Tinnessa
I started this journey seven years ago, and I was in a relationship, and let the man that I was with talk me out of the surgery. Bad move on my part because I suffered for it. In May of 2007 at the age of 34 I had my first stroke at work while on an outside duty patrol. For roughly five minutes my co-workers got to me. I did everything I would normally do for myself by that evening I had no use of my left leg or arm and my face took an early vacation south! It hit me how sick I actually was when my family kissed me goodbye when they got me settled into ICU where I would spend the next 2days while being treated with TPA. I gained the use of my left arm limited but I could use it, but still had no use of my left leg. A few days later I had another stroke while in the hospital and I couldn't use my left arm, and all of the mini rehabing they did with me was gone! My face and arm recovered thank GOD, but my left arm was weaker than it was with the first stroke.
Fast foward 4years I was 38 about to be 39 and decided that I wanted to be Fabulous, Fierce, Fit, and Forty! So I decided to try again with WLS, and as of today 3/17/2012 I am 3days away from my surgery. While going through the test for medical clearances for WLS I found out what caused me to have my strokes which is a small hole in my heart. Small enough that it doesn't need surgery but big enough for a clot to go through. Something they never checked, but I'm grateful that it was found while doing my clearances.
I'm excited, nervous, and a lil scared at the same time but I think my excitement outweighs the other emotions I'm feeling because I'm finally getting ME healthy because I'm not trying to have that GOD FORBID one stroke that could leave my daughter motherless. This has become my butterfly process because my surgery date is the first day of spring! What better way to start off the spring with a new beginning to a better and healthy me.
