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Jill:TooYoungtoHaveaStroke

Page TableofContents 1

Chapter1TheStroke 2 Introduction 2 WhatJillRemembersaboutthatMonday 2 WhatWe(R&G)RememberAboutthatMonday 4 Jill’sThoughtsAboutWhatwasHappeningtoHer 7

Chapter2AfterSixWeeks 8 TheWorstThingsAboutHavingaStroke 9 TheBestThingsAboutHavingaStroke 9

Chapter3AfterFiveMonths…ASetback 10 Jill’sThoughts 10 OurThoughts 10

Chapter4AfterFifteenMonths…AllSeemsWell Jill’sThoughts 12 OurThoughts 13 Conclusion 14

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Jill:TooYoungtoHaveaStroke

Chapter1Introduction:Ourdaughter,Jill(age47),calledhermotheroneMondayafternoon(May18,2015)totellherthatshethoughtshewashavingastrokeandwasdrivingfromherapartmentinAurora(OH)totheAkron(OH)CityHospital(ACH).Jill,anIntensiveCareNurseatUniversityHospital-RobinsonMemorial,andformerParamedic,knewthestrokesymptomsandalsoknewthatACHwastheclosestLevelOneTraumaCenter(witha24-7StrokeTraumaTeam).Jillsaidthatherrightsidewasgrowingnumbbutthatshestillhadcontrolofherleftarmandleg.RuthsaidshecouldtellthatJill’sspeechwasbeingaffected.Ruthimploredhertocall9-11,butJillwasadamantandsaidifshegotworseshewouldpulloverandcall911.RuthcalledmeandwebothheadedforAkronCityHospital.

ThisisWhatJillRemembersAboutThatMonday:

Ihadastrangefeelinginmyfacethatmorning. Spoketomom about it, but continuedwithmy errands, as I only hadthatdaytogetthemdoneasIhadtoworkat11pmthatnight.Ineeded to getmyerrandsdone andgethome for some sleepbeforemyshift. I sortof forgotabout theweird feeling inmyfaceuntilIgothome.Iwasrinsingaglassinthesinkwhen,allofthesudden,myrightsidewasgone.Nofeelingormovementinmyface.Icouldn’tpickuptheglassIhadjustdroppedinthesink.Iknewimmediatelywhatwashappening.Iwashavingastroke!

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Ihadanimportantdecisiontomake. IknewIneededtoget to Akron City Hospital but I was pretty sure that Auroraparamedics wouldn’t be able totake me there as it was nearlythirtymilesaway. Wherewouldtheytrytotakeme?WouldIgetto a stroke team in time fortreatment? It was exactly2:45pm at onset of symptomsandInowhadlessthan3hoursto get the clot buster if thiswasn’tabrainbleed. Iknewtoomuch!

So,herewasmyplan…Gettothecar(down16stepsandout to theparking lot).Driveverycarefullyusingonlymy lefthandtosteerandmyleftfoottocontrolthegasandbrake.Justget close enough to Akron City Hospital to pull over and call911. Iamsurprisinglygoodatdrivingwithmyleftside. Ihadto drive through a very heavy rainstorm, but I tookmy time,stayedasafedistance fromthecarsaheadofmeandbefore Iknewit,IwasattheACHemergencyroom.

When Iwas a practicing paramedic, Iworked at this ERbut that was many years ago and they had completelyrenovated it. Now there was valet parking and a great bigbeautifulentrance. Anotherdecisiontomake. CanIparkandhobble in? Of course I can. The closest spot to park inwasaboutsixtyyardsfromthedoor. Icandothis! Ittookalittletime,butlookatallthetimeIjustsaveddrivingmyself.ThenIsawthelineatthecheck-indesk.Therearesixpeopleaheadofme. DoIjumpaheadofthemandalertthetriagenursethatIthinkI’mhavingastroke?Thatwouldberude. Whatifoneofthesixaheadofmeisalsohavingastroke? I’llwait. Whatis

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another 5 minutes at this point? I saved so much time bydrivingmyself.

