ruthct21: (Default)
[personal profile] ruthct21
I want to urge you and other friends to acquaint themselves with FAST, the official advice for how to deal with a person who seems to be suffering a stroke. My direct experience is from a day in July when I woke up feeling rather below par. Over breakfast, my husband Mick observed that one side of my face was collapsing and that my speech was getting confused. He asked me to grab his wrists with my hands which instantly demonstrated that the strength in my two arms was not the same. He told me that he thought I might be suffering a stroke and got on the phone to summon an ambulance.

We were joined very soon by two strapping young women paramedics who confirmed his dismal diagnosis and promptly arranged to take me to hospital. They put on the klaxon and sliced a swift path through the morning rush hour traffic to get me there. Immediately on arrival at Halifax Calderdale Royal Hospital, I was given an injection of anti-coagulant. They checked me over then I was driven to Leeds General Infirmary for a full-body scan which revealed that I was suffering from a blood clot. Then came the clever stuff. They introduced a gizmo into the relevant blood vessel and tracked its travel through my body. When it caught up the blood clot, it grabbed it and the surgeon was then able to remove it.

“You are looking a lot better now” he said.

Next step was going back to Halifax, where I was put to bed in a ward on the acute stroke unit. I slept for most of the next 48 hours, interrupted occasionally for observations, meals, medication and showers. On the third morning, I had to answer a lot of questions about everyday life e.g. which year was it, who was the Prime Minister and how old was I. After that I was led on a circuitous tour of the hospital, up stairs and down and round many corners until we reached a tiny kitchen. I had to identify a range of kitchen equipment and then demonstrate that I was able to boil a kettle and make a cup of instant coffee without setting myself or the hospital alight or dropping anything. Later that day I was sent home with a bagful of new medication and a folder full of advice and information.

I have been recovering slowly. Now (about 11 weeks on)I can do most things unaided and, apart from occasionally having a bit of brain fog, I can take part in phone calls and conversation and can follow programmes on TV or radio. I'm reading a lot and, mostly, understanding what's in front of me. I still get tired very easily and need plenty of rest. When I run out of energy, I stop.

The doctor has told me that I should make a full recovery by the end of the year. I was fortunate to be in good health before it happened and to be treated very quickly thanks to Mick getting to the phone promptly, for which I am exceedingly grateful!

So remember, the key to it is F A S T. You will find a poster online that you can download. A stroke doesn’t have to be a disabling event if it is treated quickly.

Date: 2021-10-10 08:23 am (UTC)
michaelftaylor: Mick Taylor (Default)
From: [personal profile] michaelftaylor
What Ruth doesn't say is that I was not allowed in to Calderdale Royal where Ruth had her initial diagnosis, but that I was summoned to speak to the Consultant. He said that Ruth had had a stroke and had a clot. "We are giving her clot buster. 92% of our patients do very well, but 2% die. Should we give her injection?" I quickly worked out that there was more than a 2% chance of death if nothing was done, so I said yes. Luckily, this was the right decision.

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