STROKED: From the pool to the PICU

Tragedy: An event that causes great sadness; a calamity.  On December 16, 1997, our then 14-year-old-daughter suffered what doctors thought were three strokes or brain attacks, leading her to death’s door a number of times since.

Her blood pressure dropped to 60/40 the first time she nearly died.  Her resting heart rate was 140 beats per minute (BPM).  That night she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, requiring blood pressure support.  A small anterior pericardial effusion (where too much fluid is built up in the heart sac) was revealed.  Five areas of bleeding in the brain (or multiple intracerebral lesions) showed in the brain CT scan.  She lay in a coma state for almost two weeks.  She was paralyzed on the entire right side of her body and had lost her ability to speak.  They catheterized her, inserted a breathing tube, and the doctor asked us to wait in the other room.  He needed to talk to us.  He wasn’t smiling.

He said he thought it might have been a stroke...possibly more than one.  He told us he didn’t expect her to survive this catastrophic strike to her brain and vital organs.  “She may not make it through the night,” he said.  I remember feeling that it was such a surreal moment.  I had to be dreaming.  This was not in the plans; this was not supposed to happen.  As we cried, I felt as if I had to awaken at any minute.  But I didn’t.  I was already wide-awake.   

He led the way back into the PICU, where Jenna lay still, in a sleeplike state.  Her face was still blotchy red, at least what I could see of it around the breathing tube in her mouth.  What a horrific day this little girl had had.  I kept asking, “What happened?”  We continued to weep—nonstop.  That was the first day at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.  We didn’t leave Jenna’s side for more than a few hours for almost a month.  That much time in the hospital tends to change your life in a hurry.  Luckily, friends and a few family members came to our rescue.  We could never have survived the ordeal without this network of help.  We’d thought we had everything in place before this tragedy.  But we learned quickly that we’d overlooked the most important thing. 

Recovery, acceptance, sadness, heartbreak, and more recovery have created a new life with a very different Jenna.  We’ve had  over seven years of doctor visits, constant illness, major surgeries, perfect teeth riddled with cavities from drug abuse, constant lying to us and others,  throwing up wherever, car wrecks, suicide attempts, using friends, having no friends, significant loss (from abilities to sensibilities), depression, thievery, detox, treatment center admission,  etc.  Now it is time to talk about it.  We want people to learn whatever lessons they can from this amazing journey.  

The over one million persons with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, specifically Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis) will be able to relate to this story, for it’s not just about the calamity of stroke.  It’s also about battling Crohn’s disease. 

Young people experiencing diarrhea (especially bloody diarrhea) might be helped by reading this story.  Bloody diarrhea is always bad.  The sooner you control it, the better.  What is Crohn’s disease anyway?  Can it be cured?  How is it different from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?  IBD is a lifelong chronic disease affecting the digestive tract.  Although IBS can mimic IBD with similar symptoms, IBS goes away….

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