Stroke Survivor Blog

Late Monday afternoon (12/8/08) Steve had, what I thought was another stroke. It was very frightening. He had been taking a nap on the couch and I walked into the kitchen to get supper dished up. After 7-8 minutes, I heard him breathing very hard all the way from the kitchen. I called to him and asked if he was alright, but there was no response.

When I went into the family room, I found him breathing very heavily and His eyes rolled back into his head. I tried to get him to come out of it by slapping his face and calling his name, but he was completely unresponsive. His breathing was very rapid and when he did open his eyes, there was a blank stare. Some blood came from his mouth…not a lot. I called 911 and the first responder came within 10 minutes.

By the time she came, his breathing had slowed a bit, but he was still unresponsive. She kept calling his name, and finally after about 5-6 minutes, he responded by answering questions with a nod of his head. By that time the rest of the paramedics were there. This whole attack lasted at least 20-25 minutes. It wasn’t until he was loaded on the stretcher that he could talk.

The first paramedic thought he had suffered a TIA which is a mini-stroke with no lasting effects. But when they got him into the ambulance and hooked up to an IV, they noticed that he had bitten his tongue quite severely, so they suspected he had a seizure instead. The blood I saw from his mouth was coming from the deep cuts on his tongue.

Steve was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital where they did a CT scan, which indicated that he did NOT have a stroke. So they started treating him for a seizure instead, even though the type of seizure he had wasn’t like an epileptic seizure with shaking or flailing of arms. Subsequent tests of an EEG and an echocardiogram didn’t rule a seizure out, but they didn’t confirm it either. But they did find something else.

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They found that Steve has atrial fibrillation, which is irregular heartbeat. Sometimes his heart races for 10-15 minutes before it goes into a regular rhythm, and this happens several times a day. This is a condition that can cause a blood clot resulting in another stroke. We also found that the prescription med Fluoxetine that Steve was on for only 3 wks. to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder has a rare side effect of seizures. The neurologist believes that his brain tissue was still irritated from the stroke and susceptible to seizure, but the Fluoxetine (Prozac) may have pushed him over the threshold. Needless to say, the anti-depressant was stopped. Since then, I found MindSoothe, a natural effective remedy for depression.

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This morning they did an MRI, but we haven’t heard any results of that yet. I thought he was able to come home today, but they want to keep him there a little longer to monitor the new anti-seizure med he just started to see if he has any side effects with it. It doesn’t stay in the blood stream very long, so once it’s stopped, the side effects will leave right away.

Steve has been seen by a barrage of all different types of doctors, and he’s been poked and prodded. He still doesn’t remember what happened when he had this attack or seizure or whatever it was. He’s gets dizzy when he sits up or stands and he’s been very sleepy, although the dizziness isn’t quite as severe as it was on Monday and Tues.

He’s feeling very discouraged and depressed with this setback. He’s losing hope of ever getting better after listening to all the negative doctor’s reports. One doctor even had the audacity to say that he could guarantee 100% that Steve will have another seizure if he doesn’t take a certain anti-seizure medication. It made me so angry that I said to him, “How can you say that? You’re not God!”

Please pray for Steve’s strength to return, for his heart to be filled with joy, for the peace of God to guard his heart and mind, and for God to fill him with hope. Pray also that there will be no recurrence of seizure or stroke. And it’s very important that you stay in faith with me and believe that Steve will get better. Please speak words of faith and hope about him and to him. Our words have the power of life and death, so let’s speak life into this situation. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Another Bible version says it this way, “Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life.”

As always, your prayers are so appreciated. May God bless you richly for your faithfulness to pray for us.

Love, Kathy

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

So I pray for you (Steve) that God who gives you hope will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in him. I pray that God will help you overflow with hope in him through the Holy Spirit’s power within you.  Romans 15:13