A little perspective

I haven't been to sleep yet, so I apologize in advance if I jump around a little bit more than usual right now. It's been a long, never ending, Thursday for me. It's also been a lot of time for me to think about a few things and get proper perspective.

I received a message late last night saying that one of my best friends had suffered a stroke. This immediately put me into "WTF?!" mode. We're in our late 30's! We're too young for a stroke. Then it hit me...BAM! I'm not as young as I thought I was and, no, we are not too young for a stroke. Having been an EMT for a good number of years, it also hit home with me about what exactly this could mean for her future health. 

I find that when I start to get comfortable with my life something usually happens that brings me quickly back to reality. 
1. I am not getting any younger, unfortunately.
2. I really need to pay close attention to my own health.
3. I don't want to lose a sister of my heart.
4. I don't tell people that I care about I love them often enough.

It took me sitting, not knowing anything, before I realized all those things above. Now, as of this afternoon, the doctor determined that she had a TIA or Trans Ischemic Attack (aka - mini stroke) and not a full stroke. I'm going to be quite honest and say that I think they got her treated quickly enough that it was confined to a TIA and it didn't fully progress into a full on stroke attack. Her fiance reacted quickly enough calling 911 and the Paramedic was knowledgeable enough that they rushed her straight to the healthcare network hospital that is known far and wide for their skills in dealing with stroke patients. I owe my friends life to those three. 

What caused this episode? Raised LDL levels and....wait for it....S.T.R.E.S.S! I don't know how many times I have said to others, and to myself from time to time, that stress WILL kill you. We have to remember this as we age. It isn't kosher any longer to not see a doctor regularly and get a good base line for yourself and then follow through yearly to track how things are going. If you know you are running yourself in the ground, can you even begin to imagine what you are doing to things you can't see inside you? It always takes something bad happening before people get a true picture of their health.

My friend is getting married in two weeks. Finances are tough, people are grinding on her nerves over petty things, and she worries. A lot. At this point, I hope everything goes well for her the next two weeks and she can get through the marriage ceremony. I pray that people don't cause her anymore stress or concern, because I don't know that I'll be able to keep MY mouth shut. I'd even unblock this person to have a "come to Jesus" meeting with. However; I love my friend enough to bite my tongue until AFTER all is said and done before I completely unleashed. 

I'm a good friend that way...at least in my mind.

Now...to end this...I'm going to share some stroke warning signs and hope you all keep this information always in the back of your mind and then pass it along to someone else. Who knows, you may save the life of someone, who is loved as much as I love my friend.

Compliments of www.strokeassociation.org

F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know that you need to call 9-1-1 for help right away. F.A.S.T. is:

Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven? Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly? Time to call 9-1-1 – If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.