Finally, I’m cirst in line at triage. The girl doesn’t evenlookupatme. Sheseemsabitfrazzled. Shesays,“I’llbewithyoushortly”.I’mthinking,doIyell“HEY!ITHINKI’MHAVINGA STROKE!.” No, that would be rude. This poor girl isswamped. I’ll justwait.What isanothercoupleofminutesatthis point? “What are you here for today” she says, still notlookingupfromthepaperworkonherdesk. I trymybest tospeakbutthewordsarenotcomingoutveryclear. Shecinallylooksupatme,andwithalookofpanic,shejumpsup,putsmeinawheelchairandurgentlysprintsmebacktothetraumabay.There, the“stroketeam”greetsme. Threeor fourphysicians,atleastcivenurses,twotechsandtheyareallfocusedonme.Iknew thedrill. Theyweregoing tobeaskingmeallkindsofquestions,startingIV’s,performingneurologicalchecks,etc. Idecided that I didn’t like being on the receiving end of thisprocess.

Inshortorder,IwasofftoCT. Theyneededtomakesurethiswasn’tableedinmyheadcausingthesesymptoms.Withinminutes of the scan, itwas concirmed. No bleed. Now I ameligible for TPA. The life saving clot buster that has thepotentialtoreversetheeffectsofthestroke.

ThisisWhatWe(RuthandGlenn)RememberAboutThatMonday: WhenRutharrivedatthehospital,Jillrecognizedherbutcouldnotraiseherarmorleg,couldnotcloseherrighteye,wasspeechaffectedandhadasignicicantfacialdroop,allontherightside.BythetimeIarrivedthirtyminuteslater,Jillcould

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raiseherarmsandleg.Yeah!Thedoctorswereoptimisticthatshewouldhaveafullrecoverybutwewereallveryconcerned.Whathadcausedthishealthywomantohaveastroke?Theinvestigationwasalreadyunderway.

Aftertwodaysinthehospital,thestroketeamsaidthatJillcouldreturntoourhomeforherconvalescence.Thesymptomsofherstrokewerenotaspronounced,butitwasobviousthatshehadtroubleusingherrightsideandthatherfacewascontorted,affectingherspeech.Amazingly,Jill’sspiritsremainedveryhighandshewasnotaversetoseeingthemanyfriendswhocametovisit.Ruthsetup“therecoveryroom”inourGreatRoom,whichisveryopen…highceilings,lotsofglassandagreatviewofEastTwinLake.Jillwasabletogototherestroombyherselfandeatsomeofhermealsatthekitchentable.ThereasonthattheGreatRoomwasbeingusedforJillwasthatrecently,Ruthhadpurchasednewfurnitureandonepiecewasaloveseatwithapulloutbed,featuringablowupmattress.WhenIaskedRuthwhyweneededanextrabedintheGreatRoom,shetoldmeshegotthattousewhensheorIhadastroke!!!Littledidsheknowthatthecirststrokevictimwouldbeourbabygirl,Jill.

Inthenextfewdaysatourhome,Jill:sleptalot;hadmanyvisitors;hadseveraldoctors’appointments;and,returnedtothehospitaltohaveadeviceimplantedintoherchesttomonitorherheart.ThedoctorssuspectedthatanirregularheartbeatmayhavecausedtheclotandinsertedaREVEALLINQ…aninsertablecardiacmonitoringsystemwhichcanmorequicklydiscovererirregularheartbeats,leadingtosolvingtheproblemwithpropermedications.

