|
Cathy J.  Cathy Survivor There is an email which circulates occasionally in which an unnamed doctor is quoted as saying that if people who are suffering a stroke were all to receive treatment in the proper time, he could totally reverse the stroke and its damage. When I receive that email, I always return it along with my story. I am one of those people who received the proper treatment in the proper time. All the stars were aligned for me when I was struck in my kitchen at 4 pm on Tuesday, March 23, 2004. I was 50 years old, and I dropped to the floor as though I were a marionette and someone had snipped my strings. My husband fortunately knew what was happening and called 911. Within an hour, I was being treated and within two hours I was receiving tPA. I am here to tell you all that tPA does not reverse the stroke. It stops the stroke, which is great. However, it does not automatically return your health fully. I survived, but whatever damage occurred to my brain can never be reversed. I was left to deal with a lot of invisible damage, and there was a lot of misunderstanding on my part. I thought I had been cured, but what I didn't know what that I still had to re-train my brain to do things that most of us take for granted. This includes things like counting coins, telling time, and reading. |
|