 |
|
||
|
|
||
| Stroke
Survivor of the Month
- May-July 2006 page 2  Joseph A. Johnson, Jr. East Point, GA Once we arrived at the emergency room I began shaking because my sugar level had gotten so low but by the time we filled out the paperwork I started feeling a little better. There was a doctor who was not a stroke specialist that indicated I needed a shot of a drug that would help [tPA] but I needed to take it right then. I refused. There was no stroke specialist on duty. I requested to be transported to a hospital that had a specialist on duty and was sent to North Fulton Regional Hospital where I stayed until Tuesday, the day after the holiday. The CT scan indicated that I had experienced five or six mini-strokes over several years. That's what had been happening when I felt like something was wrong but I didn't do anything about it. I'm not sure where the stroke occurred in my brain -- the front lobe I think - but they said it was a mild stroke. I was fortunate enough not to need physical or speech therapy. My wife says that sometimes she can see the residual effects because my face is uneven. I can tell the difference in many ways. I'm severely depressed and I come home so exhausted every evening that I do little more than eat and go to bed. Just after the stroke I trained with a regular exercise routine early every morning and last thing at night. I haven't done that in a while now however I do wear a pedometer that ensures I take at least 10,000 steps every day. I take the stairs as opposed to the elevator, park some distance from entrances so I have to walk and I purchase only organic food. Although I haven't been very good about completely sticking to healthy food choices, I'm well aware of what I should be doing. I do try to limit my snack foods to fruits and include a lot of vegetables in my meals. The stroke has changed me in ways I don't really understand, but I'm doing my best to enjoy life, continue serving God and being the best I can for my family and myself." 
|
 |
 |
 |