TendaysafterJill’sstroke,weweretobeinAsheville,NCfortheMemorialServiceIwastoconductforadearfriendwhowe

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hadknownsinceourcollegeyears.WeconsultedJill’sdoctorsandtheysaiditwouldbecineforhertoaccompanyusbuttobecarefulthatshedidn’toverdoitandbecometootired.Atcirst,shesaidshewouldstayatthemotel,butlaterdecidedtoattendthememorialserviceandreceptionfollowingtheserviceatthefamilyhome.Thisturnedouttobeaverygoodthingasshehadtofacefriendsandstrangerswithherlimpandfacialissues.Shemeteveryonewithhercherrydispositionandreceivedlotsofsupportfromeveryone.Sheevenlaughedlater,whentellingusthatseveralwell-meaningfolkshadtoldheroffriendsoftheirswhohadhadstrokesandneverrecovered.Jilltookitallinstrideandseemedtogetstrongerwitheachnewstoryandeachnewday.“Thestrongeststeelistemperedinthehottestcire.”

OntheMondayofthesecondweek,shestartedtohavefeelinginhercheekandherdimplesreturned.Herspeechwas95%,affectedonlyoncertainwords,andtheonlyremainingnoticeableissuewasthestrengthofherrightleg,causingherfoottodragalittle.Shestartedphysicaltherapyandcontinuedtoseeheartandneurologicaldoctors.Shecontinuedtogetlotofsleepandwasupliftedbycallsandemailsfromhermanyfriends.Onedoctorsaidshecouldgobacktoworkinsixmonthsbutwebelieveshewillbewillbereadymuchsoonerthanthat.Threeweekshavepassedandyesterday,shecixedusdinnerforourcifty-eighthanniversary.Thesepastthreeweekshavebeenfull…ofactivities,ofworry,offear,ofhope,ofloveandofpromise.IwenttothedoctorthisweekforarashonmythighandhesaidIhadasmallcaseofshingles,greatlyreducedbecauseIhadhadtheshingles’immunization.HeexplainedthatshinglesoftenoccurwhenapersonisunderlotsofstressandaskedifIcouldthinkofanythingthatmighthavestressedmelately.Istartedtolaughandhesaid,“Whydoesthatstrikeyouasfunny?”

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Jill’sThoughtsAboutWhatWasHappeningToHer:

Ihadtowaitalittlewhiletoforabedtobecomeavailable,whichwascinebecausemymomwastherewithme. Around7pm I wasmoved to “the stroke unit”. I got the bed by thewindowanddidn’thavearoommate.

The nurse came in to check my vitals and perform aneurologicalexam. Thatconsistedofhavingmerepeatwordsandphrases, comparing touchonboth sidesofmy face, armsandlegsandcomparinggripstrengthfrombothhands.Shewarnedme that Iwould not be getting any rest becauseshewouldbeperformingneurological checks everyhalf hourfor the cirst four hours, then every hour for the next eighthours. Thatcirstnightwasn’tsobadactually. Isleptbetweenvisitsfrommynurse. Ievengotamidnightsnack. Well, thatwasawholenewexperience.Notbeingabletoopenmymouthon one side posed a problemwhile attempting to eat. Iwasalso afraid of bitingmy tongueormy cheek aswell. I didn’tneedthatcomplication.

Ihadmanyvisitorsduringmythree-daystay.Thedoctorsandnursesweresokindtome.Eventheoldergentlemanwhocame to empty the trash and sweep the cloor in my roomtreated me like I was some really important person. I wasblownawayby the incredible treatment I receivedatACH! Ikeptthinking,anyhospitalcouldlearnathingortwofromthisone.Whatistheirsecret?Whycan’tallhospitalemployeesbethisway??

Beingunabletoreturnhomebymyself,Iwasabletostaywith my parents for the cirst month after getting out of the

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hospital.Theysetmeupintheirgreatroom(livingroom)onapullout bed. I had awonderful viewof their lakeand the best chef anyonecouldaskfor. Tendaysafterthe stroke, I was strongenough to attend a familyfuneral in North Carolina. IrealizedthenhoweasilyIgotworn ou t . When wereturned from the funeral, Ibegan physical therapytwice/week. The initialevaluation showed that I was functioning at about a 30%strength level on my right arm but my right foot remainedquite limp. Theywereencouragingme…tellingme that theyfelt concident that I would regain all of my strength fairlyquickly. TheexercisesI learnedatPTcouldeasilybedoneathomeaswell.

