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Many of you know our friend Elise Matthesen, longtime Minneapolis fan, musician, writer, and creator of art jewelry. Elise has been visiting us in Brooklyn, as she often does.
Late last night, at our apartment, she suffered a sudden impairment of vision accompanied by a strong and lateralized headache. Teresa called 911 and the three of us rode in the back of an ambulance to Lutheran Medical Center, where they’re now saying they believe what happened to her was a small stroke.
She’s still in the hospital; we don’t know how long for. She’s comfortable (if very tired) and seems unimpaired in speech or thought. In keeping with the usual hurry-up-and-wait hospital routine, we’re waiting for word from the Real Doctor, which may come down this afternoon.
Needless to say, various plans for today and the rest of the week are up in the air and will continue to be up in the air until we know a bit more. We’re posting this on Making Light on the theory that this is one of the best ways to get the news out to most of our and Elise’s friends.
(I just showed the above to Elise—I’m actually at the hospital right now—and she cocked an eyebrow and growled “Add ‘I Say Hi.’” She really is herself. More news as we have it.)
Please, send my love, and ping me if there is anything I can do.
Hi, Elise! Be well!
And thanks to P & T for taking good care of her.
Is there anything she would like to make her more comfortable? Phone calls, flowers, cards, anything. I'm in DC, but would love to let her know I am thinking of her or help you guys in any way possible.
Thank you for the update (and for mirroring it on livejournal), Patrick. All the best to Elise!
Hey, Elise: don't do like that some more. Do something different and more fun, yah? Okay then.
(Translation for those who do not speak Scandosotan: my dear friend, I am concerned and hoping for much improvement for you *posthaste*. I send much love.)
P&T: thanks for letting us know. I know you didn't do the joyous caretaking hospital whirl because of all of us who would be grateful that you did. Still, doesn't mean we shouldn't say we're grateful that you're there on the ground handling things.
Much love to Elise, and indeed to Patrick and Teresa as well. I'm sure it was an unpleasant and upsetting experience all round.
Hey -- let me know if there's anything you need.
Thanks so much for the update - we saw Teresa's twitter update, last night, so we've been concerned for all of you.
Sending my very warmest wishes.
Oh dear. Be well, Elise, and thanks, Patrick & Teresa, for getting her to the hospital and keeping us updated!
Ai! Sorry to hear this. Give Elise my love. Thank you, Patrick and Teresa for posting, and posting on LJ.
Bloody fucking HELL. Okay. What needs to be done, and when? Let me get my phone charged, and I'll be on call.
Much love to all of you, and could we just STOP with this sort of crap? 2011 is supposed to be a good year.
Yikes! Thanks for letting us know. I'll spread the word among the Minneapolis crowd that I'm plugged into, some of which own jewelry she created. Best wishes, Elise.
Oh dear. Be well, Elise; or at the very least, be better, soon!
And thank you, Patrick and Teresa, for letting us all know.
I am
1. So glad that you were there to help her
2. So glad that she is all right
3. So glad that everyone recognized that what was happening was serious and got her to the hospital.
Please keep us posted (if you can), and let us know if there's anything we can do!
Oh dear! Very glad she's in such good hands; many thanks to everyone who's made that happen, and wishes for a very speedy and uncomplicated recovery.
Eep. Sending healing thoughts to Elise.
Sending hopeful thoughts for a speedy recovery and a big hug. Also echoing thoughts above - if there's anything useful we can do/send, please let us know!
Elise, concern & love & good wishes your way; also, hi back :)
And I also wish extra spoons for all while dealing with all the hospital foo.
I'll second Starshadow's numbered list . . . just what I was thinking!
Feel better!
Elise, you're in my thoughts. Get well!
Love, love, love, and good wishes galore to all three of you.
Oh, no! Good Thoughts for a quick and complete recovery, and thanks be to ghods for immediate treatment.
I also concur with Starshadow's list. Thank you, Patrick and Teresa.
Oh hell.
Patrick & Teresa, thank you for telling us what's going on. Please give Elise my love and let her know I'm thinking of her.
Best of luck! And yes, it's good to have friends who are not only caring, but clueful!
Another echo of Starshadow's list. May all be as well as possible as quickly as possible.
Sending healing thoughts to Elise, and thanks to Teresa and Patrick for looking after her. You all deserve blessings.
Judging solely by what you're saying, TIA doesn't seem a bad bet.
If so, patience, care, drugs, and the likelihood of other attacks are on the horizon, but it's a rather bright one, all things considered.
Hope it goes well for her and you.
Elise, may it be something easily found and fixed (rather than a "hmmmm.... let's keep an eye on you" thing).
