Last Monday afternoon I was laying on the couch playing with my iPad and dozed off. When I woke up I noticed my right cheek and lip were numb. I tried to talk and my speech was slurred. After a few minutes this did not go away and I told my wife that I think I'm having a stroke. She immediately drove me to the hospital ER in the small town we live in. At the ER they determined it was a stroke and administered a drug called "Clot-Buster". I was then transported to a Heart hospital in Milwaukee. On the ambulance ride over the numbness disappeared and my normal speech returned. I had several tests in Milwaukee and they all turned out OK. I was sent home yesterday afternoon and feel good like I did before the stroke. I may not be able to ski this season and have to wait a few weeks before I can drive but they said I can shoot.
In the past year I got sloppy in my eating habits, slacked off on my exercise program and put some weight on. Not a smart thing to do!
I'm writing this to mention that if you ever see someone with the warning signs of a stroke or heart attack, get them help immediately! I was aware of he basic signs of a stroke. What I did not know about was the urgency to get help. The drug they gave me has around a 3-4 hour window to administer. Had I missed that time frame, the outcome would have been much different.
As Lou Gehrig said in his farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, "I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth".