A tribute to Mom- stroke series, part three

By Paula Camposano-Robinson
This is the third in a series about women and stroke

Women especially have unique warning signs for a stroke and research shows that risk doubles for a woman if a relative in her immediate family has suffered a stroke.

A stroke can take away your abilities to walk, talk, think, remember or even breathe, depending on the type and its location.

Because stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in America, it is also the No. 1 reason for nursing home placement, according to the American Heart Association.

I have lived through the 911 call. It was 12:10 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2000, when the call came from my dad, alerting me that he was in the ER at NCH Hospital downtown.

I immediately thought something happened to him, but I will never forget his words: "It is your mother, I think she had a stroke."

I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body as I headed to the hospital. Dad was in shock; he didn't comprehend the complex environment and somewhat orderly chaos that is the norm in an ER in the peak of the season.

Mom was awake, had slurred speech and was unable to move her left side. As a RN who cared for many victims of stroke in the intensive care units at NCH, I tried to maintain my composure to facilitate communications from physicians to my family in layman's terms.

Lengthy stay

It was a lengthy and difficult stay in the ER. For several days thereafter, as we spoke with physicians, we waited for test results and gathered family from around the country, just trying to make sense of it all. Mom had a hemorrhagic stroke (the least common). This is when a blood vessel breaks and the blood spills into the brain. If the blood continues to seep into the brain cavity, pressure builds up in the surrounding tissues and irritation and swelling can occur.

With all of the innovative technology, drug remedies and the well-known stroke center at NCH, Mom was not a candidate for any of the miraculous "clot-busting" drugs available back then. The clot-dissolving drugs are only effective if you have a clot, meet the formal criteria and fall into the "window of time," which is normally within the first three hours of the stroke.

My siblings and I always said we would never put our parents into a nursing home, so we were already developing an action plan for when Mom would come home.

Each day, however, was more harrowing than the next, as the CT scans showed blood continuing to seep into the brain tissues, and our loving, spirited and selfless mother, who had just moved with my dad to Marco full-time after visiting for more than 20 years, lapsed into coma.

No one is ever prepared for the sadness of such an abrupt event. However, with family at her side, Dad's vocals on CD echoing the corridors, and her children offering up the funniest stories of their childhood and beyond aloud between crying and laughter, Mom was at peace and without pain.

In this month of her birth, Grammy Eileen would have been 80 years of age, so happy birthday, Mom, from all of us who you touched so deeply.

Prevented

Remember, nearly 80 percent of strokes can be prevented. Know the risk factors:

* Stop smoking;

* Keep your blood pressure within normal range;

* Exercise.

Paula Camposano-Robinson, R.N., is a 30-year Marco Island resident sharing her professional training and work experience in the health industry with her readers. This is an information-only column and not intended to replace medical advice from a physician. E-mail Probinson@sanitasole.net.

Paula Camposano-Robinson RN
Triad Healthcare Services, LLC
SANITASOLE
A caring place for adult daytime living and continuing health
probinson@sanitasole.net

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