HOME ABOUT SSEEO NEWS FACES OF SSEEO SPONSORS KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS SUPPORT GROUP CALLS STROKE SUPPORT GROUPS USEFUL LINKS CONTACT SSEEO   Back to All Stories AnnaMaria - Chicago, IL I'm sure there are holes in my story, but I do remember the best I can. The Beginning: It had to start late June 08. I started to get these bright spots in my vision. I was at work and all of a sudden I couldn't see. The best way I could explain it is that when you get it in the head, you are stunned for a minute and see stars. I had a co-worker take me to the nearest hospital because I knew something wasn't right. I was admitted and sent home, about three days later, with Vertigo. This had to be a few days later (I'm not sure which came first), but I was driving home on the highway from work, and my horizontal vision went vertical so I pulled over. I had to call my parents to come get me (with my eyes closed) because I couldn't drive, or see. They came. About a week later (July 4th weekend), I was hospitalized AGAIN because I was throwing up non-stop in which nothing was comming out because I let it all out earlier. I was kept overnight and was released the next day with dehydration and Vertigo. The Day of my stroke: August 25th, I was at work. I had this horrible headache that I didn't think much of cause I always got headaches. This one I couldn't handle. I was nauseous, and disoriented, and told very pale (I tanned a lot, so it was weird. They used to call me TANna). A friend drove me home as I was laying down in the back seat. This part I am unclear. A day went by (I was told), and I still had a major headache. My mom called me and said I was fine, just reasting until this headache went away. Since I was up, I was texting a friend (I JUST got my new phone, cause my other broke). I went to the bathroom. I just moved into my place like 2 weeks before so boxes were everywhere. On the obstical course from the bathroom to my room, I just collasped. I didn't know what was wrong. I did an "army crawl" to my room just on my right side because my left side stopped working. I got to my phone because I knew something was horribly wrong. I couldn't talk! Thank God I thought quickly and sent out a text to my friend that something was wrong and call an ambulance. But since I just moved in, she didn't know my address, so she called a friend that called her mom that called my mom (she worked a block away from my house) to come over and something was wrong with me. Meanwhile while I'm going in and out of consciousness, my mother is downstairs ringing my doorbell. I remember looking at my door trying to yell for her and nothing came out. My mother knew something was wrong and climbed the fence to get to my back door to break it down. I was unconscious is my room. I do remember getting wacked in the face hearing "Anna wake up." My eyes opened a little. The next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance on my way to the hospital. Hospital: I remember waking up in an isolated room being tubed up and strapped down. Strapped down? I was told that I was like the hulk and picked up the nurse with my right arm so I could try to pull out my tube. So they strapped me down. I remember waking up and not being able to move my left side and thinking to myself, "Oh, I just had a stroke," like it was no big deal. Then I closed my eyes, and the next time I woke up (I) was in intensive care. I was hooked up to all these machines and had so many tubes. I couldn't talk! My friend brought over her son's talking ABC toy, and I was spelling out what I wanted to say. Since I had so many tubes, I caught pneumonia in my chest. I couldn't swallow either, so I had a device to suck out my spit and nasty pneumonia stuff. In-Patient: I was transferred from Rush to Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. For about a month, I lived there. When I got there, I couldn\'t walk, talk, eat, had double vision, couldn't go to the bathroom, move my left side, sit up. After rehab everyday there, I left being able to move my leg, talk, eat, bathroom. I wanted to walk so bad when I left, but ended up like a week later at home with a cane. Recovery: I am still recovering as I type this, but have come a loooooong way. I say I'm about 90% back to full working function. I still have problems opening up my left hand from a fist, problem with my knee snapping back when I walk ( no cane, no brace, no wheel chair) and me getting fatigued really fast. I started therapy again (pool therapy) because I thought it will be beneficial to me. I'm getting stronger as the days go on. Just remember, there is always hope in things getting better and no matter how bad things are, they could always get worse. Thank you for all the love and support because I would not be making such an awesome recovery.