2, I just wanted it done (although it took me 2 nights of typing to get this done). I am sure I missed some things, but the important parts (and I am sure parts you don't care about) are here. And, no, they never did figure out why my face was tingling. Do I tell them that every once in a while it comes back for a brief visit?