Patrick, Teresa, thank you.
thank you patrick and teresa for taking such good care of such a precious friend to so many!
sending love, strength and healing
Barb
I can't imagine anyone I'd rather have as advocates for me if I were suddenly taken to the hospital than P&T. So glad you were there for Elise, so glad that Elise is reasonably okay, and wishing for all further news to be good. I join the chorus of offering help (though it may be difficult from Seattle -- hot dishes don't arrive well even via FedEx).
Elise! I thought Minnesota left the not-healthy in the last decade!
Get better soon.
Elise--best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Teresa and Patrick--thank you.
Hi, Elise!
Even people you've barely met care. Here's to a speedy recovery!
Healing thoughts to Elise! We've met once, but she won't remember me.
Love, hugs, good warm thoughts and more hugs. And what Mris said (#6).
- Bridget (the Toronto one).
Make that, even people you've never met care and are concerned! Best wishes and hopes, Clifton
Elise, you are in my thoughts and prayers for a complete (and uncomplicated) recovery. Teresa and Patrick too. Thank you.
Add me to the people sending Elise love and healing energy.
The Lioness must give herself time but be strong and well again.
*hugs*
I'm glad she had friends right there who knew precisely what to do in that situation.
*gulp* Hoping for a quick and full recovery...
Best wishes to her and I'm glad she got to the hospital quickly. Thanks for letting us know.
Elise! Oh no. All I can do is send my thoughts of healing and love, and echo what everyone else has said about everything, and P&T in particular. Oh, and a good thing it happened this week and not last week with the immediate blizzard aftermath.
May everyone breathe and heal, especially Elise!
Another member of the Hawai'i contingent sends you good thoughts.
No, no, this is NOT the way to begin the New Year.
My very best wishes to all three of you, and a special wish of good doctors and fast recovery to the Elise. Anybody who wants a hug from me should get one of the others to provide it by proxy, an it please you.
Thank you for breaking the news so gracefully, too.
P.
Oi. Luck and good health to her; patience and fortitude to you guys,
FuckFuckityFuckFuck!
(Am I allowed to say that here?)
Also, goddammit.
Give the Lioness my love, yo?
Oh, Elise! Best wishes and much love to you for a swift recovery.
*Yargh* and *phew* and get better soon and much gladness for tnh & patrick!
What Emma said.
Hugs all around, and I will keep my fingers crossed....
Ditto to everything written above.
(My little ones, on seeing my look of dismay, wish to send Elise healing kisses, and also say, "And take your medicine, and eat your vegetables!")
Damn. That stinks; I'm glad you all were on top of things and Teresa called EMS right then. I hope things go as well as ever they possibly can from here for you, Elise.
For everyone else here:
(Courtesy of the American Stroke Association)
Stroke Warning Signs:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Not all atrokes will demonstrate all these symptoms. If you, or someone near you shows these signs, call 911 (or whatever your EMS number is), and make a note of the time symptoms first appeared. There are medications which, if administered within 3 hours of onset, can greatly reduce the severity of stroke sequelae.
Sending love and healing energy to all three of you. Thanks P and T for your rapid loving response and being proxy caring presence for all who care for our Lionesse.
Hugs to Elise and to the emergency response teams at the firehouse and at Making Light.
My good wishes for Elise, and thanks to P&T for taking care of this.
(Emma @52:
Shit yes, you're allowed to fucking swear like a God damned sailor in the cause of love around these parts.)
Gah! I hope you heal swiftly Lionesse!
Cylia (triskelmoon)
Gah! Elise, glad you're getting good care (and give 'em hell if you're not). Hope everything continues to head in the right direction.
Oh, no. Love to Elise and good thoughts to Elise. Thanks for posting, Patrick.
Sending good thoughts from Minneapolis; I saw this on Sarah M's LJ. Once you're home, Elise, let me know if Bob or I can be of assistance in any way.
Oh, what the fucking fuck. This is Not Right.
:(
Give her a kiss for me.
Oh god.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, universe, for Elise being okay.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Nielsen Haydens, for being smart and responsible people who can recognize a serious medical problem and do something about it. I know you didn't do it for us, but I am thanking you anyway.
GoodThoughts being sent for a speedy and complete recovery!
Fidelio @57: UK equivalent:
FAST
Face -- is it lopsided; has it dropped on one side; is it under control?
Arms -- can they be held up and level; are they equally under control?
Speech -- is it slurred or confused; do they respond to questions sensibly?
Time -- if any of these aren't true: call 999/911 NOW.
I had cause to run these checks for somebody in the last six months and was very grateful that I did.
Gods. I'm local, and don't go to work until 4 PM; let me know if there's anything I can do.
