It's one day's ransom pay, if that's a relief

[sovay]

So everyone is all right, but we just got back from five hours at the ER because spatch had a complex migraine which it turns out the ER doctors call a "stroke mimic" because if you're having one, you may need a CT scan and an MRI to determine that you are not actually having a stroke, especially if when you arrive at the ER you can read and write but have suddenly stopped being able to speak. This is no longer the case. Rob responded to migraine meds, was told his MRI looked "pristine," and was released into the wild. I just finished eating the dinner we were making when the fun brain times hit. The cats think we smell like vet. As Rob said from the hospital bed once he got his words back, "This is a lousy date!"

Comments

[rushthatspeaks]

Oof. That does sound like a lousy date. I'm really glad he's okay! And that you are both home and can eat some food and sit down somewhere that doesn't smell like vet.

[sovay]

I'm really glad he's okay! And that you are both home and can eat some food and sit down somewhere that doesn't smell like vet.

Thank you. Migraine is infinitely better than stroke (or tumor or infection or any of the other very scary things that were floated long enough to be ruled out), but this was not fun.

At least it was no longer pouring by the time we got home. Nice full moon as we got out of the taxi, with a rainbow halo of clouds around it and everything. We stopped and stared at it. And then we went inside and were not at the ER anymore.

[kindkit]

How terrifying and awful for you both. I'm glad everything turned out all right.

[sovay]

How terrifying and awful for you both. I'm glad everything turned out all right.

Thank you. I didn't even know that migraines could be mistaken for strokes, but I am very glad it was that rather than the real thing.

[rydra_wong]

Yeah, migraines can mimic pretty much any other neurological event, including all sorts of epilepsy symptoms.

ETA: commenting in the spirit of "yes, this is a wild and weird and potentially scary thing", not meaning to sound like this is a thing you should already know or anything.

[sovay]

Yeah, migraines can mimic pretty much any other neurological event, including all sorts of epilepsy symptoms.

I knew they could mimic one-sided symptoms, because one of my relatives has that kind of migraine (and thought she was having a stroke the first time one showed up), but I didn't know about things like speech centers.

[edit] ETA: commenting in the spirit of "yes, this is a wild and weird and potentially scary thing", not meaning to sound like this is a thing you should already know or anything.

Understood. I feel I should have known it (because of the family history: I like to think I would have made the connection if half spatch's vision had blinked out), but I also feel it would still have been the right decision to go to an ER, because it isn't like we have metoclopramide lying around the house. It would just have been nice to be able to say to the triage nurse straight off, "This might be a migraine," rather than, "He can pass a coordination test and his pupils are the same size, he just can't speak." I thought of unusual anxiety levels, but migraine didn't cross my mind.

(I get migraines, but they are limited to pain, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, and nausea—and they have a known and specific trigger—so handling them has always been a matter of pain management and waiting rather than actually medicating the migraine away.)

[rydra_wong]

but I also feel it would still have been the right decision to go to an ER, because it isn't like we have metoclopramide lying around the house.

Very definitely. And unless someone's already got a pattern of migraines with that exact set of symptoms, you don't know that's what it is, because it can and does look exactly like other neurological events, and there's no way of working out which without the scans.

It would just have been nice to be able to say to the triage nurse straight off, "This might be a migraine,"

YUP.

[davidgillon]

Even if his speech had come back, it would still have been something best to get checked. My dad's speech was somewhat affected at the start of his stroke, completely normal by the time the ambulance arrived, but then deteriorated massively a few hours later.

[sovay]

Even if his speech had come back, it would still have been something best to get checked.

I really don't think we made the wrong decision to go to the ER. The doctor didn't think we'd overreacted. He sent spatch in for a CT scan almost at once. I just don't like not putting information together, especially when it could have been useful.

My dad's speech was somewhat affected at the start of his stroke, completely normal by the time the ambulance arrived, but then deteriorated massively a few hours later.

That sounds especially disconcerting.

