My actual stroke story
Kim Tucker On Saturday morning in July 2008 I got up and took my pills and had my breakfast. It all started out as a normal, good morning. I was planning on doing some birthday shopping for the kid and make her a cake, some housework, the usual Saturday stuff. Maybe after an hour of breakfast, I just didn’t feel well. I don’t know how to explain how it felt but I will give it a shot. I felt disconnected from my body, nausea and really dizzy. I told my guy that I wasn’t feeling great and was going to lay down for a bit. I couldn’t even make it down the hallway. I almost fell into the kitchen; I was staggering worse than drinking a bottle of tequila. I bounced off the walls down the hallway like a pinball. My partner jumped up to help me to the bedroom. I got to the bed and requested a bucket because I just felt so nauseous. Kyle put the bucket on the bed beside me, but I didn’t make it. I couldn’t find the bucket fast enough, it was on my left side and at the time I didn’t realize it but I couldn’t see it when I should have. I threw up all over the floor on my side of the bed, trying to make it to the bathroom. I don’t remember the next half hour but according to my guy I spent the next half hour power puking. What I do remember is throwing up in the bedroom then being in the bathroom trying to rinse the bucket and my mouth. I wanted mouthwash to get rid of the horrible taste in my mouth and I had to turn to the right to see what I was doing because I still had no sight on the left side but didn’t recognize that fact. I remember Kyle saying it looked like I was having a stroke and maybe I should go to the hospital and telling him that it was just a medication reaction and I was fine. I crawled into bed and he brought me some toast, I wanted to take my pills but he said no. I slept for hours and when I woke up; I still couldn’t find anything on my left side. My hand flopped around trying to find the toast. I was home alone and still felt very disconnected. That evening and the next day are hazy. On Monday I went to work and my friend freaked out wanting to know how I got there, made me make a Dr appt and took me to the Dr who I had seen the Thursday before to put me on a med for my IBS and at times before that so she knew me. I told her the story, she told me it was all in my head (yes it was but not in the way she was refering to) held my arm on the long walk down the hallway b/c I listed so bad to the left and sent me home. I spent that week trying to work and live but its hazy. That Friday I saw her again I was WORSE. She said maybe it was a minor stroke, put in for a CT and sent me home. I had the CT on Monday, 9 days after the start. I saw her again and the results werent in, she said it was nothing major and sent me on my way again. By this time I was crying constantly, dropping things, sleeping 16 hrs a day, I was a mess. My mom came to stay for 3 weeks to help out, I dont remember alot of it other than trying to work and sleeping mostly. 10 days after the CT I called the Drs office and requested to see someone else, he did a full neurology exam and told me I had a stroke, the CT was clear but I had a stroke. He refered me to a neurologist at the end of July. He took me off work for the month of August, the month of September he thought I should try working part time, mid October comes andI see the neurologist. One of the 1st things he asked me is why I stopped working..uhhh duh...told me it was prolly migraines and sent me on my way..his report reads that I may have had a stroke in the brainstem or thalamus but am getting better (I really wasnt) so recommended nothing. No one did a test other than walk here, hook you up to electricity and check, no scan of the brain after the first. In November I made my dr request physio but he said OT would be better, so we put in a request to start that. It was May before I got OT. In December 2008, I still wasnt doing well had gone back to work full time so he had me reduce my hours. By beginning of Jan 2009, I was the worst I have ever been, so once again see another Doc. He looks thru my file, says there has never been a definite diagnosis, lets start there FINALLY. So that CT shows an injury, the MRI shows its HUGE 11mm by 6 mm in the thalamus(the thalamus is the size of a walnut so that is a lot of missing real estate). A blood clot sat there for months and no one did a thing. I spent the next couple of months off work trying to control it. It was OT that taught me to work with it and what a difference that made. I still have alot of bad days but my mood is normally good. I look at it with humor so I dont kill anyone. Yes I have recently filed malpractice on those 3 Drs and I work on recovery. I started taking a counselling course so that after recovery I can work with people like us help them learn to live a new way with their disability. sorry its long I know..hugs to all
Update...