Once Iwasstrongenoughtonavigate the16stepsuptomyapartment, Igot tomovehome. Withmysonshelp, Iamnearlyindependent.Icandoeverythingformyselfnowexceptdrivemy car. That remains very difcicult forme, but since Ihave the best family and friends in the entire world…I don’tworryaboutgettinganywhere.Ialwayshavearide.

Chapter2

AfterSixWeeks:

Jillhasbeenamazing!Shehasstayedpositiveandhasworkedveryhardonherrehabilitationexercises.Ithasnow

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beensixweeks(June29)andalthoughshecan’tgobacktoworkforseveralmonths(TheDoctorssaysixmonths),Jillisconcidentthatshewillbeabletoreturntonursinginthreeorfourmonths.Timewilltell.TodemonstrateJill’spositivenature,sheevenmadealistofBestandWorstThingsAboutHavingaStroke: Theworstthingsabouthavingastroke:1.Notbeingabletospeakwell2. Eatingisverydifcicultwithonlyhalfaworkingface3. Notbeingabletowalkwell4. Notbeingabletodrive5. Thenervepain6. Thefatigue7. Brushingmyteethwithmylefthandismessy8. Notbeingabletowork

Thebestthingsabouthavingastroke:1. LotsoftimetocuddlewithFlounder(mycat)2. CatchinguponalltheTVshowsIhavemissed3. Havingtimetoreadabook4. Friendscomejusttohangout5. Allthecardsandwellwishes6. Beingtakencareofbymyfamily7. Atleastitisn’twinter8. Nothavingtowork

So,Jill’seffortstoreturntoher“OldSelf”areongoing.Thisstoryisn’tnearlyoverandsoIwilljustclosethisportionbysaying…weareverygratefulthatJillhasmadesuchanamazingrecovery…sheisatoughcookie…shehasbeensurroundedbytheloveofherfamilyandfriends…andthisstorywillbecontinued.Itlooksliketherewillbeahappyending.

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Austin, Andrew, Jill, Kayla, Mike and Connor

July2015

Chapter3

AfterFiveMonths…ASetback

Jill’sThoughts:WhenIlastwrote,Ihadjustreturnedhomeafterstayingwithmyfolksforafewweeksaftermystroke.Ithasnowbeennearlycivemonthssincemystroke.IhadaprettysignicicantsetbackinJuly.Ihadbeeninphysicaltherapyforabout8weeksandIbegantohaverighthippain.ThedoctororderedandMRI,whichshowedsomedamagetomylabrum.Thelabrumisarimofsofttissueinthehipjoint.Iwassenttoanorthopedicsurgeon.Hesentmeforanultrasoundguidedsteroidinjectionandmorephysicaltherapy.Myhippainonlygotworse.Finally,thedaybeforemy48th

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birthday,September15th,Ihadsurgerytorepairthedamagetomyhip. ThesurgeryreveledfarworsedamagethantheMRIshowed.Theyremovedalargeamountofoldblood,mostofmysynovium,andseveralsharppiecesofcartilage.Afterthesurgery,IwasabletogobacktotheSaltzmanResortforrehabilitation,andthenreturnhomeafteracoupleofweeks.Iwearalargehipbraceandusecrutchesatalltimes.Iamoffofallpainmedicationexceptfortheoccasionalibuprofen.ThesurgeonremovedmystitchesaboutaweekagoandIambackinphysicaltherapytwodaysperweek. Thishasbeenalong,difcicultfewmonthsformyfamilyandmebutwehavekeptapositiveattitudethroughthisprocess.IcannottellyouallhowmuchIappreciateyourlove,prayersandsupport.IwillkeepyouallinformedastowhenIgettoreturntowork.

