Sunday Stroke Survival:Quick Update

Not mine!Mine's not so pretty.

I had my cardiac stress test last week. This was the final hoop for me to jump through before my rhizotomy. I got my results on Thursday. Yes, I still have three out of four bad, leaky valves in my heart, and heart damage from my heart attack. But, nothing has escalated since my last stress test a year ago. Wohoo!

There was a lot of concern because I was still having angina. Sometimes, bad enough to take a hit of nitroglycerin. But not bad enough to have to take a second hit and go to the hospital. I know what a heart attack feels like. I'll go to the hospital when I need to. This hasn't changed in six years. But yet, the cardiologist wanted to do a heart cath to be sure. I talked him out of it. My ventricular fib is moderately under control with medication. In other words, I'm as healthy as I'm going to be right now. I may change my mind about the heart cath after my rhizotomy. Where I'm concerned, better safe than sorry. But I'm in my status quo and not being foolish.

My hypoglycemia, rather than my diabetes is a mute issue after six years, is a concern but easily fixed with a glucose drip piggy backed to my regular normal saline drip during surgery. Just as high blood sugar presents complications for surgery and recovery, low blood sugar is equally as dangerous. The slightest stress will drop my blood levels dangerously low. Like when I had my first stroke, my blood sugar level was 40. Even though I'd taken my morning dose of insulin, it should have dropped that low. Eating a high carb dinner (pizza with a 16 oz glass of orange juice) barely raised my blood sugar level to normal. By my normal standards, the orange juice alone should have brought my blood sugar to high normal, but it didn't.

This is what my rhythm is like

My ventricular fib also raises my risk factors during surgery. My last major surgery was the removal of five tumors from my abdomen and a total hysterectomy. The whole procedure should have lasted an hour tops, but my heart had other ideas. It fibrillated and stopped twice. Three hours later, my frazzled surgeon told me the tale. I was in the intensive care unit instead of the regular post surgical unit. But still, I'm gladly going ahead with this surgery. A little wary, but that desperate to be out of pain.

What really concerns me is being off my blood thinner. My stroke risk increases 70% of having another stroke. This time I may not be as lucky as the previous six. The stroke could happen any where in my brain. Not that it couldn't have done this already.

If I had another stroke in my right hemisphere of my brain or brain stem, I'd really be in trouble. I'd lose function in both sides of my body instead of just one.

If I have had stroke while currently on blood thinners how greatly does that standard 70% risk increase by being totally off the blood thinner? That's a scary proposition. It's even scarier than the possibility of death. I talked at length with my cardiologist about this but he isn't overly concerned. Considering the clots are forming in my heart and going to my brain, I thought he'd be the one with the most concern. Maybe, my neurologist is the better person to talk to.

I'm not borrowing trouble. I'm just trying to be prepared. Is there such a thing as preparing for a stroke? I know that F.A.S.T. doesn't work for me. By the time facial droop is evident hours have passed. My blood pressure isn't a good indicator either. The same goes for the arm and speech. So the T for time is skewed. So much for being the Queen of Abby Normal.

Well, that's my update.

Nothing is impossible.