February 9, 2015
Headed upstairs to take a shower before going to work
On step number three or four, I get a bad case of double vision
And stumble backwards onto the landing
This is the third or fourth time in the past couple of weeks that my vision has been impaired
I lay on the couch to clear my head and when it does, call my doctor
He advises I should go to the emergency room and get some tests done
February 10, 2015
Admitted to the brain/stroke ward
Where I’m the seemingly youngest person on the floor
As night falls, all around me the “confused patients” are sundowning
As indicated by the bells and whistles going off every ten or fifteen minutes
And the nurses rush in to try and comfort their lost minds and souls
Even though they don’t know where they are, they just want to go home
February 11, 2015
The day is chocked full of CAT Scans, MRI’s and echocardiograms
And while I wait for the results to come back
The bed I’m confined to seems like a torture rack
After what seems like forever, a doctor comes in with a dour look on his face
He shows me a picture of my brain and the spot on it looks out of place
I hear the words cerebral infarction for the first time and reality starts to set in
February 12, 2015
An angioplasty is scheduled for sometime today
And the dye reveals that the veins leading to my brain are clogged
One at seventy percent, the other at a hundred
I try my hand at some gallows humor
But the neurologist is having none of it
And when I’m left alone with only my thoughts, a few tears dribble down my cheeks.
February 13, 2015
Another day, another angioplasty
This time, a stent is inserted into one of the veins so the blood can get where it needs to
They go in through my right femoral artery and I’m awake throughout
I try and make small talk with the nurses
And ask them if they’ll sign their work once they’re done
I’m surprised when they oblige
February 14, 2015
I’m now in the invasive care unit waiting to be discharged
When my time comes, I’m given a set of instructions to follow and prescriptions to fill
And I make way home, much to the delight of my two cats
It’s well below freezing as I look out the window to my snow covered backyard
And I see a flash of red against the otherwise white background
I see a solitary out of place cardinal perched on a telephone line and I think to myself
“Everything is going to be okay”