It all started with a message from the front desk at my office: "Your mom's on line one, and she says it's an emergency."
That was Monday, July 10. I immediately went to the phone, and my mom told me that my dad was having a stroke. They were in Grinnell, Iowa, having attended an Indy Car race the previous day at Iowa Speedway. They wanted to know if they should just drive up to Mayo Clinic, drive home, or stay there. I told them to stay right there and do what the hospital tells them! Apparently the hospital wanted to transfer my dad via ambulance to the Iowa University Hospital in Iowa City, which was an hour away. I told them that time is of the essence.
When it comes to strokes, remember FAST: Face. Arms. Speech. And Time.
My dad had woken up that Monday morning with some tingling in his left fingertips and a numbing & swelling feeling on the left side of his lips. He was smart enough to know that something was wrong and that it wasn't going to go away, so they found a hospital in Grinnell relatively quickly. Some testing revealed a blockage in his right carotid artery and another in an artery in his brain. After getting off the phone with me, they agreed to be transferred to the University Hospital. Five minutes after receiving that phone call, I told my staff that I was leaving and heading to Iowa City.
Face...My dad knew that something was wrong because he felt tingling in his face. In cases of stroke you want to look at the face. Make the person raise the eyebrows or lower them in a scowl. Make him puff out his cheeks or stick out his tongue. Look for asymmetries in those activities, which are telltale signs of stroke.
Upon getting to Iowa, I found my dad in good spirits, laughing and joking and telling me all about the race from the previous day. We checked into a hotel room feeling good about the situation. I messaged my staff and several friends and family, letting them know that he was looking "great!" and that my mom would stay in the room with him, and Ellie and I would get some sleep. Unfortunately, at 4:00 AM my mom called to say my dad's arm and face were worse. By 4:30 he was going in for more testing (this time a CT scan) and subsequent surgery. His left arm was now listless--he was unable to move it and couldn't hold it up for even a fraction of a second when the nurse would lift it for him.
Arm...If you suspect a stroke, remember to watch the arms of the individual. If he can't raise one arm or can't hold it up for more than 5 or 10 seconds, that's another telltale sign.
When I got to the hospital that morning, Tuesday at about 4:30 a.m., my dad looked really bad. The left side of his face was not working, and his speech was being affected. He was relatively incoherent as well, saying the same things over and over again. It was a scary sight to say the least, and it was not fun to text message my sisters that they should get there as soon as they could.
Speech...If you notice any slurring in speech, that's another sign of a stroke. Perhaps some words aren't sounding quite right, or certain letters are being slurred.
I'll never forget how the nurses--all seven of them--came marching into the room to prepare him for surgery. Time was of the essence at this point to unblock the arteries in his neck and brain and allow the blood flow to come back to them. Do not delay if you think someone's having a stroke. Take action immediately!
Time...matters! Recovery from a stroke can continue up to 18 months after the stroke, but the most healing occurs in the first 24 hours, so don't hesitate. Act.
My dad was taken in for surgery shortly after 5:30. We were told the procedure would take an hour and a half. It ended up taking over three hours. The surgeon told us that it had taken a while to get through the near 100% blockage in his right carotid artery. It was a scary, tiring, exhausting, worrying time, but when we finally got to see him it was quite a relief. He looked better, and he was even starting to move his arm using his big shoulder muscles. There was still no movement in his elbow or his fingertips, but his shoulder had come back already!
My dad spent the rest of the week in the hospital and was then transferred from Iowa City to Green Bay for stroke rehab on Monday, July 24. That's where he slowly worked back via speech, occupational, and physical therapy. I have him implementing some nutritional improvements as well to help heal that brain as much as possible. He was not very happy to be at rehab--he wanted to be home--but I think he understood how important that work was, and he did his best.
It was a scary and stressful week both for the family and for our office, as many patients needed to be rescheduled due to my absence. I'm thankful for the understanding and great staff that took care of everything with quite the time crunch. Thanks to all of the understanding patients who have expressed concern as well!
My dad was blessed to have recognized his facial changes, notice that his fingers were different, and that his speech had changed a little bit. Most importantly he understood that time mattered.
The lesson of this story is, when it comes to strokes, remember FAST. And never stop being thankful for what really matters in life.
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