Until we got to the ER, Rob thought he couldn't be having a stroke because he could still read and write. I remembered one of my friends who could write all the way through his stroke even when he couldn't speak, he just lost the ability to read it until weeks later. The brain does all sorts of things when it's scrambled. I am just grateful this was more like a software glitch than a hardware error.

[davidgillon]

I really don't think we made the wrong decision to go to the ER. The doctor didn't think we'd overreacted.

Definitely not. And I've been in the position of realising after the fact I once got that call wrong - a few years before the attack of acute pancreatitis that hospitalised me, I had one almost as bad, but just put it down as really, really bad backache and tried to outlast it, and fortunately it burnt itself out. The second one didn't, I still felt like an idiot for ringing for an ambulance, but the A&E consultant took one look at me and shot me full of morphine, then pushed my trolley through the diagnosis process himself. Better to err on the side of caution and let the experts judge.

[swan_tower]

Holy shit! I am so glad he wasn't having a stroke.

[sovay]

Holy shit! I am so glad he wasn't having a stroke.

It was really scary. We are too.

[rydra_wong]

What everyone said. SO glad it wasn't a stroke, but that must have been terrifying.

[sovay]

What everyone said. SO glad it wasn't a stroke, but that must have been terrifying.

Thank you. It was not cool. We compared notes afterward on the points where we were really worried.

[rosefox]

Oh hey, I've been on that date! It sucks! I'm glad you're both home and okay and no one is having any strokes.

(In our case it was a panic attack that induced temporary aphasia. We primarily learned that New York–Presbyterian's stroke response team is extremely good.)

[sovay]

Oh hey, I've been on that date! It sucks! I'm glad you're both home and okay and no one is having any strokes.

Thank you! We really liked our original evening's plans much better!

(In our case it was a panic attack that induced temporary aphasia. We primarily learned that New York–Presbyterian's stroke response team is extremely good.)

I'm glad to hear it.

[rosefox]

Even if your original plan was to walk repeatedly into a wall, it was probably more fun than what you got. I hope you can have a make-up date soon.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, no, that does sound rotten! I'm glad that he's okay now, though. <3

[sovay]

Oh, no, that does sound rotten! I'm glad that he's okay now, though.

Thank you! It was no fun!

[shewhomust]

Ouch! Glad it turned out OK, and that you were able to celebrate with a really good moon, biut still, ouch!

[sovay]

Ouch! Glad it turned out OK, and that you were able to celebrate with a really good moon, biut still, ouch!

Thank you!

[cyphomandra]

That sounds terrifying. Yay for pristine MRIs, and hope the cats forgive you quickly.

[sovay]

That sounds terrifying. Yay for pristine MRIs, and hope the cats forgive you quickly.

Thank you! There was much petting. Also food.

[umadoshi]

Eeeep. I'm so glad he's okay!

[sovay]

Eeeep. I'm so glad he's okay!

Thank you!

[muccamukk]

I'm glad Rob is okay, but that's really scary. The same thing happened to Nenya a few years ago and worried the hell out of is.

[sovay]

I'm glad Rob is okay, but that's really scary. The same thing happened to Nenya a few years ago and worried the hell out of is.

I understand why! I'm glad she's all right, too.

[hawkwing_lb]

I'm glad he's okay.

[sovay]

I'm glad he's okay.

Thank you.

[ursula]

That sounds really scary! I'm glad you're home.

[sovay]

That sounds really scary! I'm glad you're home.

Thank you.

[selkie]

You kids know how to party.

If you had said he'd lost his speech my first thought wouldn't have been stroke, honestly; it would have been a panic attack the size of HOLY SHIT HAVE YOU READ THE NEWS, FIGURATIVE SIBLINGS because that'll drop the aphasia on one like a brick; I am glad you went, did the thing, had the unpleasantness, and got the peace of mind.

<3

[sovay]

You kids know how to party.

Antihistamines and antipsychotics. All the cool kids are doing them.

