On Friday, August 16th,
I got the telephone call that we all dread. My Mom called and said she was
having a stroke. Although most of my days are filled with responding to
crises…it’s different when it’s your Mom. I felt the color leave my face, my
heart started beating faster and my palms began to sweat. I was at work, so I
grabbed my stuff and bolted out the door.
As I drove to their house…I was talking to the Father…please help me think and not react, remind me that I do this all the time and be calm, help me explain this to my Dad…is this really a stroke?? Father, no matter what, keep her in the palm of your hand…
Mom was at the Braum’s and her
left arm fell useless. She however, got in her car and drove home. My Dad
suffers from dementia and she wanted to talk to him before she was taken to the
hospital. When I got to the house, I had 911 on the phone and we did the steps
to check for stroke. I asked Mom to smile, to try to raise her left arm, to say
a sentence. As we were checking she said she could feel the numbness and
tingling going down her left leg.
My parents live in “no man’s”
land between Tulsa and Sand Springs and I was keenly concerned that EMSA would
get lost even though I gave directions to the 911 operator. No kidding, they
pulled up in front of their house in 7 minutes. In came 3 firemen and 3
paramedics. I got Mom’s meds together and talked to my Dad. He just looked at
me and all I saw was fear. We got Mom’s rings and watch off. They did the
stroke checklist, checked her blood pressure, which was very high and decided
they needed to move faster.
2 firemen picked her up and
carried her out the front door and put her on the gurney. One of the paramedics
was talking to my Dad saying it was a good thing we acted quickly. My Dad was
confused and scared. He didn’t understand why I asked him to go to the hospital
and wanted to stay in the house, “I want to be here when she comes back.”
So, I got in my car and called
my sister. I told her we were headed to St. John Medical Center and Dad was
frantic but still at the house. My sister was on nephew duty so she drove to my
parents’ house to be with Dad. I called my younger sister and she and I met at
SJMC ER.
When we got into the exam room,
Dr. Wilson and Heather, RN were intently caring for my Mom. A CT scan had been
done to confirm it was an ischemic stroke. Mom’s blood pressure was at one
point 216/120. We began trying to pinpoint when the stroke started.
With a stroke, time is of the
essence. By confirming when Mom’s ischemic
stroke began, determined if they could give her Intravenous Recombinant Tissue
Type Plasminogen Activator or t-PA; a blood clot buster medicine. t-PA needed to be administered within 3 hours
of the start of the stroke. We determined we were still within that time frame.
Then entered Dr. Anna (Wanahita) as she introduced herself; the Medical Director of the St. John Heyman Stroke Center. The stroke center has been awarded advanced certification for comprehension stroke centers and ranked 10 percent nationally by the Joint Commission. Dr. Anna had an incredibly intense bedside manner, with a touch of humor. My Mom at times had trouble answering questions because of the loudness of the controlled chaos in the room. Medical staff was moving at lightning speed and she couldn't hear and struggled to understand what Dr. Anna was saying.
Then entered Dr. Anna (Wanahita) as she introduced herself; the Medical Director of the St. John Heyman Stroke Center. The stroke center has been awarded advanced certification for comprehension stroke centers and ranked 10 percent nationally by the Joint Commission. Dr. Anna had an incredibly intense bedside manner, with a touch of humor. My Mom at times had trouble answering questions because of the loudness of the controlled chaos in the room. Medical staff was moving at lightning speed and she couldn't hear and struggled to understand what Dr. Anna was saying.
This did not faze Dr. Anna in
the least. She repeated her questions, continually checked Mom’s signs and
symptoms, projected a calming effect and was in control of making decisions
that saved my Mom’s life.
When it was determined t-PA
could be given and Dr. Anna had ordered, Dr. Anna stayed right by my Mom,
checking her and even telling my Mom that she is a new Mom. She also
continually checked the clock, and when she decided it had been too long and
the t-PA needed to be injected NOW, she leaned out into the hallway and
strongly encouraged staff to step it up a notch. Her face was intent while
looking down the hall, but immediately softened when she stepped back into the
room and beside my Mom’s bed.
