HEALTH

When a Scary Stroke Quickly Arrived 1 Year Ago

The Lessons Learned Here Can Save You

One-year ago, things looked much different from today. I awoke one year ago and noticed a loss of functionality on my left side. My speech was fading, and I knew I needed to get to the stroke clinic.

The Emergency Room

The folks at Sentara were right on it and shortly afterward, they found a clot in the right side of my brain, and my brain blood flow was less than 30%… and dropping. They estimated I had less than an hour left. They shot me up with a drug called TNK, before sending me to the ICU.

Within hours, I noticed functionality returning, yet speech was still intermittent. After leaving, I spent two-weeks home reading and recording my voice from one of my books out loud until I had better control. I was both light and sound sensitive, and dizzy. The dizziness was something that existed since a 2019 stroke.

Physical and Mental Effects

After that first incident, I lived with dizziness every day. My pulse dropped to 36, blood pressure went up to 160, and the brain fog and memory were absolutely scary. For a time, I was nonfunctional. When the COVID period started shortly afterward, I couldn’t get stroke care because appointments went to those associated with the pandemic.

I was on my own.

Fortunately, that time allowed me the ability to focus on self-care. I dropped 45 lbs and set a better level of fitness. Yet, the long list of other health issues from 2019 threw me in the direction of a depression.

As a coach and therapist, I worked with depressed people. I found there’s a HUGE difference when looking at depression from the outside in, to living with it from the inside out.

Organizational Failure

I worked for an organization that loved to “talk” about mental fitness and how they are there to help. Because of the incident in 2019, there were things my organization could have done. Yet, they hid behind email and ignored my requests for help. During a meeting in October 2021, one senior female told me, “You’re getting old. Why don’t you just leave?”

That wasn’t helpful.

A person from a senior office called them and said they needed to be helpful. Despite being awarded every year for 20-years, and just receiving my fourth performance-based pay increase, suddenly I was considered an instant problem. Poor leadership always points away from themselves, rather than considering their own actions.

Seeing the writing on the wall, I retired to take my life back.

I write this because there are three key points:

1. Stroke numbers are increasing. Take time for self-care before it is no longer an option. Many people suffering strokes are much worse than how I fared out. A stroke affects both you and your family. Start taking action now.

2. Depression is very real and often the cause of suicide. If you or yours find each day has lost its joy, emotions are all over the place, being fearful occurs more than happiness, get help.

3. Our nation seems to have transitioned to a place where leadership is something that’s “talked about”. Poor managers now refer to themselves as “the leadership”. We are in an environment where outstanding organizations continually seek good people. Don’t stay stuck in a place with an unhealthy climate or culture. Take advantage of the current employment environment.

You deserve better.

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⭐️ About the Author

Anthony M. Davis is a Leadership, Success & Stress Coach, Board Certified Therapist, Top-100 International Travel Photographer. As a Coach, he helps people just like you overcome obstacles & reach their goals.

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