Live to inspire, and one day, people will say, 'Because of you, I didn’t give up'.
~ Unknown
Exactly two months after his first stroke, Dave, my husband, suffered a second one.
Other than to immediate family and medical professionals, this is my first attempt to share the details of stroke number two.
I had no intention of writing about it. But, Dave’s noteworthy recoveries from life threatening conditions, including stage 4 cancer, have provided hope and inspired people to persevere in the pursuit of wellness. So with his consent, here it is.
What happened?
At any given moment, you have the power to say, 'This is not how my story is going to end.'
~ Unknown
On Saturday, January 6th, Dave pushed himself hard during a workout with an objective to surpass his personal best number of lat pull-ups. To stretch and decompress he hung upside down on our inversion table. Both these activities are ill-advised for someone whose brain is still recovering from the first stroke.
Upon finishing the workout I noticed he was drooling and had significant speech impairment. Please click here to familiarize yourself with signs of stroke.
He uttered phrases with nonsensical word substitutions in an otherwise normal tone. It was both comical and frightening. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The previous two days, I had been in the city looking after our grandchild, who was experiencing some cold symptoms. It seemed I too had succumbed to seasonal infection. I needed some rest. But, that would have to wait.
I called 911. Given we live in a remote location, it took over half an hour for the ambulance to arrive.
Time is not our friend when the brain lacks blood flow. Brain tissue dies without oxygen and nutrients.
After the paramedics assessed Dave, they took him to a hospital in Huntsville, an hour away.
I followed them in my car, having shamefully admitted that I felt a little sick. They looked helplessly at me as if saying, Suck it up. Or perhaps that was just my self-talk, which facilitated the release of stress hormones that never fail to mobilize me into action.
A scan showed a clot, this time in the left hemisphere. Unlike the last stroke on the right side, which caused left side weakness, only the language centres of the brain had been affected. There was no apparent physical impairment.
Clot-busting medication is not advised within three months of the first stroke.
The neurologist recommended another mechanical thrombectomy (a new minimally invasive procedure to remove the clot from the brain).
The paramedics had to take Dave to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto where they have the resources to do this.
Prior to departure, Dave was asked to take an aspirin. Given he meditates daily, I asked him to visualize a miniature roto-rooter unclogging the artery.
Seven hours after stroke onset, when the mechanical thrombectomy was attempted, the clot had moved away from a main artery where it would have been easier to access. It had traveled to the periphery, where it could not be safely extracted.
On a positive note, the movement of the clot alleviated most of the speech impairment.
Miraculously, the only lingering affliction Dave suffered was the occasional inability to find a word (expressive aphasia), which continues to improve.
Sometimes, the brain heals itself. But, of course, any sign of stroke requires immediate medical attention and professional monitoring.
When Dave asked the neurology specialist managing his care at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) how his brain had repaired itself without clot busting medication or extraction, I was thrilled to hear her say neuroplasticity, once considered possible by neurologists only in childhood as the brain developed. But, current research shows the brain can continue to rewire itself throughout life. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Again my husband got exceptional emergency care. For that, we are extremely grateful.
While in ICU, on occasion, Dave's blood pressure, which is naturally uncharacteristically low for a stroke victim, got lower than doctors are comfortable with. When that happened they increased hydration - either intravenously or by having him drink more water.
As an aside, to prevent choking, stroke patients are not allowed to drink or eat before seeing a speech pathologist. Unless someone is advocating for a loved one, this can take too long and cause unnecessary discomfort or more permanent damage. Sadly, in April 2020, during lockdowns, my father died in an ICU after a stroke. It is heartbreaking for me to think about how he suffered alone.
Up until Dave's second stroke, we had been busy conducting the follow-up tests his doctors had requisitioned. But, in my opinion, we continued to neglect what was prescient - unresolved problems with his teeth which can affect the heart and brain.
The MRI conducted at St. Michael’s Hospital confirmed my suspicion. Not only did it show the lesions left after the first and second strokes, but a nodule in the sinus above a molar extraction that was done in April of 2023.
My husband has suffered nasal congestion since, even though, as prescribed after the procedure, he took the antibiotics to prevent systemic infection.
Many chronic diseases have some link to oral bacteria. A cavitation that is not properly cleaned can become a breeding ground for bacteria that circulate throughout the body and wreak havoc on health.
Simple saliva tests have shown acidity in Dave’s mouth, a sign of dysbiosis or an imbalance of bacteria in the mouth. Teeth should be bathed in a neutral to alkaline solution (saliva) to thrive.
The body’s cry for help
Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.
~ Napoleon Hill
Dave needed the nudge to finally heed the call of the body’s cry for help - the nagging nasal congestion that was slightly impairing his quality of life.
A day after he came out of the hospital, a cancellation facilitated him seeing a medical doctor, who specializes in both Eastern and Western medicine. The doctor noted that the extracted tooth sat on the heart meridian, and may have caused the new-onset atrial fibrillation that increased the tendency to clot. The doctor also believed that the cavitation breached the barrier of the sinus cavity, infecting it.
To repair the damage, we will see a biological dentist who will clean the cavitation and jaw bone and we may see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist to resolve the sinus issue.
Dave has to take blood thinners as prescribed (symptom management) until we address the underlying causes of new-onset atrial fibrillation increasing the tendency to clot. We are currently working with an electrophysiologist (a heart specialist) to determine whether the heart should be repaired.
Sometimes hyperthyroidism can cause the heart to flutter. We are testing for that.
My husband now recognizes the urgency in cleaning up the mouth, which may have been the root cause of his tendency to clot.
Closing thoughts
When ‘i’ is replaced by ‘we’ illness becomes wellness.
~ Unknown
Feeling loved and supported is critical to sustainable healing.
One ailment tends to replace another when we have unresolved emotional issues.
Sometimes, the body distracts us with disease when we neglect emotional health.
Becoming curious about why disease is happening for us, as opposed to us, is the first step in creating sustainable healing.
An attitude of gratitude improves outcome.
Dave expressed his gratitude to anyone and everyone who helped look after him, including the cleaning staff. He also started a gratitude journal after the first stroke.
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