One of the possible side effects of this
medicine is bleeding into the brain. The goal of giving her this med is to
“attack” blood clots and drastically reduce the size of them thereby reducing
the amount of permanent damage. Once the medicine was given, Dr. Anna remained
bedside and continuously checked Mom for lessening of symptoms, “Smile, raise
your arm and touch your nose, now the other side, lift your leg, which leg am I
touching….”
It wasn’t long before positive
indications were noted of Mom’s improvement.
But, the hub-bub of the staff in her room and the gravity of what could
happen to her, finally hit her. She
began to cry and looked at me and said, “You’ve GOT to pray for me.” I leaned
over her bed and took her hands into mine. I began beseeching the Father…for a
miracle…for peace…for His loving presence…for every doctor, nurse and staff
person…as I prayed I felt the warmth of God’s peace and I realized how quiet it
was. No one was moving or talking…in the center of a sense of urgency for a few
moments there was silence and the Spirit of God filled that room…and fear was
banished.
As soon as I said, “Amen,” I
kissed my Mom and the movement immediately began again. They took Mom for
another CT scan and then took her to ICU for the next 24 hours.
On Saturday, Dr. Dunaway came to
tell us what happened. He began saying
how he shouldn’t be talking with Mom, because of the size of the blood clot -
she should have died. He held up his hands and it was about the size of a
cantaloupe, “But now it’s about this size.” He used his thumb and index finger
to indicate something about the size of a pea.
He also told her that she has had over 50 TIA’s (Transient Ischemic Attack)
on the left side of her brain and she is filled with blockage. He told her that
he hoped she enjoyed her last cigarette because it was her LAST cigarette or
she’d be back in the hospital with another stroke and the next outcome most
likely wouldn’t be as miraculous as this one.
My Mom’s left arm, left leg and
speech are normal! To look at her you would never guess she had a stroke that
almost killed her. She was discharged to home – no rehab – on the Monday after
her stroke – truly miraculous!
She is on more medicines now and
she has been cigarette free since her stroke and she has been blessed with an
incredible gift of continued life. Needless to say, my Dad was so thrilled to
have her home...we all were.
My sisters and brother's-in-law
worked seamlessly taking care of our Mom and Dad. Emails and texts were sent to
prayer warriors, we each went where we needed to be exactly when we needed to
be there, folks rallied and were at the ready if needed – it truly was a
divinely guided weekend.
My Mom knows Jesus so if He had
chosen to take her; we would still be giving Him the glory. I’m sharing this because there are lessons to
be communicated.
First, if you’re a smoker….this
could happen to you. If you want to quit but don’t think you can call 1-800-STOP-NOW
or give E-cigarettes a try.
Next, my Mom was given t-PA with
23 minutes to spare. With a stroke, getting the person quickly to the hospital
is critical. My Mom’s symptoms weren’t textbook, but the loss of function of
her left arm and the rate at which she was losing function in her left leg were
big red flags.
These are the warning signs for a
stroke taken from the National Stroke
Association website – www.stroke.org:
Use FAST to
remember the warning signs of a stroke:
F – Face.
Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the person’s face droop?
A – Arms.
Ask the person to raise their arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – Speech.
Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T - Time. If you notice ANY of these symptoms
call 911 immediately.
Also, try to
remember when the first symptoms of a stroke start; time is critical in
determining when t-PA can be given. At the FIRST signs of a stroke call 911.
Ruminating
over the last weekend, it is humbling to see the many miracles God gave our
family. One of the most amazing gifts was how He divinely guided the medical
personnel who cared for my Mom. When I was driving to the ER from my parent’s
home one of the things I talked to the Father about was giving me righteous
anger and the ability to articulate for the advocacy of best practice for my
Mom. So many times I have gone to the hospital and felt as if I was going into
battle because so many hospital staff forget or don’t care about the importance
of being professional, compassionate and empathetic.
Thankfully, each medical staff member we encountered was professional, compassionate, patient and empathetic. Our family would like to thank the following doctors, nurses and staff members. You not only moved with a sense of urgency, you did so with a sense of humor and an attitude of grace that made all the difference in the world to my Mom and my family.
Dr. Anna
Wanahita
Dr. Wilson (ER)
Heather, RN (ER)
Dr. Dunaway (Stroke Team)
Natalie, RN
(ICU)
Dr. S (ER, ICU)
Margaret,
APRN (ER)
Nine West
Staff
In His
service, deni
