Tincanfireman
Airfield Operations
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It had been my normal week; work a couple of 24's at the airport, attend Intermediate classes and work a few shifts at the ambulance. Friday began like many others; get off work at the airport and go home, shower, change and head off to the ambulance for a 24 (whoo hooo, overtime!). All is well and the day is moving right along until midmorning. I'm talking to a pt's family and turn away to go back to the unit when I get a giant "head rush" and a moment of dizziness. I did notice that the entire planet felt off kilter, but kept on going with the day's activities. I figured that the combination of no dinner and class last night, a busy morning, and about 5 hours sleep had combined to make me feel a little funky. "Just get some food in you" I said to myself "and you'll feel just fine". Well, the day continued non-stop and we didn't get a chance to eat until almost three. By this time, I was having to consciously move my right foot and hand to grasp or step up into the unit. (I was also heavily into denial, too) After we ate and did one more call, I knew something was way wrong with me and it probably had nothing to do with my BGL. I finally bit the bullet I had been dodging all afternoon and went to the ER with my partner. The nurse I asked to take my BP looked kinda of sideways at me when I asked her, but only because I was one of those "never get sick" people. She hit the button and she continued to make small talk while the machine worked. It finally beeped, and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she looked at me, then back down. When I asked her what it said, she simply turned it around to show me: 206/127! "No way" I said; "Do the other arm, the machine is not right". A minute later the verdict was in, 205/125 on the left side, too. A few minutes later I found myself in a bed, on a monitor with O2 flowing, and the ER folks were referring to me as "the EMS guy with the CVA". I'm going to delete a lot of the next few hours in the interest of brevity, but by the next morning the verdict was in. I had suffered a 7mm bleed to the basillar ganglia of my left brain, which controls the coordination and movement of the right side. I was on aspirin, but that was it. I had also regained a good bit of the deficit I had experienced Friday night, with steady improvement over the weekend. Believe it or not, I was released this morning (Monday) with a return to duty slip as of Wednesday morning from the Neurologist. I am also a very humbled and grateful person, because I know I have dodged a gigantic bullet. I hadn't been to a doctor in over three years because I "never get sick". I hadn't checked my own BP despite the fact I work EMS because I frankly never felt the need too. I had neglected my weight and my workout regimen because most of my down time was spent in the books or working on other things. This was probably a totally preventable event, but it's also a cold bucket of water in the face that I just as easily be laying up in ICU with a tube in my throat and a diaper on my butt. I have found that I will always be a stroke victim. I will now always have to watch my diet, my cholesterol (my LDL was only 122, but since I am now post-CVA it has to be <100), my sodium, my weight, in short, everything I had neglected before. I have caused my family, friends, co-workers and employers a great deal of anxiety and worry on my account. This was a very minor CVA, but it's still a life-changing event. Please, if any of this sounds like you or someone you know, get a checkup, get back on the treadmill, and do something positive with your lifestyle. I am 47 years old and things will never be the same again. Please, don't let it happen to you...
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