Update

As with everything in life there are diversions from the path. Who would have thought that we would be here right now. 

Last week I wrote about the medical issues and the consequences of it that Annie was experiencing. That evening, Annie started experiencing new symptoms, we assumed it was stress related and anxiety. Those symptoms progressed over the weekend and by Monday they were very concerning. She was experiencing loss of function of her right hand and her speech would become slurred. It was not constant, but intermittently through out the day. I asked her to schedule a Dr. on Demand call after we spoke about it. The Doctor suggested based on her symptoms that she go get checked out by the local ER. We didn’t want to be a clog in the system there so we checked with the Instacare first. They also suggested a visit to the ER. So off she went. She was given a note by Instacare to be seen right away at the Emergency room. There they sent her off for an MRI and a Lumbar puncture and admitted her to the Neurology floor of the hospital. I had worked the night before and Annie was gracious enough to let me get some sleep. So I am very thankful for her mom for taking her and keeping me updated through out the process. 

Annie says MRIs are not fun, and she would never recommend a lumbar puncture to anyone. 

Early Tuesday morning they took her down for another MRI to look at her neck and spine.  Her MRI showed a lesion on her cerebellum.  Which is the part of the brain that affects balance, speech, coordination, and eye coordination. 

This lesion is likely the cause of her vertigo symptoms, when speaking with the neurologist about the vertigo she said, well its easy to assume that when something walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is probably a duck. When we visited the ER in March for her dizziness, she was not showing signs of something more. So it was easy to diagnose Vertigo. It was when she started to develop signs of a stroke that everyone became more concerned. Who would have thought that those symptoms would take two months to develop. 

So here we are now. She has been discharged from the hospital, and we are waiting for some final results. She’s receiving high dose steroids for the lesion on her brain, and getting those steroids via IV in the infusion clinic. 

So friends, please pay attention to what all your symptoms are, keep a record of what is happening. You may never know for certain that what you’re experiencing is all that is going on. I’m very grateful that I have been taught to recognize a stroke, I am grateful this didn’t end up being one. I am grateful for my managers at work for being so understanding. I am grateful for Annie’s mom for being there for her and for me through out this. I am grateful for my Mom for getting me out of there for a few minutes and getting me out of that headspace. The last three days have been some of the longest of my life. I have been beyond scared. I don’t recommend this experience to anyone, but I am thankful to have experienced it so I know how to handle this in the future if I witness it or experience it again.