Arkessian @70 That's a great mnemonic; I'll keep it in mind.
Everybody else: You'll notice that despite the differences between the two lists, they absolutely agree on the CALL EMS NOW bit (and I am shouting on purpose.)
Linking back to my A Fast Note on Strokes
I still need to write a big post on strokes (CVA).
The two take-away lessons:
1. Learn the signs and symptoms. If they appear, in you or someone around you, call 9-1-1 immediately.
2. Have a Living Will/someone with Power of Attorney for Healthcare for those occasions when you can't speak for yourself.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of neurological disability in the US. Be careful.
fidelio @72: I think it was on this very blog that I picked up the useful phrase, "If you're wondering whether you should call 911, stop wondering and start dialing."
Sympathies to Elise. Good wishes for a speedy, full recovery. And (echoing others here), thank goodness she was with people who noticed what was happening and knew the correct response.
Thank you fidelio @ 57, Arkessian @ 70 and of course James D. Macdonald @ 73 for the rapid-access info. on warning signs etc.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Agreed that it isn't the best way to start a new year. Here's to *this* being the low point.
Fidelio @ 72, Janet miles @74: If IN DOUBT, SHOUT for help.
I just saw this.
Best wishes for a complete recovery, Elise! And I'm so glad you're able to be with her.
Let me know if there's anything I could do to help. I could get right on the train in the morning if it would be useful.
The FAST mnemonic is for the Cincinnati Stroke Scale.
Any one is suspicious, the more you have the more likely the diagnosis.
Facial Droop
Normal: Both sides of face move equally
Abnormal: One side of face does not move at all
I usually say: "Smile. Show me your teeth." That makes checking for droop easy and obvious.
Arm Drift
Normal: Both arms move equally or not at all
Abnormal: One arm drifts compared to the other
I usually help the patient hold their arms straight out in front of them, then say "Close your eyes" and let go of their hands. And note what happens.
Speech
Normal: Patient uses correct words with no slurring
Abnormal: Slurred or inappropriate words or mute
I usually say, "Repeat after me: You can't teach an old dog new tricks." And note what happens.
That's it, fast, in and out. And note the time of onset.
Another scale is the Los Angeles Stroke Screen:
Age over 45? Yes/No
No prior history of seizure disorder? Yes/No
New onset of symptoms (within last 24 hours)? Yes/No
Patient was ambulatory at baseline (prior to event)? Yes/No
Blood Glucose between 60 and 400? Yes/No
Check for Facial Droop, Grip Strength, and Arm Drift: Defect on one side only? Yes/No
If the answer is "Yes" or "Unknown" to all questions, you have met the Los Angeles Pre-Hospital Stroke Screen. That's a CVA unless proved otherwise.
-----------------
Then there's the ABCD method of assessing risk of stroke following a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack): sometimes called a "mini-stroke." The difference between a TIA and a full-bore CVA is that the TIA resolves spontaneously within 24 hours (and generally within 1 hour) of first onset.
The ABCD assessment:
A: Age of patient. Greater than or equal to 60, count one. Else, count zero.
B: Blood pressure: Systolic pressure greater than 140, and/or diastolic pressure greater than or equal to 90, count 1, else count zero.
C: Clinical features: Unilateral weakness, count two. Speech disturbance but no weakness, count one. Else, count zero.
D: Duration of the TIA: Greater than or equal to 60 minutes, count two. 10 to 59 minutes, count one. Less than 10 minutes, count zero.
A score of six yields a 30+% chance of major stroke within the next seven days.
(Note: Any TIA at all is associated with a 60% chance of stroke within the following 12 months.)
Eep! Do get well soon (and many thanks to those looking after you).
Good wishes, and at least Elise had the foresight to be with *NH when it happened.
Yikes! Glad to hear that she seems to be okay. Thinking good thoughts for her.
Best wishes for speedy healing to the Lioness! If there is anything that needs done in Mpls, Ed and I are always available.
Prayers going up on Elise's behalf. Strokes are scary.
Thank you for the assessment criteria, Jim.
Be well quickly, Lionlove! Flying is often contraindicated after a stroke, and so is traveling alone. If a ride home is needed, I have the comfy minivan. We can sing a LOT of songs between there and here...
Oh, bah. Get better immediately and unflinchingly, please.
I join in the eep!-ing, and the sending of good wishes to all concerned.
sending best full recovery wishes to you lioness!