The malpractice suit sits in wait of $5000 still for the expert to look at my file and concur with our accusations. Once I win this suit, at least I know I wont have to work BUT I finished my schooling with around a B average, final exam got an A-!! How much does that rock. It wasn't easy but was worth all of the headaches, tears and effort that I put into it. I will never do anything like that again but think everyone should push that limit. I did my practicum at the Second Opinion Society (SOS) I spent 5 months with the staff and members of this little non profit learning, teaching and meeting some incredible people. I took time off from my voluteer work there (I was only supposed to be there 2-3 months lol) for my youngest daughter's graduation. My goal was to open my own counseling office, working my own hours. Well lo and behold, with no kids at home anymore and no responsibilites other than the furkids, I thought I would do 35 hour weeks. I even divvied it up thru the whole week 5 hours/7 days a week. We did a business proposal and it was accepted, so we started on the plan and the 35 hour weeks. It took a month and a halfish and my brain told me it was done. So no working full time or close to or I have complete mental breakdown AND fall and really hurt myself. So am not pursuing that avenue to open my business. Its not as easy as just throwing myself into it but you have to write a test to join an association, pay their dues, get liability insurance, business license. This is just over $1500 and for those of you not in my time loop, last year I was homeless for a bit after being in a very unhealthy environment. We then got subsidized housing which was a blessing and not have a great little 2 bdrm house. This came at a very good time as Kyle's wrist gave out in August and he has been on WCB and medical EI since. Here I should mention the pay is crap but Kyle cant be a welder anymore. Not welding heavy stuff, he has severe osteo arthritis in his wrist and now his ulna is too short. I dont know but we are hopeful that BC will pick up the claim and retrain him in electronics, so he can fix tvs and computers. Needless to say money is tight now that I am trying to get out of my contract, my stipend will end but I will get this going. Its nice just having the time to spend with my grand daughter. Wow she is gonna be 1 in a month!!!! In May I am going to Kelowna to meet my grandbaby that is due in April. My son and his girlfriend are pregnant. To top it all off my Turtle, who I love just as much as KLee and love my weekly skype dates with her is now OMG 2....so glad she lives wayyyyyy down there muhahahahaha. So all in all life is ok, we have our ups and downs and tons of trials but I will be a registered counselor doing what I want from the heart not the head and the lawsuit will finish on its time and I just wait and work towards everything. I have met tons of amazing people, love many of them like family (some like crazy cousins oh wait one is lol) and I dont think I would trade any of this.
UPDATE SEPT 2013
A lot has happened since my last update. I am still working on recovery, it is a life long process but for now it has plateaued. KLee is now 2 and a half and soon my Turtle will be 4. My other grandbaby was a grandson and he is a happy beautiful little boy with big blue eyes. His name is Sawyer and he is hilarious, with a personality that rivals his dad and aunts at that age. We are still in our little subsidized house and have had our ups and downs, to the point where Kyle and I lived apart from Oct till May. He got a settlement from WCB and they are going to do surgery to fix his arm in October...FINALLY. With his settlement, we paid the lawyer and I am waiting to hear what the expert has to say on our side. I filed for CPP disaibilty and it has been denied and I have to go to the tribunal, where they will decide it's fate. Do I get a monthly stipend or not? lol...On the business front all has been quiet, more because I have been exhausted and have been pushing myself to hard for months off and on and am just now starting to get back on track. To change up my therapies, I started making jewellery to get some fine motor skill on that hand ( and I got really tired of crochet lol) My wire wrapping isnt as neat as some but who cares I do what is me and I enjoy it. I still need help and probably always will but that is ok, better to need a little assistance than need none. I am alive thankfully and things could be a lot worse and for that not happening, I am very thankful. So much more has happened but I dont want to bore us lol
Love Kim
Update DEC 2013
I did a traumatic grief workshop for SOS and it was a hit, will try it again in the spring. In the meantime I am trying to put together another paying gig that will run once a week for 13 or 14 weeks doing a more structured Creating Harmony on the pathway of life. Maybe generate a little business, my other work....counselling. Bad news, we had to close my medical negligence case..even my lawyer thought we were in the right but our $5000 lawyer agreed with the defense......CRAP!!! I am still waiting for a tribunal on my CPPD, who knows when it will be. We have been taking Krystalee instead of going to daycare because Derek is a seasonal worker and they would have to give a months notice but she is tiring me out like crazy my body does not like this at all. With her and now Christmas stuff plus Dot bird's got BAD attitude and has been attacking me, challenging me, so birdie 101 for her and lots of work for me. Guess I better save for another cage for Ty...they are never going to live together...beside but not in the same cage. All of this means I have been cranking out no jewellery which means no cashola so I have slowed down a lot, trying a lot of new things and trying to get my brain to learn more complex weaves and designs. Who knows what will come up next, nothing is worse than your bird eating your lip literally. Wishing you all a wonderful 2014...may it be your best year yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Update...
