I MADE A DECISION
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ot to drag this entire thing out. How about just the high-lights? After Friday with a first day under my belt, Saturday morning finally arrived... at around 2 AM when the nurse woke me up to take my tempterature! Labels: Stroke
Why did they after wake me up to do this? Can't the just stick the thing in my mouth when I was a sleep? Why wake me up? Of course, they have to turn on the floodlights above my bed. She not only takes my temp, but then she has to tell me what my temperature was... it's 2 AM who cares what my temp was? I only cared about at that point right then and there was that I was breathing. Lights out and back to sleep... I was just getting back to my dream (that's a posting for another time)... my eyes where just closing again... BAM... time to take some blood... huh? wha? whe? She just left? And here she is again... blood drawn... and now my eyes are wide awake... welcome Saturday morning.
Let's see now... start off with CAT scan, back to the room. I no sooner get settled back in bed and here they come for my MRI. Why can't they just take me for everything at once. Inbetween between CAT and MRI, they take more blood and more pills. I think I had given my medical history to at least 3 different people by now, including the janitor that wanted to hear all about my back operation.
Fast forward to 9PM... I settle into bed, nice and cozy... "Hi Mr. Shane... time to take you down for your chest x-ray!"
Anyway, Sunday finally arrived. My speech started to return to normal. I discovered by now I was now known as the "problem child" of the floor to all the nurses. How was I supposed to know at the same time they were either taking my blood pressure, or temp, or had to give more blood that I would also at the same time be downstairs having my smoke break?
I need my sleep... tomorrow Monday... was a big day... my Angioplasty, where they stick a needle in my crotch and take a tour of my arteries via my heart and other internal organs. All of this for the big showdown until they get to my neck with the camera and we head the spooky interiors of my brain, threw the turns and corners of old and cobwebs of past memories and dreams... so THIS is where all the answers to that 5th grade History test was hiding after all these years. Hmmm... I noticed there was a lot of empty space up here...
Oh one note... prior to insertion of the camera... the nurse had to "shave me"... as she is finishing I swear I saw a glimpse as she said, " Ya know Mr. Shane, I think we better shave the other side just in case they have to decide to insert the needle and camera on this side" I didn't notice until we were done and was back in my room and I was getting ready to take my afternoon shower... she was a smart butt and gave me my own little racing stripe!
While I have tried to make this article somewhat humorous and entertaining, (if you know me, then you know that this is how I try and cope with life) there are however some under-lying, extremely serious situations here... with me or anyone else.
While I poke fun at myself I would never poke fun of anyone else with a serious situation like a stroke, or any other life threatening situation. I am trying to present my experience in a lightful, but serious manner... And while giving you some general knowledge of what it's like to experience a stroke... well, you get the idea.
I'm certainly not going to preach... research the signs of a stroke, educate yourself and never try to be a dope like me and drive yourself to a hospital, call 911 for the obvious reasons. The life you save may be the family in the car alongside you... going to the zoo for a family fun day.
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