Why I haven’t recovered…

It was a Saturday. I got really, really angry at a man who stole my parking spot. I was really angry, not sure I have been that angry before. When I confronted him I told him quite nicely that it was not polite but with a ‘coldness’ I have not felt before. On Sunday, early Monday I felt really bad like I was coming down with something like the flue. I also felt my arm go weak.

I think Wednesday I went to the Doctors. She thought it was chikungunya and sent me for some tests. But the fever was gone the next day so that was ruled out. But my arm was still getting worse. I took the tests and they seemed normal.

After a few days my leg was starting to go week and my arm was moving occasionally without my control. My Father said we should get myself admitted but I was hesitant. I finally agreed, and went to the hospital. I was fine except for a now quite weak arm and leg and I admitted myself the following Monday. On Tuesday they said I might have a blockage on a nerve in my neck and we would do a CT scan and find out where it is. I would then have to have an operation to get it out.

I was in the box for a really long time. It felt like three hours but maybe longer judging from the queue outside. The Doctors were quite abrupt me when I got back. I finslly found out that I had a stroke. Basically all that was wrong with me was wrong with me was my right arm and leg. Everything else was all right. I could even write, though not as well. They told me that I was going to be put on Heparin to treat it. They did not tell me about any of the side effects and I did not ask.

I was put on my first dose on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning I could not talk, my arm and leg were useless and my memory was off. The Doctors told my wife that was temporary. I’m still waiting for these ‘temporary’ effects to wear off. I was put on Warfarin after that.

The problem that Heparin and Warfarin have a side effect, and I’ll quote partway:

• sudden loss of balance or coordination
• sudden trouble walking
• sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• sudden confusion, or difficulty speaking or understanding speech
• difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
• hoarseness

It appears that my symptoms have nothing to do with my stroke and everything to do with the treatment I took after the stroke was diagnosed. And since I’m still taking it I haven’t got much better. Do you agree or disagree. Why. I really need to know.