The malpractice suit sits in wait of $5000 still for the expert to look at my file and concur with our accusations. Once I win this suit, at least I know I wont have to work BUT I finished my schooling with around a B average, final exam got an A-!! How much does that rock. It wasn't easy but was worth all of the headaches, tears and effort that I put into it. I will never do anything like that again but think everyone should push that limit. I did my practicum at the Second Opinion Society (SOS) I spent 5 months with the staff and members of this little non profit learning, teaching and meeting some incredible people. I took time off from my voluteer work there (I was only supposed to be there 2-3 months lol) for my youngest daughter's graduation. My goal was to open my own counseling office, working my own hours. Well lo and behold, with no kids at home anymore and no responsibilites other than the furkids, I thought I would do 35 hour weeks. I even divvied it up thru the whole week 5 hours/7 days a week. We did a business proposal and it was accepted, so we started on the plan and the 35 hour weeks. It took a month and a halfish and my brain told me it was done. So no working full time or close to or I have complete mental breakdown AND fall and really hurt myself. So am not pursuing that avenue to open my business. Its not as easy as just throwing myself into it but you have to write a test to join an association, pay their dues, get liability insurance, business license. This is just over $1500 and for those of you not in my time loop, last year I was homeless for a bit after being in a very unhealthy environment. We then got subsidized housing which was a blessing and not have a great little 2 bdrm house. This came at a very good time as Kyle's wrist gave out in August and he has been on WCB and medical EI since. Here I should mention the pay is crap but Kyle cant be a welder anymore. Not welding heavy stuff, he has severe osteo arthritis in his wrist and now his ulna is too short. I dont know but we are hopeful that BC will pick up the claim and retrain him in electronics, so he can fix tvs and computers. Needless to say money is tight now that I am trying to get out of my contract, my stipend will end but I will get this going. Its nice just having the time to spend with my grand daughter. Wow she is gonna be 1 in a month!!!! In May I am going to Kelowna to meet my grandbaby that is due in April. My son and his girlfriend are pregnant. To top it all off my Turtle, who I love just as much as KLee and love my weekly skype dates with her is now OMG 2....so glad she lives wayyyyyy down there muhahahahaha. So all in all life is ok, we have our ups and downs and tons of trials but I will be a registered counselor doing what I want from the heart not the head and the lawsuit will finish on its time and I just wait and work towards everything. I have met tons of amazing people, love many of them like family (some like crazy cousins oh wait one is lol) and I dont think I would trade any of this.
UPDATE SEPT 2013
A lot has happened since my last update. I am still working on recovery, it is a life long process but for now it has plateaued. KLee is now 2 and a half and soon my Turtle will be 4. My other grandbaby was a grandson and he is a happy beautiful little boy with big blue eyes. His name is Sawyer and he is hilarious, with a personality that rivals his dad and aunts at that age. We are still in our little subsidized house and have had our ups and downs, to the point where Kyle and I lived apart from Oct till May. He got a settlement from WCB and they are going to do surgery to fix his arm in October...FINALLY. With his settlement, we paid the lawyer and I am waiting to hear what the expert has to say on our side. I filed for CPP disaibilty and it has been denied and I have to go to the tribunal, where they will decide it's fate. Do I get a monthly stipend or not? lol...On the business front all has been quiet, more because I have been exhausted and have been pushing myself to hard for months off and on and am just now starting to get back on track. To change up my therapies, I started making jewellery to get some fine motor skill on that hand ( and I got really tired of crochet lol) My wire wrapping isnt as neat as some but who cares I do what is me and I enjoy it. I still need help and probably always will but that is ok, better to need a little assistance than need none. I am alive thankfully and things could be a lot worse and for that not happening, I am very thankful. So much more has happened but I dont want to bore us lol
Love Kim
Update DEC 2013
I did a traumatic grief workshop for SOS and it was a hit, will try it again in the spring. In the meantime I am trying to put together another paying gig that will run once a week for 13 or 14 weeks doing a more structured Creating Harmony on the pathway of life. Maybe generate a little business, my other work....counselling. Bad news, we had to close my medical negligence case..even my lawyer thought we were in the right but our $5000 lawyer agreed with the defense......CRAP!!! I am still waiting for a tribunal on my CPPD, who knows when it will be. We have been taking Krystalee instead of going to daycare because Derek is a seasonal worker and they would have to give a months notice but she is tiring me out like crazy my body does not like this at all. With her and now Christmas stuff plus Dot bird's got BAD attitude and has been attacking me, challenging me, so birdie 101 for her and lots of work for me. Guess I better save for another cage for Ty...they are never going to live together...beside but not in the same cage. All of this means I have been cranking out no jewellery which means no cashola so I have slowed down a lot, trying a lot of new things and trying to get my brain to learn more complex weaves and designs. Who knows what will come up next, nothing is worse than your bird eating your lip literally. Wishing you all a wonderful 2014...may it be your best year yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
