My Background story

I fell down walking across the bedroom floor that morning, May 21, 2006. I called to my wife, Sarah asking for help to stand up. She was already on the phone dialing 911 and answering the questions, drug use, high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, All were negative. The paramedics came and asked the same questions mainly because there was this healthy looking 50 year old lying on the floor with some stroke symptoms. I spent the next 4 weeks in HCMC - Hennepin County Medical Center. In the Emergency room I received tPA, the clot busting drug,within the hour. I did not get the immediate miracle so the doctor said I would have to settle for the slow miracle recovery. I had Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy while there.Deficits from the stroke were left side paralysis. Mental cognition, eyesight and speech were not affected. By the time I left the hospital I could walk with a 4 point cane and AFO - Ankle Foot Orthotic. This occurred the day after returning from a strenuous 6 day whitewater canoeing trip on the Dog River, Ontario(23 miles and dropping 1050 feet with a 1.5 mile portage around a 120 ft. waterfall) and driving for 12 hours to get home. So the timing was fortuitous that I was at home when it occurred, (This website contains a slide show of a small part of the photos from that trip; http://www.rapidsriders.net/gallery2/main.php and then click on Album Dog River 2006, I am in the red canoe, my partners were Alan Faust in the purple canoe and Brian Johnston in the yellow canoe). My doctor speculated that I probably had a weak spot in the carotid artery and it was just a fluke occurrence. A later doctor speculated that plaque lifted up and tore. I don't believe I hit or twisted my neck hard enough on the trip to cause the tear. Update from April, 2008. I just had an ultrasound done and the artery that tore is now totally blocked, so I don't have to worry about that particular section anymore. There are three other arteries feeding the Circle of Willis so it still gets enough blood.
Check out my MRI pictures lower in the blog and ask your doctor to see yours, at least 1 week after the event.
I have become fanatical about learning about everything to do with stroke since there is no one in the world that seems to know very much about it. A lot of this is to not have new survivors have to go thru the same 3 year learning process as I did.