If you had said he'd lost his speech my first thought wouldn't have been stroke, honestly; it would have been a panic attack the size of HOLY SHIT HAVE YOU READ THE NEWS, FIGURATIVE SIBLINGS because that'll drop the aphasia on one like a brick

We actually thought of that—I mentioned his history of anxiety and depression when speaking with the urgent care nurse, the triage nurse, and the ER doctor, just in case—but the presentation and eventually the duration were wrong.

The news is awful. [edit] You sent me good news! Thank you!

*hugs*

[selkie]

First mixing pharmaceuticals. Now mixing correspondence and social media. *sigh*

[choco_frosh]

:(, < hugs >

[sovay]

< hugs >

Thank you.

*hugs*

[asakiyume]

Yikes almighty--yes; a date like that should be forbidden. I'm very glad he wasn't having a stroke, but suddenly not being able to speak must have been pretty alarming.

[sovay]

I'm very glad he wasn't having a stroke, but suddenly not being able to speak must have been pretty alarming.

Thank you. It was! And spatch couldn't even really tell me about it until afterward.

[gilana]

Well that sounds like super not-fun. I'm really glad he's ok, and hope that this won't be too insanely expensive.

[sovay]

Well that sounds like super not-fun. I'm really glad he's ok, and hope that this won't be too insanely expensive.

Thank you. We are hoping so, too. Everything connected with health insurance right now is like a tire fire of stress just on its own.

[gilana]

I believe it. Ugh. Dealing with health insurance is so often worse than whatever the health issue was in the first place.

[sartorias]

Well that was scary! I am so glad to read good news, tho.

[sovay]

Well that was scary! I am so glad to read good news, tho.

Thank you!

[isis]

Yikes! Glad he's okay now.

[sovay]

Yikes! Glad he's okay now.

Thank you!

(I continue to love that icon.)

[kenjari]

So glad he's okay. Migraines are awful, but they are better than strokes.

[sovay]

So glad he's okay. Migraines are awful, but they are better than strokes.

Thank you. Agreed.

[moon_custafer]

Yikes! Hugs, gladness that spatch's ability to speak returned, etc.

[sovay]

Yikes! Hugs, gladness that spatch's ability to speak returned, etc.

Thank you. It's a really important part of him.

*hugs*

[lemon_badgeress]

Jebus. I am so glad it wasn't a stroke. :(

[sovay]

Jebus. I am so glad it wasn't a stroke.

Thank you.

[gwynnega]

That sounds so scary and awful. I did not know migraines could do that. I'm glad Rob is okay.

[sovay]

That sounds so scary and awful. I did not know migraines could do that. I'm glad Rob is okay.

Thank you. We learned a lot about migraines, but I maintain this is what books are for.

[davidgillon]

Definitely a case where book-learning wins hands down over first or second-hand experience!

[cmcmck]

I'm glad he's okay.

That sort of thing is not fun at all!

[sovay]

I'm glad he's okay.

Thank you. We are, too!

That sort of thing is not fun at all!

It did not look it!

[kore]

JESUS. Migraines are horrible, but going to the ER because "Migraine or stroke?" sounds amazingly shitty. Very glad he is all right!

[sovay]

Migraines are horrible, but going to the ER because "Migraine or stroke?" sounds amazingly shitty. Very glad he is all right!

Thank you! It was profoundly uncool!

[davidgillon]

Ouch! Glad that turned out to be the less serious alternative!

[sovay]

Ouch! Glad that turned out to be the less serious alternative!

Thank you!

I sat in the MRI waiting room with his rings on my hands, thinking let it be easily identifiable, let it be transient and reversible, let it cause no lasting damage, and the migraine appears to have sufficed on all fronts, so let's go no further down this road, thanks.

[davidgillon]

I sat in the MRI waiting room with his rings on my hands, thinking let it be easily identifiable, let it be transient and reversible, let it cause no lasting damage, and the migraine appears to have sufficed on all fronts, so let's go no further down this road, thanks.

Absolutely! {{{Hugs}}}