@79
And then you have the people like me, who had a stroke at age 33. Who did not have any visible symptoms during the actual stroke itself, and who has never had high blood pressure, ever (in fact, I have blood pressure so low that at times it freaks out health care providers). What I did have was a lot of numbness on the left side of the body. I was very, very lucky that it was a minor stroke, as I didn't go to the hospital at the time it happened. In fact, it wasn't until six months later when they saw the brain scan and informed me I'd had a stroke at some point in the past that I went "Oh. So that's what was going on that afternoon this past summer."
Which is why I tell people - if you think something isn't right with how you're feeling, or if you think something isn't right with how a friend or loved one is feeling, hie thee to a doctor.
Hi Elise. I hope you're home and healthy again soon.
Urk. Elise, when you get back to Mpls, let me know if I can be of service. My schedule is nothing if not flexible, especially where the Lioness is concerned. Sending you good thoughts and memories of sushi.
Janet, #74: "If you're wondering whether you should call 911, stop wondering and start dialing."
XthreadX to "dated tech" discussion -- notice that the term "dialing" is still perfectly idiomatic, even though rotary phones have been pretty well extinct for at least 20 years. This is doubtless confusing to ESL students.
Starshadow, #89: Some 8 or 9 years ago, I had an attack of temporary one-eye blindness. No other symptoms, it only lasted about 3 minutes, and there's been no recurrence -- but it scared the holy living hell out of me at the time. TIA was one of the things I was thinking about as it was happening, and if it hadn't cleared up so quickly I would have called 911.
My first comment here on ML and it wasn't supposed to be "Oh bleeping bleep of bleepetedly bleep!" but it is.
It's also filled with gratitude to P&T for being your wonderful selves, and of healing love to Elise.
My life is rearrangeable for the most part (and E would smack me if I rearranged that which isn't); please tell me how I can be useful.
Well, hell. Damn. Bad. Do not approve.
Elise, best wishes getting better.
P&T, thank you for taking care of Elise.
Please let me know immediately what I can do for you. We must always stand by our friends - Mike would want it that
way.
Good thoughts being sent. Thank GOD(s) for the Nielsen Haydens! Love and blessings, Elise.
Elise: Best wishes for a fast, full and uneventful recovery!
Patrick and Teresa: HOORAY FOR RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF A STROKE AND DOING THE RIGHT THING PRONTO! Oh my God how I wish more people were like you!
All: hang in there. Prayers and good thoughts heading your way from Georgia.
And I say "Hi" right back. I would write her a haiku, if I thought it would inspire her to Get Well Real Soon.
I'm glad she was with you guys--I've seen you in action; you don't mess around with health stuff. I just hope you take care of yourselves while the hospital is taking care of Elise.
Best wishes to Elise. Hoping for the best.
Oh, no! Please, give my best wishes and affection to Elise - and, as others have said, I'm so glad that y'all were there to get her help!
Aieeee.
GoodThoughts, candles lit.
Janet Mills #74:
fidelio @72: I think it was on this very blog that I picked up the useful phrase, "If you're wondering whether you should call 911, stop wondering and start dialing."
That was here, in 2006. Wonderful memory you have there.
Oh, E. I am so glad you chose not to visit us, because you may well have been on the train back when this happened! Being where you were, with the incomparable and capable Nielsen Haydens, is infinitely better. Good instincts... *bad* event. We're grateful that you are OK.
To Patrick and Teresa: please let me echo everyone else's accolades and appreciation. Thank you so much.
Many heal fast beams are coming your way, lioness, from your WELL pal, Mary Mackey
I spent about four hours with Elise this afternoon/evening; relieving Patrick, who is back with her now, watching Caprica, I believe. Her blood pressure is very low, and so they've had her "hanging upside down like a bat" for part of the day (the bed is positioned so that her feet are higher than her head). The MRI, MRA, and echocardiogram are scheduled for tomorrow; we'll know more then. Nevertheless, she's going to be in the hospital for somewhere between a "couple" and a "few" days.
Her speech and vision are normal, or very close to it; her sense of humor remains deplorable.
If people want to check in about visiting her (they only want two family members at a time in the stroke unit), feel free to email me (roadnotes at gmail dot com) or text me, if you have my number. I'm going to help with the visitor schedule, to take some of the burden off Patrick and Teresa.
Dang it! I hope she is much better soon and can get back to creating her lovely jewelry and spreading beauty throughout the world. We need it!
Tell her I said "Welcome to the club, sorry you're a member- I didn't issue the invitation. Recover quickly and fully."
Feel better soon, O Lioness.
Oh, do feel better soon, Elise!
Strong healing beams, Elise. Glad your sense of humor is intact!
Hugs,
-Elisabeth
First thought: Oh F*CK!
Second thought (after getting down the screen): Oh GOOD, she's not seriously damaged (right now: no guarantees what those tests will find).
