I guess “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”  Below is a description of how Arla got to Lutheran hospital.  This information is also in the “About” section of this blog.

On Sunday, August 28, 2011, Arla woke and did not feel well.  She was very weak and nauseous.  She told Dad to get her to the hospital.  After getting her dressed, Harold drove Arla to the Van Wert County Hospital.  When she arrived, it was determined  that her heart was in artial fibrillation and by this time she was mentally compromised.  After a while, her mental capacities returned, and she could remember important dates and identify family.

After a very short time, she was in an ambulance and being transferred to the Cardiac ICU at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.  Upon arrival at Lutheran, the cardiologist said her EKG indicated she was having a heart attack, but she did not look or act like a woman having a heart attack.  The decision was made to send her for a heart catheterization.

The catheterization indicated a blockage in a small artery at the bottom of the heart.  The doctor did attempt some ballooning but was not too aggressive.  This blockage is not in an area that would cause significant damage to the heart.  That night Arla was feeling well, ate supper, talked to people on the phone, and rested through the night.

On the morning of Monday, August 29, 2001, Arla suddenly became unresponsive while the nurses were changing her position.  Arla and her nurse were having a conversation as they were working to get Arla around for the morning.  The nurse asked Arla how many grandchildren she had as they were rolling her to the side.  Arla failed to respond which immediately alarmed the nurse who began trying to get her to respond.  After a quick assessment, Arla was on her way for a CAT scan.

The CAT scan showed she had a major blood clot on the left side of the brain.  Since she was already on blood thinners, the only option was to send her for radiology intervention.  This would involve a catheter being sent to the brain to attempt to remove the clot.  This procedure was not able to be as successful as possible because her left carotid artery was significantly blocked.  The doctor worked to push the clots in the carotid to the side, but the clots continued to form around his attempts.  During the procedure, the doctor sent clot buster past the carotid clot, and even attempted to get the left side brain clot from the right side.  Arla does have good blood flow from the right side to the left side of the brain.

The stroke has caused paralysis on the right side of Arla’s body and is affecting her speech.