Charles Gilfillan, 67, has been proactive about his health. He even kept a BE FAST brochure in his day planner about the signs of stroke: Balance Eyes Face Arms Speech Time.
Charles does not have a family history of stroke, but over the years, he has been seeing his cardiologist for minor heart issues and a slow heart rate, which was under control with medication.
Even so, it turns out that there was some misunderstanding about the signs of stroke.
“My wife Kathy and I were under the impression that my right or left side had to go numb, my face had to droop, and I had to be somewhat confused in order to be having a stroke. We didn’t realize that having any one of the symptoms could be a sign of a stroke,” Gilfillan recalled.
Occasionally, over the last several months his right leg seemed to fall asleep but “returned to normal” in a few minutes. Getting up and down was a challenge. Gilfillan assumed that his leg muscles were weak.
During a road trip from California to Florida, a new problem arose — this time with his left knee, which was different than his right leg falling asleep. “Halfway through the trip, my left knee went out,” he said. “I couldn’t walk without help. I thought I’d see the chiropractor when I returned to Michigan. Maybe I had pinched a nerve or needed to do physical therapy.”
Both legs were tender when he returned home, but it was when his right arm went numb, and he could not lift a coffee cup that Kathy became concerned. “She asked me to look at her and went through the BE FAST,” Gilfillan remembered. “Nothing seemed wrong and as quickly as the numbness happened it went away.
Gilfillan had his annual wellness exam already scheduled for the following week with his Mercy Health primary care physician. Gilfillan told his physician about his symptoms. That’s when he was referred to Mercy Health Hauenstein Neuroscience Center.
After testing and examination on a Thursday afternoon in April, the neurologist did not find anything neurologically wrong with Gilfillan’s leg or arm. “But he did say to Kathy and me very firmly, ‘If that ever happens again, even if just for a minute or two, go to the Emergency Room. Don’t wait.’”
That Saturday afternoon, Gilfillan had “two of the best steaks ever” on the grill. “I was so looking forward to that meal,” he said, “when my right leg went numb.” Following the neurologist’s instructions, they immediately went to Mercy Health Emergency Southwest.
Gilfillan described what happened next in this way: “From the time I went through those doors, I felt comfortable. There was an onslaught of four people taking care of me at once. They were very efficient and worked as a team. The staff knew I was very anxious about my situation and they were very reassuring and talked in a way to make me feel at ease.”
After imaging was completed, it was discovered that Gilfillan had a clot in his left carotid artery blocking blood flow. The physician checked with a neurologist before administering TPA (tissue plasminogen activator), a clot-busting drug that can be given within 4.5 hours following the first stroke symptom.
Once he was stabilized, Gilfillan was transferred to Mercy Health’s Hauenstein Neuroscience Center.
“Before we left Southwest, my wife knew my nurse’s name and what room I would be in at Hauenstein. That’s one of the many examples that we experienced while under their care. All I know is that Mercy Health’s treatment of their patients is amazing. They were great.”**
A CTA (computed tomography angiography) revealed that his carotid artery stenosis (blockage) was at 99.9 percent, and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) showed several spots on the right side of his brain had been deprived of oxygen. Within two days, Mercy Health Physician Partners Vascular Surgeon Joshua Greenberg, MD, performed a carotid endarectomy to remove the clot that had caused Gilfillan’s stroke.
Now at home, he is going to physical therapy and is looking forward to walking without a cane. He feels blessed that his prognosis is excellent, and that God still has work for him to do.
Gilfillan’s advice to others is simple: “If you have any symptoms of stroke, head to Mercy Health. Put your ego aside …. It’s not a pinched nerve or a twitch or weak muscles. Just go. You will be treated in the softest, most caring and loving way.”
**This article does not come close to expressing the wonderful care I received from the staff at Mercy Health Emergency Southwest and on the third floor of Mercy Health Hauenstein Neurosciences.