Big warm hugs and thoughts of healing to the Queen of Shinies. I look fwd to again reading Elise's witty posts.
Just reading about this now. Get well soon, Elise!
I need to note for the record that while it's nice to see all these people praising Patrick and Teresa for quickly realizing what was going on, in fact when it happened Patrick had gone to sleep, leaving Teresa and Elise up late talking as they often do. All credit for quick thinking goes to them, not me.
Ok, look 2011. If this is the way you're going to behave, we're going to have to have a serious talk. Cut it the hell out.
Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery and no complications or lasting damage.
Love and prayers for Elise, great gratitude to P&T, and A Very Stern Warning to 2011: don't start that shit. We had quite enough trouble with 2010 misbehaving.
For a while, there were ads on the MBTA with the "FAST" criteria, which are particularly memorable because of "Bof fri fleu". I suspect anyone who rode the T regularly during that period can think of the signs of a stroke almost as easily as people who were kids watching US TV during a certain period can recite most of the Preamble to the Constitution....
Christopher, #117: Boy, that was a WTF moment. It's a very clear, concise description of stroke indicators with a little humor ("...and people remember funny songs!"), and he's bitching about the font and the artwork? What planet does he live on?
I hope the Lioness heals back to 100% as soon as humanly possible!
Patrick -
You did have the good sense to have her visiting, though. Being familiar with the ways of Elisian sleep cycles, chances that she'd be talking face to face with someone late at night would have been unlikely, so more complications in getting direct help as quickly.
If such things have to happen (and I'm with everyone who's pointed out to 2011 that really, no, stop it now) having it be at a time when someone is able to take quick and helpful action is a major good.
her sense of humor remains deplorable.
Good. I hope someone's reading Elise the deplorable puns currently on the Open Thread.
Patrick, thanks yous are not simply for being in at the start of an event or circumstance, but also for the continued presence/helping hand/company/etc while things continue. So learn to cope with thank yous.
Oh no! Hope it turns out to be a one-off event and that Elise recovers quickly.
~ helen-louise (baratron @ lj)
Hi.
Deprecated protocol for greeting a new year, eh? All wishes for smooth, speedy, and thorough recovery, and kudos all 'round for swift & crisp handling of the situation.
If there's anything I can do, y'all know how to find me.
Hugs --
jon
Oh shit. That is not the sort of news I wanted to hear. Elise, get well soon; there are a bunch of people out here who are pulling for you. And whoever should get the credit, Patrick and Teresa, thanks for being there and doing the necessary.
Oh, dear. Thanks for letting us know. Elise, wishing all the best for you!
May I add to the accumulating pile my very best wishes and love to Elise for a speedy and full recovery.
I'm thankful that it happened where people were there to care, and my best wishes towards a rapid recovery!
Best wishes for a quick recovery, Elise!
Shiiiii-- hope everything turns out okay. :(
New Zealand contingent (representative) rousing from usual stalk-mode to deliver deepest wishes for well and easy and full recovery and deepest respects to all involved.
A note: It is (nearly) Friday the 7th here, and I can attest from this point in your future(s) that things are just getting better and better!
Ouch! Just catching up with my daily blog reading. Tell Elise to get well! And if she needs anything when she gets back to Minneapolis, let us know.
Yikes! Best wishes, and hopes that it turns out to have been a TIA rather than a full-on stroke.
Just for clarification: a quick scan of google results suggests that "Bof fri fleu" is supposed to be French for "call my son", but both Google Translate and Babelfish choke on it. What is it actually?
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Oh Hell. Elise m'dear, get better, eh?
Elise - Here's hoping you have a swift and complete recovery. My good wishes and prayers are with you.
Teresa and Patrick - Thanks for being there for Elise.
Ann Totusek @ 107 - Well met, Sister Merry Tarry! You OK now? - Grania
Oh. Best wishes and good luck, and a fast and full recovery, to Elise.
Please convey my greetings and good wishes to Elise, and tell her if she needs anything in Minneapolis I'd be happy to help, k? (I'm even temporarily car-enabled.)
And I'll add another set of thanks to the pile of thanks for Teresa and Patrick!
P.S. "Happy to help" is not just a formula in this case. I would indeed be happy about being helpful to the Elise we all care for.
One more voice echoing all of the above. Best wishes for speedy recovery.
Thanks for letting us know, and please keep us posted. If she's bored or lonely & wants visitors in hospital, my subway card stands at the ready. Really! I like visiting hospitals! Just let me know where she is, and what's a good time.
