My First Mini-Stroke: A Startling Wake-Up Call

As I sat at my desk one morning around 8 a.m. and went about my usual work routine, it felt like time suddenly lost its grip on reality. My head felt strange, as if overwhelmed by a stillness, and my thoughts were scrambled and confused. It was in this disoriented moment that my desk phone rang and, to my shock, I found my hand unable to answer it. Panic set in as I noticed my arm, unable to move. I remember feeling complete disbelief, I lifted my right arm with my left hand, hoping to answer the phone—only to watch it fall onto the desk with a thud, which I did not feel. It was at this alarming instant that I realized my arm was paralyzed, sending a surge of distress and fear through me.

As the urge to seek help grew urgent, my thoughts pushed me to reach out to someone, and my husband was the first to come to mind. With every passing moment, my clarity slowly returned. I fumbled for my cellphone with my left hand. Relieved when my husband answered, the details of that conversation escape me now, except for his instructions to contact my Sergeant for assistance. By this point, my cognitive senses were slowly but surely returning, an encouraging sign amidst the confused state my brain was in.

Attempting to recalibrate myself, I picked up a piece of paper and attempted to toss it into the nearby trash can, only to watch it miss. I remember looking at the security cameras and saw my Sergeant, Lt., and the nurse coming to my aid, sensing the urgency of the situation. Feeling the support of my husband’s presence reassured me as he quickly drove me to the hospital, where my symptoms had all but vanished upon my arrival, however, leaving behind a lingering sense of exhaustion. Following a CAT scan and an MRI, the medical team diagnosed it as a TIA, and I was discharged around 4 p.m., with a whirlwind of emotions and questions boggling my exhausted mind.

This glimpse into my first encounter with a mini-stroke was an alarming and surreal wake-up call, underscoring the sudden and unpredictable nature of such health challenges and the profound impacts they can have on our lives. It is a testament to the uncertainties we face and the resilience we unearth within ourselves, prompting a newfound appreciation for each precious moment and the fragility of life.