Stroke (?) at a convention center

[catwoman]

Saturday I judged a cat show at a convention center in a Houston TX suburb (Humble). My judging ring was nearest the doors to the lobby hallways.

About 5-5:30 p.m., someone burst through the doors, looking for one of the show's managers (Paul, an RN at a hospital), saying a woman had collapsed in a restroom. They enlisted help from another exhibitor, Noreene, an RN at a hospital west of Fort Worth.
The two RNs/cat breeders went into the women's restroom, found a woman sprawled under the partition of 2 stalls. (I heard about this at dinner Saturday night & talked with Noreene this afternoon.)
She said the woman was somewhat responsive when they got to her, but her condition quickly deteriorated. The woman was the wife of a minister who was about to officiate at a wedding in another part of the convention center. The woman talked about a headache & being nauseated, that she went into the restroom & then collapsed. Noreene said the woman had weakness on the right side, which worsened as she talked to her and she had to pat the woman's face to get her to respond.
Paramedics arrived, via an air ambulance & ground ambulance. They loaded the woman into the helicopter -- then took her out & put her in the ground ambulance.

Noreene's guess is a major stroke, possibly fatal.

I did not sleep well last night, waking up to think about this woman & her family & her husband's church. I have thought about her all day today. No way to determine her outcome (other than the obvious, checking obits online in the Houston Chronicle).

So sad.

 

[geebee]

We will certainly never know, in advance, when it is our time. I hope this woman is alright but, even if she passed, she was not alone. I am happy that someone took the time to be with her and try to help.

My biggest fear about dying is being alone at the time. I hope there is someone around to simply "be" with me.

 

[RCB]

Gina, you are so right!

Gina, you are so right!

We will certainly never know, in advance, when it is our time. I hope this woman is alright but, even if she passed, she was not alone. I am happy that someone took the time to be with her and try to help.

My biggest fear about dying is being alone at the time. I hope there is someone around to simply "be" with me.

We all need to prepare for that day- Don't wait to tell people how much you love them, so you will never have to worry about that being said in your final
moments, only thoughts of how much you loved people and life.

 

[catwoman]

I failed to stress in my post the need to know warning signs of a stroke, heart attacks, etc.

Here's a link to the American Heart Association's website with warning signs listed:

www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3053

and the American Stroke Association, part of the AHA --

www.strokeassociation.org

My friend Noreene said the woman had several obvious risk factors for a stroke. Some of us here have risk factors -- a-fib, artery disease, cholesterol problems, BP problems, etc.

I just wanted to give all of us another reminder of these warnings and risk factors.

 

[Superbob]

What is it about conventions?

What is it about conventions?

My wife was teaching a needlework class at a convention in Baltimore 10 years ago this month when she began to feel numb down one side. Turned out she was having a stroke. Luckily the convention was being held just a few blocks from the U/Md Hospital -- she was taken there and treatment began immediately.Quick treatment can be vital. A few months later, a neurologist at the Medical College of Virginia found through an enhanced MRI that her stroke was caused by a brain aneurysm. She had some scary surgery to have that capped. Today she has some difficulties with sight and walks with a cane but her memory is better than mine.

It is a very good idea to know the symptoms and get medical help right away.

 

[pipersmith]

My wife was teaching a needlework class at a convention in Baltimore 10 years ago this month .

Out of curiosity, what type of needlework does your wife do? Does she participate in EGA events? That is the type of work my mother does. Just curious..

I am glad that she (your wife) is ok. I agree that it is so important to know your body, be aware of risk factors and symptoms. I am also constantly surprised at how often doctors are guilty of not seeing symptoms for what they are - ignoring signs of stroke because the patient is "too young", ignoring signs of a heart attack in a woman - because of gender, when heart disease is the 3rd leading cause of death in women. Patients and families are their own best advocates - if informed!!!