@ Grania- I'd had a stroke by the time you met me at Pennsic....if you couldn't tell, I guess that means I recovered well. :) I managed to get my nursing degree AFTER I had the stroke. Sister Merry Tarry
Am in NYC today and tomorrow. Was going to surprise Patrick and T when visiting Holt/First Second tomorrow. Guess not.
If Elise is visitable, would love to visit. Otherwise, just give her major hugs from me.
Tell her: "Sheesh, girl, don't go scaring us that way!"
xxxJane
Candle lit to Brighid, now invoking Julian of Norwich:
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."
Healing energy on its way, Elise -- and strength to Patrick and Teresa.
Can someone reboot 2011? I don't think the happy fun module loaded correctly.
(best wishes to Elise for a speedy recovery!)
Love and prayers, Elise -- for you, for T & P, and for the medical staff in the stroke unit.
Please keep us informed.
David Harmon (#133): going by the video versions of that PSA, it's Strokelish[1] for "The sky is blue."
[1] Like Simlish, but much less amusing.
I would not visit the link in #147 with a Republican's computer. The same text and link also appears on a poker blog.
Best wishes of wellness to Elise.
(And 'thank you' to Patrick & Teresa & helpers.)
Tinyurl.com has a preview feature, which says it's at a long ugly URL at online.titanpoker.com
Michael Wallis Says "Hi!" back, even though she likely doesn't remember me.
Here's to everything going well and smoothly with today's tests. Love to Elise and the entire team of friends keeping a close eye on her in the hospital.
Count me among those who are ready to turn 2011 in for another year when it comes to health and well-being. It terms of the things I've heard about and experienced in these first six days, it's off to a utterly dreadful start.
I hope Elise is All Better Soonest. And thanks to Patrick and Teresa for being there. If and when I ever temporarily keel over, I really should do it at their place. The only thing better than that would be being at their place and not keeling over.
My boss is in his mid-40s, and last fall he had a seizure. His wife took him to the hospital, they did a cat scan, found a brain tumor, and operated the next day. Fortunately it was benign, and not near anything critical; his only symptoms before the seizure had been a couple of days of headaches. Neither the tumor nor the surgery gave him any cognitive or motor damage that he's aware of, except that he wasn't allowed to do any intellectually stimulating activity for a week or two after the operation, even watching TV (though they did let him play banjo.)
I'm so grateful that we've got 21st century medicine, and that while the recent computer boom has mainly been about letting kids play video games about killing zombies and letting marketers try to sell dogfood online, it's also made tools like cat scanners and MRIs and all the things that it takes to do modern brain surgery instead of trepanning, and made them cheap enough our local hospitals have them. And it doesn't hurt that my boss and I work for what's left of a 19th century company that has what's left of late-20th-century health insurance.
Best wishes to Elise for a speedy recovery, and yay for prompt treatment!
@156: "he wasn't allowed to do any intellectually stimulating activity for a week or two after the operation"
I bet that's high on all our lists of medical instructions to be roundly ignored.
"even watching TV"
And that's just adding iatrogenic insult to iatrogenic injury.
he wasn't allowed to do any intellectually stimulating activity for a week or two after the operation, even watching TV (though they did let him play banjo.)
I'd like to say that is an unfair knock against banjos but I just can't.
I'd certainly argue about being told not to do intellectually intensive activity. And about the definition.
And if I just lay there with nothing to do, I'd probably be...thinking! Oh no!
Something like Tv is the best way I know to damp down my intellectual activity. In particular, the best way to do it for hours at a stretch.
To cross threads together just a bit -- I haven't done enough meditation to get to be any good at clearing my mind and keeping it idle for any amount of time. When I try, it counts as intellectually intensive activity!
Elise! Well, if you have to go through that, it sounds like you picked the very best company to do it in.
Best wishes to you and all. And now I am off with pericat to visit the complaints department and issue some stern kvetches about how they started our 2011. Can we have do-overs?
Thank heavens for good friends and swift effective medicine. Be well, Elise.
Elise:
Echo #n of Starshadow's #16, from someone who doesn't know you, but wishes you well.
Elise, my heart is with you, wrapped in fine gold thread with tiny gemstones...
Having already hurled mass quantities of psychic healing energy at Elise, I now banish the ghost. Get lost, ghost! Or at least learn to spell!
(There must be a fragment of code that doesn't get deleted. Not good.)
It's a year later. I am still very grateful to all of you. Much love.
And we're still grateful that you're still with us, elise. Love back atcha, big time.
Same here. *Hugs* also.
Yep.
And not to belabor the point, but for anyone wandering by--fast response to a possible stroke matters. Let the experts decide if you're having one--or a heart attack, or any other dire thing ou might possibly be experiencing, but "don't want to make a fuss about". Please don't talk yourself out of that trip to the ER.