OurThoughts:Jillhasbeenarealtrooperduringthelastcivemonths…stayingpositivewhileenduringmanysetbacks.Herrehabhadbeengoingwellandshehadmovedbackintoherapartment,whensheencounteredamajorproblemwithherhip,sufferedwhileinrehab(explainedabove).Afterherfourandahalfhoursurgerytocorrectthatproblem,shereturnedtoourhomeforrecovery.Shehadtouseacoldwatercirculatingdevicearoundherhipnightanddaytoalleviatethepain.Afteraboutaweekthemajorpainsubsided,replacedbyacontinualsoreness…probablycausedinpartbythesurgeryandinpartbythesurgeon’sneedtodislocateherhiptodothesurgery(ouch).Shehadtobeoncrutchesfortwoweeksandtheyhavebeenreplacedbyacaneforstability.Jillhasreturnedtorehabthreetimesaweekandhasmovedbacktoherapartment.Sheisstillhassomeweaknessonherrightsideandexperiencessomefootdropwithherrightfoot(whichrehabpersonnelsayisslowlyreturning).Weremainveryoptimistic

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forafullrecovery.JillisveryanxioustoreturntoworkasanICUnurseandknowsuponherreturntoherunitthatshewillbeevenmorecaringforpatientsthanshewasbefore.

October2015

Chapter4

AfterFifteenMonths…AllSeemsWell

Jill'sThoughts:Therestofthestory…

Ihavebeenbackatworknowforabout51/2months.Theresidualeffectsfrommystrokeareextremelymild.Ihaveslightweaknessinmyrighthandgripandrightarmstrengthaswellasinfrequentrightfootdrop(whichreallyonlyhappenswhenIamextremelyfatigued).

WorkhaschangedquiteabitsinceUniversityHospitalsacquiredRobinsonMemorial.Iworkthree12hourshiftsperweeknowinsteadoffour8hourshiftswhichisanenormousdifferenceformebutIamadapting.

Westilldonotknowwhatcausedmystroke.IhaveaLoopMonitorimplantedinmyleftchestwhichkeepstrackofanyabnormalheartrhythms.Todate,Ihavehadone“event”whichwasunrelatedtomystroke.Ihavenohighbloodpressureorunusualbloodclotproblemseither,butItakeanAspirineverydaynow,justforgoodmeasure.

IcannottellyouallhowmuchIappreciateyourthoughts,prayersandwellwishes!!Thishasbeenaverydifcicultjourneyfor

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meandmyfamily.WeSOappreciatetheloveandconcernofouramazingsupportsystem!

OurThoughts:Thelastcifteenmonthshavebeenarollercoasterwithregardtoouremotions.WewererelievedthatJillrecoveredfromthemainstrokesymptomssoquicklybutworriedthatthemedicalcommunitywasunabletodeterminetheexactcauseofherstroke.Jillprogressedsorapidlybutwasinjuredduringrehabilitationandthishasslowedheroverallrecoveryaswellasaddingsignicicantlytothepainsheexperiencedandcontinuestoexperience.JillhadmovedtoRobinsonMemorialHospital(RMH)inpartbecausetheshiftswereeighthoursratherthantwelvehours,onlytohaveRMHmergewithUniversityHospital(RMHisnowUHPortageMedicalCenter)andhershiftshavereturnedtotwelvehours.Shehasadjusted…Jillalwaysadjusts…shecightsandadapts.Shehascomealongwayandweareveryproudofher.WefeelcertainthatJillisnowanevenmorecompassionatenurseasshehas

experiencedtheacutelysickpatientroleandwantstoensureherpatientsaretreatedprofessionally…andwithloveandcompassion.

Conclusion:RuthandIaregratefulJillhasreceivedsomuchsupportfromeveryone(EspeciallyUniversityHospitalforkeeping

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herpositionopenforher).And,forJill’sphenomenalfriends…theywerealwaythereforher.Lastly,wepraythatJillcontinuestogrowstrongereachdayandwillsoonsaygoodbyetothenagginghippainsheregularlyexperiences.Jill,herfamilyandfriendsaregratefulforthemanypositivethingsthathavehappenedtoher,andtoeachofus,thepastcifteenmonths.Letthisgoodstorycontinue!

(Note:PictureaboveisofbrotherJeffandJill,withRuthinthebackground))

August2016