Some things you're just never prepared for

[Ryche]

So Friday night, my wife and I are making dinner when, boom, she sits down on the floor in the kitchen all of a sudden, saying she has a headrush. Didn't think too much of it at first, but when I ask her if she's ok, she starts talking as though she's drunk, slurring her words seriously, kind of giggly like. I tried standing her up and she could only stand with major assistance from me. After some frantic figuring out where the closest hospital was (only a couple miles away luckily) I got her in the car and got there quite a bit faster than the speed limit allows.

Once the first nurse started evaluating her, they moved very quickly, determining that it was likely a stroke. That had been my initial thought when I first heard her talking, but my wife is only 30 years old, so I had half convinced myself it was something else. They pretty quickly found that one of the small arteries in her neck had a small tear and that a clot had formed there and moved into the brainstem. Luckily though, blood was still flowing past or it could have been much worse. She had been complaining about a sore neck for the past week, which we both figured was a strained muscle from working out.

Anyway, she's still in the hospital, but out of ICU now and may be able to come home tomorrow. She's already shown a lot of recovery, with most of her motor skills coming back. Her only real issues at the moment seem to be her vision is a bit blurry because she's having trouble focusing her left eye and her balance walking is still a bit off. But even these are already much better. The doctors are pretty sure she's going to make a complete recovery.

I guess as much as anything, this is a warning to take these types of things seriously. I knew absolutely nothing about strokes before this weekend, but if I hadn't gotten my wife to the hospital as quickly as I did, I could have lost her or ended up with a very different woman. Three hours seems to be the crucial deadline. If they can start treatment within three hours of a stroke, it can often be treated completely.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Thank God she looks to be on her way back so soon!

This is the one area where being married can come in handy... good thing you were there.

[Mantle2600]

Glad to hear she's doing better, i'll pray for a full recovery.

[Alan T]

Wow, scary story. Glad that the outlook looks promising.

[Lathum]

Thank god you thought so quickly.

My wife and I went through something similar but she was driving and all of a sudden her vision went double and blurried. We pulled over and called my uncle ( who is a MD). He told us to go straight to the hospital and lucky for us it was just her eye muscles got fatigued. We were freaked since strokes run in her family. I remember how freaky it was.

Good luck to you both, I'll pray for her speedy recovery.

[wade moore]

Great reactions on your part. Somewhere around here you'll find a thread about the same type of thing happening with my father. If nothing else I hope all of these stories make everyone more aware of these type of symptoms to get help immediately.

[MizzouRah]

I echo everyone else's sediments here, you did an excellent job of getting your wife to the hospital quickly.

[CraigSca]

My mother went through exactly the same thing and less than a year later is 100% recovered. As you mentioned, 3 hours IS the magic number. Whenever there's slurring of speech involved, head right for the hospital.

[Toddzilla]

Oh wow - terrifying...glad you kept composed and did the right thing so quickly. You likely saved your wife from a much more serious outcome. We'll be thinking about you guys, our best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[flere-imsaho]

That's very scary indeed. Glad to hear things are looking OK so far. Best wishes!

[oliegirl]

That is terrifying...I'm thrilled that everything is OK. Sending good thoughts and prayers your way!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Wow, I'm glad to hear she's doing well. That is really scary. I hope everything continues to turn out positively.

[Crim]

Really glad she's going to be okay, bro.

[Buccaneer]

Ryche, so thankful that you were there and provided a quick response. Something similar happened to my wife a couple of years ago. She had passed out and hit the floor hard at a store - while I was in California. The paramedics took her to the hospital and a day later, she was diagnosed with low blood pressure. As long as she kept up water drinking, protein and sodium, she would be ok. But I still wish I had been there, like you had been. I hope you wife will fully recover. Any idea what caused the tear in the first place?

[sterlingice]

Wow. That's awful. Glad things turned out ok

SI

[Celeval]

I'm glad she seems alright, and will say a prayer.

[WSUCougar]

My god, what a terrifying wake up call. My heart goes out to you - that sort of thing really scares me (and my wife and I are in our early 40s).

[digamma]

Thank goodness you were by her side. Best of luck with a speedy and full recovery.

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah. Holyfuck. Glad things seem to have worked out okay

[cubboyroy1826]

Ryche sorry to hear what happened but it is good to know she is doing better. Great on the spot thinking on your part. You guys are in my prayers.

[Ryche]

Thank you all. Like I said, so far so good, she's doing pretty well, can mostly walk on her own now. Looks like she'll be coming home today or tomorrow. I think the biggest challenge will be slowing her down. She's a workout freak, pretty much has to be at the gym at least an hour a day. For the first month though, she can't lift more than 10 pounds or do more exercise than walking. Should be interesting.

[Cringer]

Crap. Good to hear she is getting better at least. Best wishes.

[Kodos]

Wow. Scary stuff. Glad that it looks like she'll be okay.

[MIJB#19]

Seeing this thread a day after initially reading, I can't help but think: Ryche, you were prepared afterall and did the right thing when you had to.

Best wishes with the recovery!