I'm so glad my mother visited one when she had her out-of-town heart attack.
Fast and efficient EMS. Your good friends the EMTs would rather be called a hundred times for something that turns out to be nothing much than miss a single Big One.
I missed making the comment on the day, but here it is, a bit belated: I'm still here. Yay!
On every visit to Brooklyn, I pass the ambulance that picked me up, or one of its sister ambulances, because they have a waiting spot very near P & T's place. Once a visit, I walk over to them and say thank you. It's nice. We share a cheerful moment. I'm not sure emergency medical people get enough moments of "Hi! I am a positive outcome! THANK YOU!" so I'm doing my bit to add to them.
And thanks to you guys for caring. Much love and luck for 2013.
Give 'em an extra wave from me, as someone who wouldn't have had the privilege of meeting you but for their good work.
Please don't close this thread again, Abi, because this is where I make my yearly gratitude post. It's coming up on the time again, and rereading this post and comments (and the following one) always reminds me of all the friends and acquaintances and EMTs and doctors and nurses who helped me make it through.
Thanks for re-opening the thread, Patrick. I hope to be here on the day proper with a gratitude post and much throwing of biodegradable sparkly confetti!
Meanwhile, everybody please remember the stroke signs, and the importance of calling RIGHT AWAY. Thanks! (See, Dr. Azhar? I'm still reminding people, and getting the word out, and so are my friends.)
Ah—I did not realize you were still doing that. I do apologize.
Hopefully the new system will keep this clean, even though the URL has clearly ended up on some lists of spam targets. Otherwise, I'll sort it out manually. Important stuff is important.
Yep, I'm still around. I've done it each year since it happened.
I will always be here, as long as I'm capable of posting and this place is here.
(I got confused for a minute though because you deleted your comment above, the one about intending to close the thread. I thought mods didn't delete comments on ML.)
I know you're still around; I didn't realize you were still doing this particular thing, is all.
I unpublished a bunch of spam business: pointers to dead stuff. We've long tended to do that after cleaning up the spam it pointed to. If you think the record is unclear because I unpublished that comment as part of it, I can certainly republish it.
I just don't want a living thread, one we value, to get clogged up with cruft about spam. It's disruptive.
It's been three years since Teresa dialed 911 because I was feeling very peculiar, for values of peculiar that turned out to equal having a stroke.
Thank you, Teresa. Thank you, Patrick. And thank you everybody else who helped, especially Dr. Salman Azhar and the people at Lutheran Medical Center, and the nice ambulance people. (I still go say hi to them every time I'm in town; I walk up with a big smile and say, "I came to say thank you; I'm a success story!" because I figure they might not hear that enough, and it's probably something you can't hear too many times.) And thank you to everybody here.
Love to all my Making Light people. Another year!
:raises a glass:
elise at #180: YAY! I join my gratitude to yours.
And here's to more and better, and passing it forward.
Hooray! And may it be ever thus!
Yay, Elise! And yay Teresa!
My (professional) impression is that you're a good patient. May that skill languish unused for many years.
Glad you're still here, elise.
This is my annual celebration comment:
A smidgen over four years ago, I was visiting Patrick and Teresa, and I had a stroke. Because of a lot of quick-thinking and helpful people, I'm still around and still making art and conversation.
Thank you, Teresa, my favorite diagnosing editor and caller-of-911.
Thank you, Patrick, for help and comfort and bringing shows to watch.
Thank you, wonderful people in the ambulance for being so good and so quick with the blinkylights truck.
Thank you, Dr. Salman Azhar and everybody at Lutheran Medical Center.
Thank you, Juan, for everything.
And thank you to everybody at Making Light who wrote comments, sent good thoughts, emailed, and all. Every bit of it helped.
And I'm still here.
Whee!
This is my annual celebration comment:
A smidgen over four years ago, I was visiting Patrick and Teresa, and I had a stroke. Because of a lot of quick-thinking and helpful people, I'm still around and still making art and conversation.
Thank you, Teresa, my favorite diagnosing editor and caller-of-911.
Thank you, Patrick, for help and comfort and bringing shows to watch.
Thank you, wonderful people in the ambulance for being so good and so quick with the blinkylights truck.
Thank you, Dr. Salman Azhar and everybody at Lutheran Medical Center.
Thank you, Juan, for everything.
And thank you to everybody at Making Light who wrote comments, sent good thoughts, emailed, and all. Every bit of it helped.
And I'm still here.
Whee!
Oy, double posting.
Oh, well. Here, have some more celebratory virtual confetti sparkles.
Also, there's a four-part essay on art after the stroke which begins here:
http://elisem.livejournal.com/1680406.html
The double-post means you’re covered for next year.
