Wake Up Call
Monday, November 23, 2015 at 01:31PM 
Sterling found himself a little weak and wobbly in his lower left leg when he woke up on Saturday morning. I asked him if it could have been a stroke (the Spirit’s first nudge to me that I ignored), and he told me he thought he’d just slept wrong and that it would go away during the day.
We went about our preparation day as usual, doing laundry and cleaning, with Sterling standing on a chair to clean our sliding glass door and climbing the stairs to our favorite little café for lunch. Sterling then drove us to Equine 808, where we donate time on Saturday afternoons, and he trimmed horses’ hooves. I haltered and gathered to minimize his walking. Then we vacuumed the car, had it washed, and stopped by Walmart. By this time, Sterling was getting tired and was happy to lean on the cart while I raced around the store.
On our way home, I insisted he stay in the car and take a nap while I ran into the store and grabbed some groceries. We hurried to shower and get ready for stake conference, and while we were sitting and waiting for the meeting to start, I decided to do a little research online. (This time I listened to the prompting).)
The first paragraph I read alarmed me, and I knew right away that I should have gotten online earlier in the morning. Sterling started to read with me, and everything described was exactly what happened. It was a great meeting, but I have to admit, we were both a little distracted, researching different kinds of strokes and nearby hospitals.
Shortly after the meeting, we headed to the hospital emergency room where we didn’t wait at all, and the staff was efficient and friendly. At first, the staff wasn’t sure what to think because Sterling’s symptoms were so subtle, but after a CT scan and an MRI, it was determined that he had definitely had a stroke. Today he’s getting an echocardiogram, and we hope to go home.
We don’t know all the details of the stroke and the plan moving forward because we haven’t seen the neurologist yet, but after physical therapy yesterday, the therapist discovered that Sterling had also lost a little mobility in his left hand, but overall he’s doing very well and should recover fully.
It was an emotional Sabbath day, FaceTiming our family and counting our blessings. The doctors and nurses tell us this is a wake up call. Well, we’re definitely awake…and feeling extremely blessed!
We wish all of you, our dear family and friends, a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!
Reader Comments (87)
Happy Thanksgiving!
If any physical or occupational therapy is offered, please take advantage of that. (just a tip from having a father-in-law that had mild strokes).
KM
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!