Written by Dave Johnson
A year ago, just before my stroke I had a great job that involved managing people, closing deals and traveling the United States. I was out cutting trees the week prior to my stroke as well as continuing as a power weightlifter in the gym. I lived by myself and was able to perform all tasks necessary that are required as a single person.
The weekend just before my stroke I had returned from a sales trip in Las Vegas. My kids and grandkids had come over for a cookout and I remember telling my daughter how tired I was. I also was talking with my daughter and son and their spouses telling them that when I passed away that I didn’t want them to fight over anything. I mentioned some things and told them what I wanted each one of them to have. That’s definitely not like me, but we all chalked it up to fatigue.
That Monday, I went to bed around 9:30 pm which is typical for me. I awakened shortly around 1:00 am with my arm hanging off the bed completely numb. I went to roll over and my arm wouldn’t move with my body motion. I stood up and my left leg was numb, and I could barely move it. I walked across the hall to see if I could shake it off and nothing on my left side moved.
I knew it was most likely a stroke because, for many years, our company had us go to first aid CPR training annually and stroke recognition was always part of the training. I called the ambulance and dragged myself down the stairs backwards holding on with one hand and put on sweats and flip flops. I grabbed my insurance card and sent a text to my kids that I was in an ambulance so they would know in the morning.
They got me started on medicine; however, they left my blood pressure high at 200/120. I was blessed because my daughter – who is a cardiac nurse – got me started in rehab in the hospital and at a rehab center immediately. I had speech, occupational, and physical therapy for the next 3 to 4 months. I had to learn to use a fork and a cup, how to walk, how to write with a pencil and many other tasks. They originally said that I needed to lose a few pounds and surmised that I had high blood pressure.
About 4 weeks later, I was making my first overnight stay at my house by myself. I got up on Saturday morning and my heart rate went from 48 to 145. My daughter came and took me to the hospital where I saw a cardiologist. He scheduled a visit at his office after my neurologist visit.
During my visit, the neurologist kept looking at my brain scans shaking his head saying that he couldn’t understand why I had a stroke. I had no blockage anywhere. Then he turned to me and said the cause was in my heart. He said that I either had a hole in my heart or an electrical impulse issue.
After many different tests, I was diagnosed with an electrical impulse issue in the lower trunk of my heart that I’ve had for quite some time. I am now on a heart impulse modification drug, low doses of a statin and blood pressure as well as a blood thinner as preventative measures. I have fully recovered, and my doctors are amazed – calling it a miracle. I have been cleared by all my specialists and now just see them annually.
My lifestyle changes included elimination of alcohol, lower amounts of caffeine, weightlifting five days a week, and walking three miles five days a week. I have lost 25 pounds and I now use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. I also had quite a few virtual counseling sessions to deal with my anxiety and worry about another stroke. I am grateful to the professionals that helped to heal me and was so fortunate to be treated by a wonderful heart care team and a great cardiac rehab program.
For more information about stroke visit: www.stroke.org.