Seeing the four consecutive ER-related comments in the sidebar had me worried for a moment.
Fear not!
And it was nice to see you recently.
elise: always nice to be reminded of an emergency which ended well!
I'm reminded of Samuel Pepys, who had an operation for a kidney stone, and ever after mentioned March 26th in his diary as a personal holiday. (It was 1657. An operation of any kind was a pretty damned serious thing.)
Yup, me too: remembering Pepys celebrating the anniversaries of the day he was "cut of the stone".
Elise #191 I, for one, am glad you're still here.
For me, the date is 9 August 2010. Repeated three days later.
Oh, hey, I forgot to post on the day, and then meant to come back and make a post later, but it went right out of my silly ADD head...
... so this is a belated post saying I AM STILL HERE and also THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO HELPED, because you are excellent and wonderful.
Five years on, it looks like the main differences remaining that the stroke made are these: tears come a bit more easily to me, and something shifted in my perception that altered my art for the better. Pretty good outcome, really. And every time I'm in Patrick and Teresa's neighborhood, I go thank the people in the ambulance again where they wait down the street.
Hug your dear ones, and remember the stroke signs, and if you see them, don't hesitate. Call right away.
(Also I note that Avram said my double post last year had covered me for this year. Hee!)
I'm so glad you're still here, Elise!
Woo! SIX YEARS!
I forgot to post on the anniversary because I was all distracted by a quick flight to Chicago and back to deliver a big fancy necklace to its person, so consider this post back-dated a smidgen, OK?
I am still here, and I am glad of it, and I am still very grateful to everybody who helped. THANK YOU.
And Dr. Azhar, I am sure, would want me to remind people that there's a very short window of time in which the clot-busting drug can be given, so if you think there's something happening that might be a stroke, DO NOT WAIT. Thank you!
Congratulations Elsie! I hope you have many more opportunities to miss this anniversary because you're too busy living.
What Stefan said. (Only without the typo.)
In my emergency responder training this year we were shown this video and asked if we knew what was happening. Mine was the first hand up, because of Making Light. (Note the way the left side of her mouth is dragging.)
She made a full recovery, by the way.
I have an older coworker who has been experiencing intermittent, unexplained dizziness. Her doc sent her to the ER, to no avail. She declines to follow up. My grabbing her and shaking her would be no help at all.
I am very very, very very very glad the *NHs were on hand that night, and was that really six years ago!?
Elise, I am very glad you're still here.
Abi @208: Curiously enough, several follow-up articles indicate that the actual diagnosis ended up being "migraine with aura", rather than stroke. Which shows how complicated neurological issues can be. But I'd certainly want someone with those symptoms to get competent medical attention immediately, because I'm certainly not qualified to distinguish between the two. I suspect even a physician lacking appropriate scans wouldn't be able to make that call.
213
My doctor was telling me about a similar situation where the person did close to everything wrong - survived, not a stroke, but I was having WTF moments while listening.
*rejoicing from Hoboken*
I'm a few days late here this year, because I was a little distracted by some focused efforts in keeping a case of bronchitis from turning into pneumonia (which we did, so yay for that). Anyhow, here is my annual YAY I MADE IT THROUGH THAT STROKE AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYBODY WHO HELPED YAY comment.
So. Thank you all very much. Please continue to take good care of yourselves and of each other, and remember, if there are stroke symptoms, get medical help immediately, because time is of the essence.
Thanks, and love to all.
E
216
I'm glad you're still here!
Keep on keeping on -- glad to have this annual reminder.
Gute Gesundheit für die Löwin!
Hey, while I have you here: I used to follow you on LJ. When most people migrated from LJ to DW I lost track. Are you on DW? If not, do you have a blog or journal somewhere else?
Elise: I am also grateful for having gotten to "witness" that even through your-all's reports. Splendid object lesson in Timely Response to Ambiguous Medical Emergency. (Particularly in contrast to another acquaintance who, in similar circumstances, insisted on putting off responding and wound up losing a bunch of function.)
It's been another year, and I am still here, and still grateful to everybody who helped me stay here, both then and since. Love to you all.
(David, yes, I do have a Dreamwidth accountl. I'm elisem over there, like I used to be on LiveJournal. I haven't posted much, but that may change. I'm writing more lately; we'll see if the trend holds.)
(Also, rereading, I am reminded how much I like abi's #62, because yeah.)
Elise, I'm glad to hear you are still here.
I hope you're here for a good long while yet!
The Lioness Returns! (Sounds like it should be a Pete Seeger song.)
In the fluorosphere, the lovely fluorosphere,
the Lioness posts tonight!
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